Since opening Medicine Man Pharmacy in Super 1 Foods five years ago, Shane and Aimee Stuermer have become an integral part of the Bonners Ferry community.
The only independent pharmacy in town, those at Medicine Man consider their customers as family, and they genuinely care about their health and well-being.
The husband-and-wife pharmacist team of Shane and Aimee provide a variety of goods and services, many of which are not typically found at a pharmacy.
In addition to the free delivery and mailing of medications, Medicine Man provides a discount generic list of medications, medication packaging on a monthly or weekly basis, and brown-bag consultations—a service that helps promote education of the patient on the medication they are taking and looks for possible interactions, thereby improving the overall safety of the medication.
But perhaps the most unique service they offer is that of a full-service compounding lab.
Medication compounding is the unique design of a medication for a particular person or need and is performed by the pharmacist in a lab.
“It’s very specific to each person,” explained Shane about being able to precisely tailor a medication to an individual’s needs. The end goal is to provide a more therapeutic outcome for each patient.
In addition to providing the customer with the precise dosage he or she needs, there are many other reasons pharmacists utilize medication compounding. They have the ability to make products that do not exist on the market, make gluten- or lactose-free products, and make alcohol-free, dye-free or sugar-free medications.
A recent addition is the convenient drive-thru, making pickup easier for many of their customers.
Aimee explained that they also offer vaccinations for all ages and partner with assisted living facilities to assist them with their medication needs.
“We provide weekly and monthly drug packaging, and our biggest thing lately has been our medication synchronization program. The program gets all of your medications due at the same time, and we call you a week before to verify there were no changes since last time, that refills are remaining on your prescriptions, and that everything is in stock and ready to pick up when you come to get your prescriptions,” said Aimee. “This has been a very successful program that really helps patients to have one stop at the pharmacy per month, or even every three months, which is great for those living far out of town.”
Medicine Man also offers personalized, non-biased Medicare Part D plan reviews. “I plug in the patient's medications, and we find the plan that best suits their needs,” said Aimee.
Being precise and accurate is vital in the world of pharmaceuticals. To ensure that goal, Medicine Man Pharmacy utilizes a sophisticated software system that allows them to keep track of the med sync patients and their medications.
“We also utilize Eyecon pill-counting machines, so you won't find us counting by fives on a prescription tray. The Eyecon scans the label for the prescription, then has you scan the correct medication. If it isn't correct, it won't accept it,” explained Aimee.
The Eyecon machine uses a camera to count the tablets on a tray and when completed, takes a photo of the pills and associates a number to each tablet so they can go back and check the image if there is a complaint of a shortage of tablets.
“We ring out a patient at the register, our system shows a picture of the patient—which we uploaded from their drivers license—so that we know the correct person is picking up the medication. And, of course, we offer fast, friendly service.”
Medicine Man Pharmacy
6452 Main Street
Bonners Ferry, ID, 83805
208.267.4021