Frequently Asked Questions

Who may place orders …?

Any employee of the UWMC-HMC-SCCA/FHCRC-UWPN system with a valid program budget number may place an order with Drug Services.

How do I place an order …?

Because Drug Services retains documentary evidence of the order, all orders must be communicated through this website. No telephone orders will be accepted.

How do I create an account ...?

Simply click on "Create new account" on the User login menu. You will need to enter a username and an email address. Please use a work email address, preferably a UW account, and it is advisable to use the same username as your UWNetID if you have one. After you create your account, the system will automatically send you an email with login information. If you don't see this email, check your "Spam" or "Junk mail" folders. You will want to change your password after logging in for the first time.

What can and cannot be ordered through Drug Services…?

Legend drugs and devices, certain supplies, and OTC drugs may be ordered through Drug Services. Most of the items that Drug Services can provide are listed on a product listing on this website found under the "Forms" menu tab. There are additional items not listed on the formulary, which Drug Services may be able to acquire through other vendors. Please check with Drug Services staff, and for pricing information.

Drug Services is unable to provide non-drug chemicals, drugs in unfinished bulk form, or healthcare specialty items such as IV sets and tubing, devices, and durable medical equipment (DME). These types of items may be purchased through eProcurement, UWMC Material Management (if customer has a hospital budget), or direct with outside vendors.

What is the turn-around time for orders, and can orders be delivered…?

Most orders can be processed and made ready for pick up within 24 hours, depending upon workload and product availability, and excluding weekends and holidays. Drug Services will notify the customer by email when the order is ready for pickup.

Due to limited resources, Drug Services does not operate a delivery service. Orders may be picked up by the customer at Drug Services (Room EA-105) from 1:30-3:30 Monday through Friday. For some off-campus customers, i.e., Roosevelt, SCCA, FHCRC, and HMC, Drug Services may utilize fee-based courier services. However, orders for controlled substance drugs and large quantity items must be picked up by the customer.

What if I have an emergent need for an item … can an earlier pickup time be arranged?

Because the primary responsibility of Drug Services is to provide timely compounding services for patient care at UW Medicine’s hospitals and clinics, this activity must always take precedence. Therefore, Drug Services may not recognize nor accept ‘STAT’ or ‘Emergency’ orders from non-patient care sources. The existing order process and pickup hours were established to best achieve our primary responsibility, yet still provide time to accommodate most of our other responsibilities.

What if I can’t pick up my order as soon as I would like?

When orders have been filled and are available for pickup, Drug Services will notify the customer by email or fax. Due to limited storage space in Drug Services (and in the remote delivery locations, e.g., Harborview Pharmacy, SCCA Pharmacy, UWMC Pharmacy), the customer is expected to promptly arrange for order pickup to occur either within 1-2 days of notification, or at the pre-arranged date and time. If there is to be a delay in pickup, Drug Services should immediately be notified. Depending upon the situation, the order may have to be cancelled and a restocking fee assessed.

On orders for case items, e.g., sterile water, saline, etc., product availability is highly variable. These items are in great demand by the hospital, but they are not stocked in Drug Services. It is possible that, at the time of order pickup, the customer may be unable to get any, or as much of, the case items they ordered. However, Drug Services can usually provide some or all of the missing item(s) within the next 48 hours, excluding weekends and holidays.

I have placed an order for a controlled substance drug, must the registrant be the person to pick it up?

Not necessarily. The registrant, or the designee having power-of-attorney, must have signed the appropriate order forms. But, anyone having a valid driver’s license identification and personal knowledge of specifics about the order may pick it up. The exception to this is when the registrant has previously instructed Drug Services to only provide the order to a select person or persons.

What if I have billing questions …?

All billing inquiries must be made via email, facsimile, or campus mail. Please provide as much pertinent information as possible, i.e., transaction number, date, amount, budget name, budget number, item, and quantity. Drug Services will respond to billing inquiries as soon as time permits, ordinarily at month’s end. In all sales transactions at the time of order pickup, Drug Services provides the customer with a receipt showing the elements mentioned above. The customer is encouraged to examine this document for accuracy and direct the information to their appropriate Fiscal Department representative. Each month Drug Services also provides each budget location with a pre-billing itemization of the previous month’s sales activity.

What if I have drug compounding questions…?

Drug Services will attempt to answer any questions that may arise about our formulations and compounded products as soon as possible. Questions about whether Drug Services can compound a “new” product either for clinic use or use in a research study, will generally involve more research before an answer can be given. (See the documents “Compounding New Formulations” under the folder “Compounding Activities,” and “Guidance Information” under the folder “Work for Research Studies” found elsewhere on this site.) All questions should be submitted to Drug Services via email, facsimile, or campus mail. Email is the preferred method.

On formulations developed for use in research studies, Drug Services often works in concert with our Investigational Drug Services (IDS) units. These units provide an array of useful services for the researcher. For more information on our research work activities please look in the "Information" menu tab for "Research Studies Activities" on this website.