Pharmacy FAQs

ARTA leadership has identified that a plan sponsored pharmacy (ARTARx) would support key strategic priorities identified in ARTA membership surveys.
  • Revenue from the pharmacy would improve overall value of ARTA benefit plans.
  • Through the pharmacy, ARTA can offer competitive pricing on over-the-counter medications, vitamins, supplements, and home health care products.
  • Alberta pharmacists have the broadest scope of practice in Canada. Pharmacists are key healthcare professionals that support our members’ management of their chronic health conditions. Pharmacists will be able to:
    • Contribute to ARTA’s Health and Wellness programming.
    • Perform clinical services like medication assessments, care plan development, immunization services, travel health clinics.
    • Assist members with medication coverage requirements, special authorization, step therapy, etc.
ARTARx is licensed as a community pharmacy by the Alberta College of Pharmacy (ACP). The ACP is the regulatory body for pharmacy in Alberta; our license limits the provision of pharmacy services to residents within a defined pharmacy service zone who are able to attend regular in-person visits with the pharmacy and its registered professionals.

In complement to regular in-person care, pharmacy clients will be offered the option of further support via virtual care. ARTA is actively investigating opportunities for future expansion to other cities, and eventually, other provinces.
ARTARx has one shareholder, ARTA. With this ownership model, all income generated from ARTARx becomes additional revenue for the ARTA organization. This income will offset the rising cost of health coverage, as well as improve benefit offerings and plan sustainability.
The pharmacy is led by Daniel Mulloy, the CEO of ARTA. Support will be provided by ARTA’s Director of Pharmacy Services – Yatin Patel. The license is held by the pharmacy manager, Darren Tardif.
ARTARx’s pharmacy is located at the ARTA head office space in Edmonton, located at 15505 – 137 Avenue NW. This location was chosen as approximately 40% of ARTA prescription claims are from the Greater Edmonton Area.

In complement to in-person visits, ARTARx can use phone and secure virtual platforms to conduct patient care, where appropriate under Alberta’s current Standards of Practice.
  • The pharmacy provides more targeted clinical support to ARTA members, as well as members of the general public. ARTARx pharmacists are able to discuss medication options with members, as well as monitor and assist with their health care goals.
  • Profits from the pharmacy are directly injected back into ARTA, which as a non-profit organization, will use the profits to offset premiums and increase other coverage options.
  • ARTARx offers compliance pouch packaging to help organize your medications, vitamins, and supplements.
  • Vaccinations are available through the ARTARx pharmacy.
  • Preferred pricing on over-the-counter (OTC) medications, vitamins, supplements, and home healthcare products.
  • Special pricing and health programming for diabetes testing supplies, including education and assistance from regulated pharmacy staff.
  • Free home delivery of medications within the pharmacy service zone.
ARTARx is open to ARTA members and the general public. ARTA members that sign up for the ARTARx benefit plans will have their information shared with the ARTARx pharmacy to create a customer record. This will include your name, date of birth, home address, and telephone number. Some additional information will be requested by the pharmacy staff when preparing your prescriptions.
We’d love for you to visit us and drop off your prescriptions at the pharmacy, or:
  • A new prescription from your doctor can be sent directly from the physician’s office to ARTARx by fax. You could instead mail the hard copy to the ARTARx pharmacy, but this will take extra time.
  • You can transfer your existing prescriptions (with refills) from your current pharmacy.
  • ARTARx is unable to accept photographed, scanned, or emailed copies of prescriptions. These do not fall under the approved prescription hard-copy regulations set forth by ACP. If you find yourself in possession of a prescription hard copy and are having trouble finding a way to get this information to ARTARx, please contact us and we can assist in finding a solution.
To manage your prescriptions online, navigate to the sidebar of the ARTARx landing page on ARTA.net:
  • Transfer a Prescription button. New prescriptions can be transferred from your existing pharmacy. By completing the information on the form, a task will be created for the pharmacy staff to contact your existing pharmacy to transfer the prescriptions to ARTARx.
  • Refill Request button. Members with established prescriptions (previously transferred or sent directly from the physician) can use this button to request refills from the pharmacy.
  • Some restrictions apply.
If the triplicate is for an acute (short-term) medication, it would be easiest to drop off the prescription at ARTARx directly for immediate filling.

