“Practice what you preach” a saying as old as the English language. I preach the good word of how STRIVE helps employees navigate the complexities of the healthcare system. However, am I a STRIVE user? I most certainly am! Here’s how it saved me both time and money over the weekend.

 

Over the last five years, I’ve developed pretty bad seasonal allergies. I’m sure my wife loves being woken up in the middle of the night to my sneeze attacks. At least twice a year, I need to get over-the-counter Flonase and Montelukast to pair with a generic Zyrec.

 

This trifecta usually does the trick. As we are now into March and allergy season has started in Atlanta, it called for a telemedicine visit.

Win #1

 

On Saturday morning, I opened my STRIVE app using the single sign-on integration with our telemedicine vendor (MeMD) to start my check-up. I waited five minutes, had a 10-minute visit, and the two prescriptions I needed were ready for pick-up at the pharmacy of my choice. 

 

Win #2

 

On Sunday morning with coffee in hand, I strolled into the local CVS with my HSA and medical ID card ready to go. I’ve been groomed over the last several years to carry both with me whenever I need something when seeking treatment.

 

Giving the pharmacist my medical ID card, I was told I also needed to give her a separate Rx card.

 

I knew I didn’t have it, but I still checked all four pockets. What I did have, however, was my Rx card saved on my STRIVE app.

I pulled out my phone and handed it to the pharmacist where she was able to access my card.

 

Win #3

 

Two minutes later, she told me the PBM we use does not allow for 90-day refills with CVS.

 

I’ll spare you my soapbox of the games played within the pharmacy world and just say I was slightly frustrated to hear that. I asked, “What options do I have?”

 

Her response, “I can give you a 30-day fill for $13 or you can get the 90-day fill for $310.”

 

The logical response was the former right? Instead, I remembered (as I have demoed so many times) I have GoodRx baked right in the app.

 

I clicked the tile and easily entered the information for a 90-day fill of my prescription.

Within seconds, up popped a $40 coupon for what I intended to get that day. As my favorite announcer will tell you several times throughout the football season, “There’s your dagger!” That’s Wayne Larrivee for those of you that don’t follow America’s football team.

 

The pharmacist took my phone once more, punched in the code, and I walked out with what I needed at a fair price. 

 

STRIVE Saves the Day

 

Without the STRIVE app, I would have had these options:

 

  • Wait to see a primary care physician or spend an hour trying to figure out who I have for telemedicine
  • Go back home to get my Rx card on Sunday
  • Pay an inflated cost for my medications
  • Wait to do mail order for a 90-day refill (and endure hundreds of sneezes until they arrived)

 

I used 3 different features within 24 hours to easily navigate a complicated healthcare system. For employees who don’t have the STRIVE app, they wouldn’t have the tools needed to navigate the same situation as simply as how I described above. Furthermore, the employers would have their HR team losing valuable time answering questions the employee would be asking regarding telemedicine or ID cards.

 

How valuable is your employees’ time?