What’s the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan?

The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan is a new payment option in the prescription drug law that works with your current drug coverage to help you manage your out-of-pocket costs for drugs covered by your plan by spreading them across the calendar year (January–December).

Starting in 2025, anyone with a Medicare drug plan or Medicare health plan with drug coverage (like a Medicare Advantage Plan with drug coverage) can use this payment option.

All plans offer this payment option, and participation is voluntary.

This payment option might help you manage your monthly expenses, but it doesn’t save you money or lower your drug costs.

Questions: Before signing up, please contact the Hartsville pharmacy staff at 843-339-5530 to speak with someone directly.

CareSouth Carolina providing remote patient visits via telehealth

CareSouth Carolina is providing telehealth visits for its patients as a way to promote social distancing and help fight the spread of COVID-19.

Patients who would desire a regularly-scheduled follow-up appointment or wellness check-up can call the CareSouth Carolina Telehealth Triage Center at 843-309-8102, which is staffed by RNs and LPNs. The nurse will talk with the patient, decide if a telehealth (remote video chat) visit is appropriate and will schedule the patient a time to meet with their primary care provider, typically the same day.

If for whatever reason their primary care provider can’t meet with them, CareSouth Carolina has a pool of providers who are also offering telehealth services to meet with patients. At this point, more than half of the CareSouth Carolina providers are participating in telehealth visits.

If the patient is sick, they are still encouraged to call the Telehealth Triage Center and meet remotely. Should a provider deem it necessary for the patient to meet in-person, it will be arranged in the safest manner possible.

“Most of the patients are happy to do this,” said CareSouth Carolina Director of Mobile Health and Off-Site Services Jeri Andrews. “It’s convenient, there’s no sitting in the waiting room, they don’t have to get anyone to babysit their children and they don’t have to leave the comfort of their own homes. It’s a simple process and great way to still practice social distancing while meeting their medical needs.”

What is the process?

“If the patient has a smartphone, tablet or computer with internet access, they’ll be sent a downloadable secure video link once they speak with the nurse,” Andrews said. “For some patients that do not have internet access or capable technology, we can offer them a telephone appointment.”

For any other needs- such as questions about a test result or medication refills- patients should still contact the Call Center at 843-332-3422, as normal.

Behavioral health services are also available via telehealth. Call the CareSouth Carolina Triage Center at 843-309-8102 to set up an appointment.

Telehealth services are available from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

What’s the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan?

CareSouth Carolina providing remote patient visits via telehealth

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