FAQ

Company

What is UBACARE?
UBACARE is a trailblazer in the prescription cost containment industry and was created with an ever-widening scope of services and partnerships. Our humble beginnings started with a licensed central fill and specialized compounding pharmacy, which has now morphed into a network of triple-certified pharmacies, compounding centers, licensed distributors, and even telehealth. Our focus remains the same, transforming the way healthcare is experienced by providing both direct-to-patient and direct-to-business prescription medication services using multiple licensed providers and technologies under one platform. It is our goal to lead the way in advocating and finding the most effective strategies and solutions for consumers and groups alike for the benefit of all involved. On average, our patients and customers save between 50% to 90% on their prescription medication expenses, including brand and specialty drugs with the goal of maximizing savings, medication adherence, and overall health.

Who is UBACARE?
We are a team of medical doctors, clinical and compounding pharmacists, product managers, and two seasoned entrepreneurs who continue to exhibit a relentless drive of finding and crafting precedent cost-saving strategies on prescription medications for the masses.

Who is UBACARE for?
Positioned at the nexus of healthcare technology and services, UBACARE has and continues to create limitless opportunities for individuals, employer groups, infinity groups, benefit managers, brokerages, and more who share in the common belief of universal prescription drug affordability.

What Services Does UBACARE Provide?
We provide a wide range of healthcare services to a variety of individuals and organizations with the intent of providing lower pharmacy costs, reducing administrative burdens, and improving patient outcomes through improved medication adherence. Headquartered in Vancouver, with an expanded network of licensed and accredited healthcare partners which consist of pharmacies, wholesale distributors, manufacturers and compounding centers. UBACARE is capable of providing a full-service personal experience which can include: medication sourcing and dispensing, compounding customized formulations as needed, automated refills, education, and counseling, reauthorizing prescription refills in real-time through our team of licensed physicians, pharmacists, and support team.


Pharmacy

Do I need a prescription to get medication?
Yes, you need a valid prescription from a Canadian licensed prescriber to buy medication requiring prescriptions. Prescription medication is also known as Rx medication.

Do you have a licensed pharmacy?
Our site and services are provided to you by UBACARE – Your Intelligent Health Company, an organization licensed and registered in the Province of British Columbia. UBACARE’s Registration Identification Number with the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia is 38739. You can verify our pharmacy accreditation through the following link: http://www.bcpharmacists.org/search-pharmacy. Simply type in “UBACARE” in the search field.

How can I send a copy of my prescription?
If you have a copy of your prescription, you can send it to us through fax or email.

To send via Fax: Send it to us via fax at 1.888.526.0408 Please include in the subject line or body of your fax message, your name, phone number so that we can easily verify your prescription details.

To send via E-mail: Scan a copy of your prescription. Send it to us via e-mail at support@ubacare.com. Make sure your e-mail follows the below guidelines:

  • We accept only the following file formats: .jpg, .gif, .tif, .pdf -- we won't be able to view your file if you send it in any other format. Most scanners store images in .jpg format by default.
  • Please keep the size of your attachment under 1MB (1 megabyte) -- we may have trouble receiving larger images. You should be able to scan a 72dpi resolution image of your prescription in black and white under 100KB.
  • Please include your order number in the subject line or body of your e-mail message your name and phone number so that we can easily verify your prescription details.

How can my doctor send my prescription to you?
Your doctor can send us a copy of your prescription directly to us via secure fax or electronically through their prescribing software. Here's some information about us that your prescriber may ask for:

Our name: UBACARE Pharmacy
Our phone number: 1.888.244.8998
Our fax number: 1.888.526.0408

How do I refill my medication?

We can save you valuable time when it comes to refilling your medication. We suggest that you elect to use our automated refills feature which enables us to fill your medication before you run out. In cases, where your medication has run out of refills, you can ask us how we can connect you with a telehealth provider who can assess, diagnose and prescribe a medication if deemed appropriate. Alternatively, we can contact your doctor to request a new prescription.

What type of medications cannot be filled by UBACARE?
UBACARE offers a wide selection of generic, brand, and specialty medications used to treat acute and chronic health conditions. You can find out if we can fill a specific prescription medication by searching for a medication name using our drug price comparator tool.
The following categories of drugs and supplies are not available at this time through UBACARE Pharmacy:

  • Pet prescriptions
  • REMS medications
  • Schedule II-controlled medications
  • Vaccines

How can I transfer my medication to your pharmacy?
We can transfer your medications to our pharmacy in any number of ways. Call us at 1.888.244.8998 and speak to one of our pharmacists who will follow your exact instructions. Email us at support@ubacare.com and place a request, please provide us with your pharmacy details and name of the medication(s) you would like transferred.

Can I request to switch to a generic drug?
If you are taking a brand-name medication, you can talk to one of our pharmacists about switching to a generic drug. In some cases, a generic drug may not yet be available if the brand-name drug is still under patent.

Why are generic drugs significantly more affordable than brand name drugs?
One of the main reasons generic drugs cost less is the significantly reduced financial investment in research and development along with marketing compared to a new brand-name drug. The savings can be substantial and may be passed along to you in the form of lower prices. For this reason, when a new drug is created, many companies apply for a patent, which allows the patent holder to have exclusive rights for a certain number of years to sell the drug and make up its initial investment. Eventually, when the patent nears expiration, generic drug companies can apply for permission to manufacture their own generic versions of the drug. As a result of having no start-up costs to develop the drug from scratch, they can afford to make and sell the medicine for less money.

