More Than A Script

Do you have diabetes or high blood pressure?

Your community pharmacy offers health advice – at no extra cost!

Pharmacists want to help you live healthier – and they offer so much more than prescriptions! Come in for advice, education, and ongoing support to help you manage your conditions and achieve your goals.

Through More than a Script, pharmacists at some independent pharmacies can give you expert health advice for managing diabetes (high blood sugar) or hypertension (high blood pressure).
The pharmacist will work with your doctor so nothing gets missed in your care.
If you're eligible, you may get a call from a community pharmacy or a letter or email from Blue Cross NC.
Make an appointment, or just walk in and ask!

If you’re eligible, these services are available at no cost to you because Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) pays for certain health plan members to use More Than a Script.

What happens during pharmacist visits?

Your first conversation will focus on the pharmacist getting to know you and answering your questions. They might have you fill out a short questionnaire about your health and lifestyle.

Depending on your health needs, the pharmacist could recommend that you meet with them every 4-6 weeks (you can opt out anytime). These consultations can be virtual, over the phone, or in person. During these meetings, they will:

Teach you skills for caring for your conditions, such as testing your own blood sugar or blood pressure, giving yourself injections, and spotting signs of health changes
Set you up with pharmacy services, such as having your medicines delivered to your home or packaged to be easier to take at the right times
Work with you on personalized eating and exercise plans
Teach you how to meal plan, use food labels, and other skills to help you eat healthier
Give you homework, such as keeping a food diary or logging your blood pressure at home, to discuss at each visit
Test your blood sugar, blood pressure, weight or other measures of your health
Discuss other health care you may need, such as shots or screenings
Work with your doctor to recommend changes to your treatment

Why should I use this no-cost service?

Most people with diabetes or high blood pressure can enjoy better health if they stick to good habits around food, medicine, exercise, and lifestyle.

Pharmacists can help make sure you understand how, when, and how much of which meds to take. This can save your life!

Pharmacists can help you start and stick with healthier food and exercise habits.

If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, seeing someone between doctor appointments can make it easier for you to manage your health. If you don’t have a doctor, find one on Blue Connect℠.

Approximately 1,028,000 people in North Carolina, or 12.3% of the adult population, have diagnosed diabetes.[D]

As of 2020, about 2.8 million adults in North Carolina (35%) have been diagnosed with high blood pressure.[D]

Facts about diabetes and high blood pressure

You are not alone. Many, many North Carolinians have these conditions.

Untreated diabetes and high blood pressure can cause serious health problems.

People with diabetes have to pay about 2.3 times as much in medical expenses as those who don’t have diabetes.¹

In 2018, high blood pressure caused or contributed to at least 27% of all deaths in North Carolina.²

What to ask the pharmacist

These lists of sample questions can help you figure out what you may want to ask. You can use them as they are or change them to fit your health concerns.

Can you help me make sure I’m taking my meds correctly and safely? (Bring them with you!)
I’m having side effects with my meds. Is this to be expected? What can I do?
Can you walk me through how to give myself insulin injections?
What signs of health issues should I look out for? When do I need to call my doctor?
What kinds of exercises are safe for me?
I have trouble sticking with an exercise routine. Can you help me?
Do I need to wear or carry anything special with me when exercising?
I drink occasionally. How does that affect my diabetes?
What kinds of snacks do you suggest I keep with me? Which foods should I avoid?
Do you have any grocery shopping tips that can help me stay healthy?

Can you help me make sure I’m taking my meds correctly and safely? (Bring them with you!)
I’m having side effects with my meds. Is this to be expected? What can I do?
How can I check my blood pressure at home? (Bring in your cuff and the pharmacist can give you a demo! Don’t have one? They can help you find an affordable one that works for you.)
Do you have any tips that can help me stick with a low-salt diet? Recipes, ideas for different seasonings, or healthier choices when eating out?
How do I measure my own heartbeat?
What can I do to reduce stress?
What kinds of exercise are safe for me?
I have trouble sticking with an exercise routine. Can you help me?

What’s the catch?

The short answer – none! It’s win-win-win: For the pharmacists, for Blue Cross NC, and for you.

Blue Cross NC pays pharmacists to help our members with diabetes and high blood pressure stay healthy. (More than a Script is the first program in North Carolina to do this!)

When our members with diabetes and high blood pressure take their meds correctly and stick to good habits, they tend to stay healthier. Healthier people have fewer emergencies and need to spend less time in the hospital. This saves money, both for them and for Blue Cross NC.

Since people go to the pharmacy more often than to their doctor, pharmacists can help them stay on track between doctor visits. More than a Script connects the dots between members’ needs, pharmacists’ expertise, and Blue Cross NC’s purpose – to make health care better for all.

Disclosures:

American Diabetes Association, Statistics by State: NC (PDF). (Accessed June 2024)
Eat Smart, Move More. High Blood Pressure in North Carolina - Fact Sheet. (Accessed June 2024)

U45252, 6/24

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability in its health programs and activities. Learn more about our non-discrimination policy and no-cost services available to you.

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© 2024 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. ®, SM Marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans. Blue Cross NC is an abbreviation for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.