Frequently Asked Questions

CVS Specialty will only fill your prescriptions for specialty medications - the prescriptions you currently fill through AllianceRx Walgreens Prime. Specialty medications are used to treat complex or chronic conditions like Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis or cancer. If you are unsure if you take a specialty medication, go to fepblue.org/pharmacy to see the complete specialty drug list.

Starting January 1, 2022, go to fepblue.org/pharmacy/prescriptions for help understanding the cost of your prescription. You’ll be able to see the 2022 plan information and review drug formularies and tiers. You can also use the Prescription Drug Cost Tool to see if your drug is covered and how much you will have to pay. The tool is available at fepblue.org/rx.

If you do not have internet access or your drug is not listed, call CVS Specialty at 1-888-346-3731 (TTY: 1-877-853-9549) to speak with a representative. 

Due to privacy laws, your personal information will not be transferred to CVS Specialty. Please tell CVS Specialty about any allergies you have when you speak with them for the first time. You will be able to set up your credit card/payment information when you place your first order.

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Service Benefit Plan selected CVS Specialty as their dedicated specialty pharmacy because of their commitment to patient education, clinical expertise and breadth of patient services.

CVS Specialty offers a higher level of personalized support than traditional retail pharmacies. With CVS Specialty, you will have access to a CVS Specialty team, which includes clinical pharmacists and nurses who are specially trained for conditions like yours. They can help with everything from getting started and setting up injection training or home infusions to managing side effects. 

Here’s how the process works:

When CVS Specialty receives your prescriptions, a member of your CVS Specialty team will call you. The CVS Specialty team representative will introduce themself, ask you to verify your information to protect your privacy and let you know what services CVS Specialty can provide. The representative will ask how you prefer to receive messages and notifications – by text message, email or both. You will also be offered a link, sent by text or email, so you can create an account at CVSspecialty.com.

The CVS Specialty team representative will review your prescription and insurance information and determine whether your medication needs a prior authorization (PA). (If so, we will ask your doctor to submit a request.) You’ll also find out how you’ll pay for your medication.

If your medication is injected or infused, the CVS Specialty team representative will help you set up any needed services – like self-injection training or in-home infusion assistance. If you need supplies or nursing orders, the representative will request them from your doctor.

The CVS Specialty team representative will ask some questions about your health so a CVS Specialty pharmacist can conduct a complete safety review of your medications. These questions may include:

• Do you have any vision or hearing impairments that we should to be aware of?
  
• Do you have any allergies?
• What other medications do you take (if any)?
• Do you have any questions for the pharmacist about the medication or how to take it?

The next step is to schedule delivery. Your medication can be sent to your home or work address or even your doctor’s office. If your medication has any special storage requirements, the representative will review those with you. They will also review your payment and billing information. You’ll receive a new patient guide with your first shipment that includes a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) notice of privacy and assignment of benefits forms. These must be signed and returned by mail. If you chose to receive text or email communications, you’ll get a message and tracking number when your package ships. 

Registering makes it easier to manage your prescriptions and view all the information you need in one place. You can use the website or mobile app to refill prescriptions, choose whether you’d like your medications shipped to your home or doctor’s office, and track your shipments. You can also make one-time payments, set up automatic payments, and view your order and payment history.

You can register for an account online. All you need to do is provide some information and create a password.

You can register for online access if you receive your medications from CVS Specialty.

We’d be happy to help you – just give us a call at  1-888–346-3731 (TTY: 1-877-853-9549).

Security questions help us verify your identity if you forget your password or get locked out of your account. To help keep your personal information secure, you’ll have to correctly answer questions to reset your password. 

No. An active email address is needed to create an account. We will use this email address to send you important information about your account.

Sign in your account, go to My Account and click on Edit.

Click on Forgot my Password on the sign-in page, then enter your email address. You’ll receive an email with a Reset Password link. Click on the link, answer a security question and enter a new password.

