01/23/2026
A statement from our CEO:
CVS Pharmacy has implemented a policy under which it will not fill prescriptions written by prescribers whose practice address is more than 50 miles from the pharmacy location. Because our providers see patients across three counties, it is common and clinically appropriate for us to prescribe medications outside of this arbitrary radius. To our knowledge, CVS is currently the only pharmacy enforcing such a policy.
In my professional opinion, this policy is reckless and serves only to delay patient care while creating unnecessary administrative burden and avoidable healthcare costs. The requirement to repeatedly redirect prescriptions to alternate pharmacies does nothing to improve safety and instead impedes timely access to medically necessary treatment.
As both a provider and the representative voice of this practice, I am advising patients to avoid using CVS pharmacies when possible. Economic pressure is often the only mechanism that prompts large organizations to reevaluate harmful policies, and patients being forced to change pharmacies due to refusal to fill valid, legal prescriptions should be a clear signal.
Accordingly, our practice does not recommend sending prescriptions to CVS pharmacies. We will, however, continue to send prescriptions to CVS at a patient’s request. If a patient elects to use CVS and the pharmacy refuses to fill the prescription, our practice will not engage in further attempts to override or dispute the denial. In such cases, the patient will need to select an alternative pharmacy.
It is our hope that CVS will recognize that this policy is ultimately detrimental to both patient care and its own business interests and will reconsider its approach. Until such changes are made, we recommend that patients use non-CVS pharmacies for their prescription needs.
- James Lukas, CEO
Lukas Behavioral Health