If your triplicate is for chronic-use medication, it would be best to have the physician fax the triplicate directly to ARTARx. This will ensure it reaches the pharmacy within the 72-hour time window, and can be saved on your file until the refill is needed.
When your prescriptions are ready, you will have the option to pick up in-person or, for members that maintain an ongoing in-person relationship at ARTARx, they can be received by free local delivery.

The ARTARx pharmacy team can provide medication synchronization services – assisting members to have their maintenance medications all filled at the same time. Medication synchronization can also be done with a spouse or partner, allowing both members to receive their medications together.

The medication synchronization process can take a couple of refills to line up completely – please ask the ARTARx staff for more information.
Delivery timing will depend on postal code. Most orders will be processed and sent in 1-2 business days, depending on the complexity of the order.
ARTARx pharmacy staff will work with our patients to create regular intervals when refills would be due.

We have a workflow that anticipates the need for your refills in advance by a few weeks. We will contact you and ensure no changes to your medications have been made and schedule a pick-up or delivery date for your medications in advance so that you do not run out of your long-term use medications.

Reminder pouches
can be added to unit dose packaging to remind members to contact the pharmacy for refills, whether through phone, website, or mobile app.
ARTARx pharmacists have the ability to renew maintenance medication prescriptions. In the case that your medications are out of refills, a pharmacist can perform an assessment to ensure the medication is indicated, safe, and effective, and then write a prescription for you to continue treatment.

Pharmacy staff can also contact your doctor for refills of your medications via fax, provided your doctor’s office permits fax renewals.
ARTARx can supply your medications in a quantity that fits your needs and is therapeutically appropriate.

For most maintenance medications, a three-month supply can be given out each time.

If you have new medications, or possible changes to your medication regimen, a one-month supply may be more appropriate until the dose is stabilized.

If your doctor has prescribed weekly or daily dosing of maintenance medications, please contact a member of the ARTARx pharmacy to work out a strategy that is convenient and appropriate.
ARTARx is leveraging the services of noissue to bring deliveries to your door with minimal ecological impact. Our packing tissue is acid-free and 100% biodegradable. Delivery boxes are 100% recyclable and compostable.

PACMED packaging is made from a combination of two recyclable materials*.

To compare, one 30-dram vial with cap is 20.4g of plastic. Thirty-one of ARTARx’s PACMED unit-dose pouches are only 13.6g of plastic*.

*Data from McKesson, supplier of PACMED and associated packaging 
The ARTARx benefit plans cover larger quantities of medications for travel, just like other ARTA plans. You can request the pharmacy staff submit coverage for a vacation supply of your medication before you leave. You can ask an ARTA member services agent for further clarification.
ARTARx is not mandatory for ARTA members. Due to provincial regulations, ARTARx services are limited to the pharmacy service zone.

ARTA members not wanting to use ARTARx will have the choice to select another ARTA coverage plan (Total Health, Ultimate Health, etc). Coverage will be provided as before, with no interruptions.

ARTARx plan members are encouraged to use the pharmacy for chronic use medications (blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, etc.) with increased coverage levels (100%). This coverage is reduced to 50% for any chronic use prescriptions filled by another pharmacy.
  • Some exceptions are for temperature-controlled products like insulin, as well as narcotics and emergency access medications.
  • Drugs used for short or limited periods (antibiotics, some pain relief products) will continue to be covered at 80% regardless of where they are filled.
The priority of ARTARx is to provide members with chronic health condition support. In the case of extenuating circumstances, the emergency release of chronic-use medication can be provided at a local pharmacy with the same coverage level as other ARTA health plans. Our partners at Green Shield will support local pharmacies with how to submit claims in this situation.
View the ARTARx Chronic Health Conditions list here.
Yes, the pharmacy is open to all members of the public, and services such as free home delivery are available to all residents within the pharmacy service zone. The ARTARx plan comes with the added benefit of increased coverage for chronic medications when filled by ARTARx, but the plan isn’t required to use the pharmacy.
Yes, however, the ARTARx plan coverage for certain chronic conditions medications may be less (50%) if filled at another pharmacy.