For PC users:

• Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) 8.0, 9.0, 10.0 and 11.0
• The two most recent versions of Google Chrome
• The two most recent versions of Mozilla Firefox

For Mac users:

• The two most recent versions of Apple Safari
• The two most recent versions of Google Chrome
• The two most recent versions of Mozilla Firefox

We support IE8, but Microsoft stopped supporting both IE8 and Windows XP in April 2014. As a result, web pages don’t always look good or function properly in IE8.

We recommend that you upgrade your browser if you can. If not, make sure you are not using compatibility view settings for CVSspecialty.com. You can check this in the browser’s Tools menu.

Sign in at CVSspecialty.com or use the mobile app to see your balance – look for Balance and Payments on your home page. If your email address is on file, you will automatically receive balance due emails. You can also choose to receive balance due alerts by text message. Opt into text alerts by calling the Billing Department at 1-888–346-3731 (TTY: 1-877-853-9549) or start text alerts online (click the I Want to Receive Text Alerts box).

To grant another person, such as a trusted relative or caregiver, access to your health care information and fill out the Pharmacy Patient Authorization form. You can find this form in the new patient guide that you received with your first shipment.

This form gives CVS Specialty permission to file claims for you. It also lets CVS Specialty bill your insurance company or submit Medicare claims.

You can find this form in the new patient guide that you received with your first shipment.

The form may take up to 14 days to process. The processing period will not affect delivery of your medication. If the form is not received, you may need to submit claims yourself and you may be billed as a result.

You will receive a refill reminder before your refill is due. To order your refill, you can call us, sign in to CVSspecialty.com or use the CVS Specialty app.

When you request your refill, either by phone or online, we’ll ask you some questions, such as:

• Would you like your medication shipped to your home, office or anywhere else nationwide?
• By what date do you need to have your medication?
• Have there been any changes to your medication allergies?
• Have you had any changes to your other medications? Have you started any new medications?
• Do you have any questions for the pharmacist?
• Have you noticed any mental or physical side effects?

Depending on the medication you’re taking, we may ask more questions. You’ll also be asked to verify your contact information, including your phone number and address.

Please note: some medications must be refilled by phone because they have more monitoring requirements.

Yes. To refill all of your available prescriptions, sign into your account and click on Refill All at the top of the My Prescriptions page.

If it’s a prescription for a medication you’re currently taking, it may not be ready to refill yet. If so, you’ll see it listed under Recent Prescriptions. If you still can’t find it, send us a secure message or call 1-888–346-3731 (TTY: 1-877-853-9549).

You can refill active prescriptions when they are ready for refill. They’ll be listed under My Prescriptions with a red Refill button next to them. Prescriptions you’ve refilled before, but aren’t yet ready to be refilled again, will appear under Recent Prescriptions.

If you see Please Call for Refill, your medication may need special handling, so you won’t be able to request a refill online. You will need to call 1-888–346-3731 (TTY: 1-877-853-9549).

You can refill prescriptions online if you’re a CVS Specialty patient, you’ve registered at CVSspecialty.com and you have eligible prescriptions. To find eligible prescriptions, sign in and click on My Prescriptions – any medication with a red Refill button can be refilled online.

Sign in and click on My Prescriptions. Once your order has a tracking number, you can click on a link to the shipper’s website for more information. It may take some time for shipping details to appear.

You can also get text alerts about your prescription order status sent to your mobile device. To start text alerts, sign in and click My Account and check the I Want to Receive Text Alerts box.

To start receiving email alerts, send us a secure message or call 1-888–346-3731 (TTY: 1-877-853-9549).

To start text alerts, sign into your account, click on My Account and check the box next to text alerts. You can also send a secure message or call us. 

When you place your order by phone, your CVS Specialty team will confirm any supplies you need. When you place your order online, please be sure the supplies you need appear at checkout – they are not automatically included.

Pharmacy policy prohibits the return and restocking of medications, which means that pharmacies and pharmacists can’t accept a medication for return after it’s been sold, distributed or dispensed.

CVS Specialty delivers medications according to the prescription from your doctor. We can’t issue credit for unused medication if your prescription changes after delivery. It’s important that we have the most up-to-date information on your prescriptions, as well as the supplies you have on hand.