Why are your medication costs so affordable?
Our prescription drug costs are a relative bargain compared to the United States. Canada regulates the pricing of all prescription medications to ensure that the prices are not “excessive” for the payers (public health care plans and private insurance plans). This extends to every patented drug, whether covered on an insurer’s formulary or not. Hence, In August 2019, the Federal Government of Canada officially announced the enactment of regulations to further reduce patented drug prices saying it would save Canadians C$13.2bn (US$10bn) over a decade, overriding heavy opposition from pharmaceutical companies. Generic drugs listed on public formularies are subject to price controls set out by the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance. The general formula is if there is only one generic drug on the market, the allowed price is 75-85% of the original product. If there are two generic drugs, the allowed price is limited to 50% of the original product price. Once there are three or more generics, oral solid dosage forms are capped at 25% while other dosage forms are capped at 35% of the original drug price.


Payment & Insurance

Where can I find medication prices?
The best way to find out about a price of a medication is to speak with one of our pharmacists or pharmacy technicians who are available 5 days a week by phone, text, or email.

What insurance plans do you accept?
UBACARE accepts all government and extended health insurance plans in Canada. When you sign up, we can look up your insurance information for you, or you can enter the information yourself. Then when you request a prescription, we'll check to see if your medication is covered by your plan.

How do I add my insurance information?
You can add or update your insurance information. Please contact us directly and our pharmacy will update your benefits plan and adjudicate your prescription claim accordingly.

Can I use coupons or a prescription discount card?
You can use any prescription discount card you have—just add it by going to your account setting and your savings will be automatically applied.

What payment methods do you accept?
We accept all major credit and debit cards including Visa, MasterCard, and American Express.

Can I return orders?
We’re unable to accept returns on any medications. If you notice any quality-related issues like errors or incorrectly filled medications with an order you've received, please contact our Pharmacy Customer Care at 1.888.244.8998 immediately.


Shipping & Packaging

Where do you deliver?
We currently serve all Canadian provinces and territories.

What are the shipping restrictions?
We can ship your medications to physical addresses. We do not ship to P.O. boxes, APO/FPO/DPO addresses, and other pickup points. You'll be notified if we're unable to ship specific items to the address you've selected. 

How do you ship medications?
We deliver your medications in discreet packaging. If your medication requires refrigeration, it will be shipped separately from your other medications in temperature-safe packaging.

How can I track my order?
After an order has shipped, you can track your packages by using the tracking number emailed to you. From there you can find the latest tracking information as well as updates to when your package will arrive. If an order includes multiple items, each may have separate delivery dates and tracking information.

Can I return pharmacy orders?
We’re unable to accept returns. This includes 3-month supplies of medication if your prescription changes and you need to switch medications. If you notice any quality-related issues like errors or tampering with an order you've received, please contact our customer service team at 888.244.8998 immediately.


Safety & Privacy

Can I speak with a pharmacist?
Our pharmacists are available for phone support during normal business hours from Monday to Friday 9am to 9pm EST only. If you call outside of normal business hours, please leave a message and a pharmacist will get back to you as soon as possible. During business hours, we return urgent calls within 30 minutes. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please call 911 or contact your prescriber immediately.

How do you handle medication recalls?
We'll notify you if you're affected by a medication recall and work with you to find an appropriate option. Any recalled medications will be removed from our inventory and properly disposed of.

How do I safely dispose of medications and needles?
At this time, we're unable to accept returned medications or needles.

How do you protect my personal health information?
UBACARE is committed to maintaining your privacy and we take our responsibility for safeguarding your Protected Health Information (PHI) very seriously. The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) governs how UBACARE may use and disclose PHI, including information like medication history, medical conditions, and health insurance information. Our Privacy Policy describes the use and disclosure. It is our policy not to collect, use or share personal health information without the patient’s consent unless permitted or required by law. It is the norm for us to collect and use personal health information for any number of reasons such as to identify you, ensure the medication is appropriate for you, to monitor drug interactions or allergic reactions to your medications, to protect your health by providing you with appropriate health-related advice, to provide to your insurance carrier to properly adjudicate claims, to meet professional, legal and regulatory requirements. All personally identifiable information is tokenized using JSON and BLOB documents which comply with International data protection laws. We have implemented several layers of defense including but not limited to immutable audit logs, restrictive network rules, and per-record encryption to prevent unauthorized access to personal data. We only use servers that are hosted in a fully secured, top-tier, third-party server center and supported by a top-tier backup server facility. The SnapMD data center is a SSAE 16 SOC I Type II, PCI, and HITECH compliant environment with multiple database servers (Microsoft SQL), web servers, load balancing technology, and firewall with IPS.


Legal

Are there restrictions in using UBACARE?
UBACARE services can only be accessed by individuals aged 18+ whether placing an order for a prescription or using our telemedicine service.

Why do you need my picture identification?
Any licensed medical provider is regulated by a governing body to ensure that they confirm the identity of the patient prior to providing any treatment. To confirm your identification, we need a photo of government-issued identification such as a driver’s license, passport, or citizenship card which must not be expired. We do require a clear photo of your face which cannot include you wearing any sunglasses, hats, or facial obstructions, pictures of a picture, and filters.

How do you protect my personal health information?
We take your privacy very seriously. All your data is 256-bit SSL/TLS encrypted, and we take significant steps to keep your data secure. We strive to use best-in-class physical, technical and administrative measures to protect information under our control.
Outside of our normal communication with you or your caregiver upon the presentation and dispensing of prescriptions, your personal health information may be disclosed in the following circumstances:

  • For processing a claim for payment and reimbursement from an insurance provider.
  • To speak with your prescribing doctor and/or health care professional to confer with them details about your medication.
  • To anyone who produces written authorization from you and only for the limited purposes set out in the authorization.
  • As permitted or required by law.

Over the course of providing services or maintaining our system, we may use service providers who may require access to systems that contain personal information. These service providers are bound to keep all personal information confidential.