The chronic drug list will identify which medications will have reduced coverage at other pharmacies.

Acute (immediate) care medications like antibiotics and rescue inhalers will continue to be covered at 80% at other pharmacies, similar to other ARTA plans.
ARTARx pharmacy is able to serve all members of the public, including ARTA members that reside in the pharmacy service zone that are able to maintain regular in-person visits with the pharmacy and its registered professionals.
These products are available from ARTARx and can be delivered with your prescription medication or included in compliance pouch packaging.

ARTARx carries a limited supply of non-prescription products including cough-and-cold medications, eye drops, foot care products, etc. While our focus is on chronic health management, we also want visitors to our pharmacy to have these items conveniently available.

As these products are subject to tax, they remain ineligible under ARTA coverage. Under Canada Revenue Agency rules, in order for ARTA to maintain its tax status as a Private Health Benefit Plan, the majority of benefits paid must be eligible under the CRA medically-exempt tax credit list.
ARTARx offers coverage for diabetic supplies including strips, lancets, pen needles, blood glucose meters, and most other supplies. These have the same criteria for coverage as other ARTA plans.
ARTARx stocks these medications regularly, and they can be dispensed out to patients like any other OTC medications. Our pharmacists can also assist with preparation and advice.

These products are exempt from benefits coverage
, as they are taxable goods like other OTC medications.
Yes, ARTARx works with a local compounding laboratory to provide high-quality compounded medications. Compound eligibility will follow ARTA’s current policies.

The ARTARx plan continues to cover eligible compounds filled at your current pharmacy, should you choose to get these products there instead.
ARTARx has access to many name brand medications through our regular supplier.

Brand medications are subject to something called ‘least cost alternative’ (LCA) pricing
. This means if you fill 100 capsules of brand name medication, the plan pays for the equivalent cost of 100 capsules of the generic, and passes the remaining cost onto you. This can be quite expensive to the patient.

Certain brand name medications have coverage assistance programs in place to help pay for the additional cost incurred by patients. These are at the discretion of the manufacturer, and subject to their terms and conditions.

ARTARx encourages members to discuss the benefits of generic medications with pharmacy staff.
Product costs will be reimbursed at 100% when dispensed by ARTARx and 80% when dispensed outside of ARTARx.

Professional service fees for vaccine administration outside of ARTARx are set by the pharmacy providing those services.
Medications that require special authorization under ARTA coverage still require special authorization with ARTARx plans. If you have concerns about the special authorization process, ARTARx staff can help.

If you are switching from an ARTA plan to the ARTARx plan, your current special authorizations should carry over automatically.
ARTARx is sourcing products from pharmaceutical partners that adhere to the strict regulatory guidelines set by Health Canada. In Canada, the import of raw materials and the manufacturing of medicinal products from them are subject to very strict regulations.

Drug manufacturing is regulated by Health Canada under the federal Food and Drugs Act and the Food and Drug Regulations. These regulations ensure that any drug products manufactured and sold in Canada are safe, effective, and of high quality. Additionally, manufacturers must comply with Division 2 of Canada’s Good Manufacturing Processes (GMP). The GMP is an extensive document outlining the standards that drug manufacturers need to meet when making any medications.

With these regulations in place federally, we can be confident in the quality of medications we order from our distributor.

Additionally, manufacturers must comply with Division 2 of Canada’s Good Manufacturing Processes (GMP). The GMP is an extensive document outlining the standards that drug manufacturers need to meet when making any medications.

With these regulations in place federally, we can be confident in the quality of medications we order from our distributor.