Asheville's Newest Speciality Pharmacy

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - April 22, 2019 - PRLog -- "We're not a standard 'big box' pharmacy. We exist to provide a personal service to those patients that have complex issues. We take the time to sit with our clients, to understand their situation, their health challenges and where they currently are on their road to recovery." explains Dr. Jay Graessle (Co-Founder)

"We're helping clients understand why they are taking a specific medication, as well as reviewing all their medications to ensure that they're not taking one that is negating another. This, unfortunately, can happen when patients visit different doctors and get conflicting medications, especially when they forget to inform their physician about other prescribed medications". Explained Dr. Jay Worthington (Co-Founder).

The story behind the founding of the Appalachian Specialty Pharmacy starts over six years ago when both Jays were at UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.  "I noticed that Jay Graessle always sat in his 'lucky seat' and he always got great scores. I needed some of his 'luck' so when he had not turned up for an exam, I took his seat, hoping that his 'luck' would rub off on me," chuckled  Jay Worthington.  "Unfortunately, Jay was only running late and was not happy that I had taken his seat. He got upset when I wouldn't give his seat back and I don't remember if it helped with my grades."

"One day I asked the question why are pharmacies operated in a certain way? It was more a production style than personal approach" explained Jay Graessle. "When I mentioned this Jay Worthington said let's open a specialty pharmacy.  We both had previously worked in larger pharmacies and knew the difficulty patients had when they needed to ask questions. The paper towel aisle of a pharmacy is not the place to discuss any personal medical questions. With this in mind, and with a lot of research and with the help of Michael Wyant, our Director of Operations and Pharmacy Technician, we launched Appalachian Specialty Pharmacy."

Their pharmacy reflects this approach to patient-focused consultation. It does not look or feel like a regular pharmacy chain, on the contrary, it has quiet offices, with areas to talk privately in a relaxed welcoming environment. "Understanding how a patient lives are also part of our ability to better understand how to help them. We work closely with their physicians to provide more detailed information, enabling our patients to have a better quality of healthcare."

"Education and communication are desperately needed. This is why we obtain all the records and medications for our patients and we carefully review and evaluate them. This enables us to not only understand their history but to reconcile and consolidate correctly. This means we help in educating our patients, to understand their disease or condition, along with the medications they are taking. We also discuss the timeframe for results from their treatment. Every medication will have a different effect on every single patient because everyone is unique, and this is something that is often misunderstood, or overlooked by large pharmaceutical companies. Our mission is to provide the best-personalized level of care we can."

"Another aspect that is impacting patients today is the 'mail order prescription'", explains Michael Wyant. "Patients will have a major issue when a mail order prescription is late or is lost. They struggle to have the prescription replaced, and when those prescriptions are expensive and time-sensitive, this can be a serious problem that is not easily solved when trying to communicate with a mail order service. Part of our service is to avoid these issues. Patients can call us, or physically come and see us, and we will help them."

"Medicine and health are very personal and specific.  We must return to this if we want a healthier lifestyle. Every statistic shows that for our society to function, we must be healthier. Every question we ask, is focused on learning' what is best for our patients?'

When asked about how they came to work with Asheville Signarama, Michael explained that another tenant in their building recommended Asheville Signarama.  "In fact, we were told not to bother calling anyone else. We called them, but we did call some others as well. Their competitors couldn't even call us back, and if they did, they were unable to compete with Signarama's service, professionalism, and quality of care for us was simply fantastic. Jeff Corpening was outstanding. His responsiveness and follow-up mirrored our approach to our patient care. A few days after the signs had been installed, Jeff dropped by to personally see us ensure that everything met or exceeded our needs. That level of service truly sets them apart. We're very happy that we chose them."

Appalachian Specialty Pharmacy is creating a health care asset for the people of Western North Carolina, in a pharmacy setting.

About Appalachian Specialty Pharmacy
Appalachian Specialty Pharmacy works with patients & physicians to create a unique care experience throughout our patient's course of treatment. The level of personalized care provided by our local pharmacy staff enhances the patient experience & can improve patient outcomes. We help navigate the many complex aspects of pharmacy, including access, administration, adherence, cost & disease education.  For more information please visit https://www.appalachianrx.com

About Asheville Signarama
Asheville Signarama is Western North Carolina's full-service sign company. Asheville Signarama is an independent, locally owned company which has quickly risen to the forefront of WNC's sign needs. With over a century of experience in sign design, marketing expertise, manufacturing, and installation. Asheville Signarama can tackle even the most difficult and challenging projects with amazing results. Visit http://www.signarama.com/nc-asheville