How to choose a pharmacy

Who this guide is for

For anyone who fills prescriptions or buys medicines, and for families who manage medicines for someone else. If you have insurance or a Medicare drug plan, the pharmacy you choose can change what you pay.

What the official data on our pages means

Pharmacy type

The kind of pharmacy listed in the federal NPI Registry: community or retail, clinic, compounding, specialty, mail order, long-term care and others.

NPI number

The pharmacy’s National Provider Identifier, a permanent 10-digit federal number. Each pharmacy page links to its record in the official NPI Registry.

Address and phone

As the pharmacy reported them to the NPI Registry. Call to confirm the hours and services, such as delivery or vaccines.

What pharmacies pay (NADAC)

On our medicine pages: the National Average Drug Acquisition Cost from a CMS survey of retail pharmacies, the average price pharmacies pay to buy a medicine. It is not the price you pay at the counter.

Questions to ask when you call or visit

• Is this pharmacy in my insurance or Medicare drug plan’s network? Is it a “preferred” pharmacy, with lower costs?
• Ask your doctor: is there a generic, or a cheaper brand-name medicine, that would work for me?
• Can I get a 2- or 3-month supply of a medicine I take regularly, here or by mail order? Does it cost less?
• Can a pharmacist go over all my medicines, including medicines without a prescription, vitamins and supplements, and explain how to take them?
• Do you have staff or interpreters who speak my language? Do you deliver?

Warning signs

• An online pharmacy that sells prescription medicines without a prescription, has no U.S. address and phone number, has no licensed pharmacist to answer questions, or is not licensed by a state board of pharmacy. The FDA’s BeSafeRx pages explain how to check.
• A refill that looks different from the last one and no one explains why. Generics from different makers can look different, but always ask the pharmacist.

Costs and who pays

Medicare drug coverage (Part D) comes through a Medicare drug plan or a Medicare Advantage plan with drug coverage. Each plan has a pharmacy network: preferred pharmacies may charge you less, and out-of-network pharmacies usually cost more.

Ways to save that Medicare lists: ask your doctor about a generic or a cheaper brand-name medicine, compare Medicare drug plans, and check whether you qualify for Extra Help, a state program or the drug maker’s assistance program.

Generic medicines tend to cost less than brand-name ones. The FDA requires a generic to have the same active ingredient, strength, dosage form and way of taking it as the brand-name medicine, and to work in the same way.

Medicaid is run by each state with federal rules, for people with limited income and savings. Rules, covered services and waiting lists differ by state: ask your state Medicaid agency.

In general terms only. Deductibles, coinsurance and other amounts change every year, and Medicaid rules differ by state: check Medicare.gov, call 1-800-MEDICARE or your state Medicaid agency, and ask your plan.

How to complain or get help

• Talk to the pharmacist or the pharmacy manager first.
• State board of pharmacy: each state licenses pharmacies and pharmacists and takes complaints about them.
• A side effect or a problem with a medicine: tell your doctor or pharmacist. You can also report it to the FDA’s MedWatch program.
• Medicare drug plan problems: call your plan first, then 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048.

Find care on US Patient Guide

Common questions

Sources

• Generic drug facts (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
• What pharmacies can I use? (Medicare drug coverage, Medicare.gov)
• Help with drug costs (Medicare.gov)
• Retail Price Survey and NADAC (Medicaid.gov, CMS)
• BeSafeRx: buying medicines safely online (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
• MedWatch: report a problem with a medicine (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
• NPI Registry (CMS)
• Medicare.gov in Spanish

Written in plain language by US Patient Guide from the official sources above, November 11, 2026. The facts on each provider page come from the official data shown on that page, with its date. Not medical advice.