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City changes PICA fertility drug benefit

Effective June 1, the city’s PICA drug program is eliminating its retail pharmacy “courtesy fill” for fertility drugs.
Because of the benefit modification, members or their doctors will now have to contact Freedom Fertility Pharmacy if they need an emergency medication on the same day the prescription is written. In that case, Freedom Fertility Pharmacy will arrange for the prescription to be filled at a retail pharmacy.

During business hours, patients or their physicians must call 800-660-4283 for the emergency service. After business hours, they should call 866-500-1009.

After verifying the need for emergency service, the Freedom Fertility Pharmacy representative will arrange for delivery or pickup of the medication at a local pharmacy.

While DC 37 members and retirees who are not yet eligible for Medicare rely on the DC 37 prescription drug benefit for most of their medications, they obtain chemotherapy drugs and injectable drugs such as fertility drugs through the city’s PICA program.

Freedom Fertility Pharmacy works with a network of 50 New York-based pharmacies and fills prescriptions that are not needed immediately via overnight delivery.