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Kelly Estremera began her new job as the pharmacist at Cutler Health Center last month and she is bringing plenty of new ideas. Estremera is looking for an easier way for students at the University of Maine to purchase medication.
“We wanted to come up with another form of billing, and we have the administration behind us, helping us and supporting us,” Estremera said.
The idea for third-party billing would offer students another form of payment. However, Estremera is not so sure the idea of third-party billing is exactly what students need.
“Third-party billing has a lot of legalities tied to it that would probably complicate a lot of things and would also interfere with availability of medications, and there’s also a potential loss of funds with third-party billing, so that’s something we’re worried about,” Estremera said.
The other option Estremera suggested is using MaineCards for payment. The current options include cash, check or student account, but Estremera believes payment by MaineCard would be in students’ best interest.
While the health center still has work to do before Estremera’s plan is up and running, the idea seems to be quickly gaining popularity among students.
“I’ve talked to a lot of students who come here and they like the idea of having the MaineCard be used,” she said.
She believes that the use of debit or credit cards could lead to a loss of funds. She says with a MaineCard there is no chance of a loss of funds.
“It’s a viable option and everyone seems to like it,” she said, “and we’re here for the students so we have to do what they want.”
Cutler Health Center Director Mark Jackson also believes that some type of change in the billing procedure is needed. He thinks third-party billing is a good idea.
“It seems more and more students come with pharmacy cards and other health insurance coverage,” Jackson said. “The students are ready to use the prescription benefit cards at Cutler pharmacy but can’t. This causes students some frustration and I think that the health center must investigate if it is possible to permit students to use the prescription benefit cards here at Cutler.”
Jackson says the clinical practice at Cutler is constantly updated, but the pharmacy is not. He says the pharmacy must be updated to be consistent with the surrounding community medical services.
“We must assess the feasibility of changing our billing practice so that they are more attuned to the needs of the current students,” Jackson said.
As for Estremera’s plan of using the MaineCard, she said she is looking at a six-month time frame. She wants to put out a survey of students through Relay Health to find out if her idea would be something students are interested in.
She said there is a possibility that there could be a discount on medication for students who use their MaineCards, but that is something she has to look into.
