Pharmacy benefits and prescriptions

If you know when to order your refill, it’ll help ensure you always have the drugs you need. And you can order your refills anytime without logging in. Here’s a helpful guide.
 

At a retail pharmacy:
 

• For a 30-day prescription, order a refill when you have a 7-day supply left.
• For eye-drop medicines, order a refill when you have a 9-day supply left.
   

Through a mail order pharmacy:
 

• For a long-term supply, order a refill when you have a 22-day supply left.
  • If you have a prescription drug plan (Medicare Part D), a long-term supply is up to a 90-day prescription.
  • If you have a Medicare Advantage prescription drug plan (Medicare Parts C & D), a long-term supply is up to a 100-day prescription.
• For eye-drop medicines, order a refill when you have a 27-day supply left.

If you order too early, the pharmacy won’t give you the refill before the approved date.
 

There are some drugs that can be shipped right to you. Most times, mail order drugs arrive in no more than 10 days from the time we get your order. Learn how to use CVS Caremark® Mail Service Pharmacy.

We have a broad network of over 63,000 pharmacies. That includes more than 22,000 preferred pharmacies. Make sure you choose the best place to get your drug. Check our drug pricing tool now and then.
 

When you’re ready to switch, follow these 4 steps:
 

1. Make a list of the prescriptions you have now.
2. Check for the last pharmacy that filled each of them.
3. Call your new pharmacy to give them this list. Then, they can start the transfer.
4. Make sure the transfer went through. Check back with your new pharmacy.

In some cases, Medicare lets you use an out-of-network pharmacy. Read more on this in our section on using an out-of-network pharmacy.

There may be times when you need to use an out-of-network pharmacy. Like when:

• There’s no network pharmacy close or open 24 hours
• You need a drug that a nearby network pharmacy doesn’t often stock, like drugs for rare medical conditions
• You get a Part D drug at an out-of-network provider pharmacy from:
  • An emergency room
  • A provider-based clinic
  • An outpatient surgical center
  • An outpatient setting
• You get a prescription outside of your home or service area due to:
  • A state or federal disaster
  • Another public health emergency

If you fill your prescription out of network, we can only pay you back if one of these reasons is true.
 

If one of these reasons is the case, you’ll have to pay the full cost when you get the drug. You may get a smaller amount of your drug until you can get to a network pharmacy.
 

To get paid back, send us a claim form and your receipt. We’ll pay you back for the amount you paid, minus your copay or coinsurance. We may cover up to a 10-day supply.

Print a prescription drug claim form
Print a prescription drug claim form (Spanish/Español)
 

Want to know more about using an out-of-network pharmacy? Check your Evidence of Coverage (EOC) for more details.