I never knew life as a hospitalist could be so easy. I am a huge fan of using technology to make our lives as doctors better and more efficient for ourselves and for our patients. The infamous $4 Walmart med list started it all. Shortly after the $4 Walmart drug list, we had every major national pharmacy and local grocery store offering up their own $4 list of medications. Yet, for what ever reason, the $4 Walmart list is the only one I ever see jammed in the patient's chart for me to try and accommodate the poor and down on their luck patients with barely $4 to their name.
I'm a big fan of the $4 list. But, I've learned a few quirky clinical details over the years. Albuterol and Atrovent are $4 medications when ordered separately, but order premixed Duoneb and the cost is ten times higher! How can you get the $4 Walmart list with you at all times? Having the Walmart $4 med list readily available is as easy as downloading the Walmart iPhone app. The $4 med list data base is just a click away from the home screen. Just one observation, but I did find the list may not be exactly up to date as more and more medications go generic. For example, Norvasc is now a $4 drug, it's not yet on their iPhone $4 medication app list.
I also discovered that the app allows me to self medicate my hypothyroidism and have my levothyroxin delivered to my home with just a couple clicks in the iPhone app. Just sign up for walmartDOTcom and then sign up for their pharmacy portion and your app is good to go. While only a physician can order a new prescription, you can get refills mailed to your home with just the click of a button. As a doctor, you can save your patients some money and yourself some time and get your own medication refills right from your phone. No more wondering if the drug is on the $4 Walmart drug list or not. This is yet another way to increase hospitalist efficiency. Oh yeah. And the app is free.