CVS Specialty will file claims with your insurance company. We will contact your insurance company to find out what is covered and if any paperwork is needed. If a claim is denied, we will work to try and get it approved for you or will work with your doctor to try and find another medication that’s covered and will work for you.

We will provide you with a patient statement if there is an amount you need to pay.

Call your CVS Specialty team as soon as you know of any insurance changes. We will check your new benefits to find how if you can still use CVS Specialty, and if so, how much of your medication will be covered. Many insurance companies require we get a PA ahead of time, which can take as long as 30 days. Be sure to let your CVS Specialty team know as soon as possible to help avoid delays in getting your medication.

If you lose your job, you can sometimes keep your policy with your employer for a limited time through Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA). You must start this benefit within 60 days after you stop working. Another option is to ask for coverage under a state program or short-term medical insurance policy to cover you between jobs. Check with your Human Resources Department for more information on these programs.

It is very important to stay in touch with your CVS Specialty team if you expect any changes to your health benefits.

There are a few things you can do:

• If you have a copay assistance card or other insurance, be sure to let us know when you place your order
• If we ask for information about your insurance, reply quickly
• If we ask you to call your insurer, do so right away

Your cost will be determined once your order is processed and billed to your insurance carrier.

It may take a few days for your payment to show on your account. We’ll send you a receipt (based on your communication preferences) when your payment has been processed and billed to your insurance carrier.

You don’t have to pay in full. When you make a one-time partial payment, you will need to pay at least one-third of your balance. For more payment questions and options, please contact the Billing Department at 1-888–346-3731 (TTY: 1-877-853-9549).

Yes. First you must pay your balance in full, and the payment must be processed. Then you can set up an automatic payment schedule and choose the amount and timing of your payments. You can choose to schedule payments on a specific day every month for either a specific amount or for the balance owed on your account up to a pre-authorized amount.

It takes a few days for payments to be processed and reflected on your account. It’s possible that the payment has been scheduled but not processed, or that it is scheduled for a future date. Please wait a few days before making another payment or calling the Billing Department. 

Manufacturer debit cards require special handling. Please call the Billing department at 1-888–346-3731 (TTY: 1-877-853-9549) to make payments with these credit cards.

No. You can sign in to your account to view or pay your balance online at any time.

Sign in at CVSspecialty.com or use the mobile app to see your balance – look for Balance and Payments on your home page. If your email address is on file, you will automatically receive balance due emails. You can also choose to receive balance due alerts by text message. Opt in to text alerts by calling the Billing department at 1-888–346-3731 (TTY: 1-877-853-9549) or start text alerts online (click the I Want to Receive Text Alerts box).

For online payments, we accept VISA® credit/debit cards, MasterCard® credit/debit cards, American Express®, Discover® or electronic check. If you pay by mail or over the phone, we also accept checks, and health savings account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA) cards. CVS Specialty accepts money orders by mail only. Copay assistance or drug manufacturer debit cards may be accepted by calling the Billing department at 1-888–346-3731 (TTY: 1-877-853-9549).

On the My Account page, you’ll see a View Payment History link on the lower right hand side of the page.

Please use the address that is currently on file with CVS Specialty. If you need to update your account information, call us at 1-888–346-3731 (TTY: 1-877-853-9549).

We want you to understand how information you provide to us is collected and used. Please visit our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy for details.

If you have a complaint or concern about the care you are receiving, please contact the manager at your dedicated CVS Specialty pharmacy. If the dedicated CVS Specialty pharmacy does not handle your issue to your satisfaction, please call the Specialty Escalation Line at 1-855-264-3240 (TTY: 711).

If you have a comment or concern about the services you receive from CVS Specialty, you can call The Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) at 1-855-937-2242 (TTY: 711) or The Joint Commission at 1-800-994-6610 (TTY: 711) or write to:

The Office of Quality Monitoring
The Joint Commission
One Renaissance Boulevard
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181

CVS Specialty is committed to providing the highest quality of care available to patients. In a continuing effort to improve our services, you may be contacted by a third party to assess your satisfaction with our services.