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It’s official: Alto Pharmacy is a great place to work! We’re honored to join the community of Great Place to Work-Certified™ companies based on team member feedback and a rigorous assessment of our company’s culture and benefits.

Join us in delivering our industry-leading pharmacy care to millions of people across the country. As a member of the team, you’ll play an integral role in improving our customers’ quality of life and redefining what’s possible in pharmacy. 

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Millions of individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes need insulin every day to keep their blood sugar levels in a healthy range. In recent decades, it has grown increasingly difficult for many to access this life-saving medication, as insulin prices continue to rise.

Managing the Costs of Insulin

Millions of individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes need insulin every day to keep their blood sugar levels in a healthy range. In recent decades, it has grown increasingly difficult for many to access this life-saving medication, as insulin prices continue to rise. Take a look at these recent statistics:

The cost of insulin increased by an average of 14% every year from 2012 to 2018.

In 2017, insulin accounted for 20% of all diabetes-related healthcare spending before rebates and discounts and 6.3% after rebates and discounts.

In a 2018 survey on insulin affordability conducted by the American Diabetes Association, 39% of the respondents reported an increase in their insulin costs between 2017 and 2018.

Rising insulin costs can significantly impact an individual’s ability to manage their health. 27% of those surveyed by the ADA said that insulin prices affected how much of the medication they could buy or use. Missed insulin doses can lead to serious health complications including diabetic ketoacidosis.

While insulin access remains a critical issue for many Americans with diabetes, lawmakers have recognized the urgency of lowering insulin costs. In November 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act, which caps out-of-pocket copays for insulin at $35 per month. The legislation has yet to pass in the U.S. Senate, but President Joe Biden recently reaffirmed his commitment to lowering insulin costs — and prescription medication costs more broadly — as part of his domestic agenda.

In the meantime, there are a variety of resources to help you manage the costs of insulin, including patient assistance programs and copay savings cards from insulin manufacturers. Here’s more on eligibility for these programs.

The Lilly Cares® Foundation Patient Assistance Program

The Lilly Cares Foundation Patient Assistance Program provides free insulin and glucagon products for individuals who have Medicare Part D or no health insurance coverage and meet certain income requirements.

Learn more about program terms and conditions and the application process.

The Novo Nordisk® Patient Assistance Program

The Novo Nordisk Patient Assistance Program provides insulin and other diabetes medications at no cost to individuals who have Medicare or no health insurance coverage and whose total household income is at or below 400% of the federal poverty level.

Sanofi Patient Connection provides Sanofi medications including insulin at no cost to individuals whose total household income is at or below 400% of the federal poverty level.

The Lilly Insulin Value Program offers all Lilly insulins at $35 per month to individuals with commercial health insurance or no health insurance coverage. Download the copay card here.

Sanofi offers a copay savings card for those with insurance as well as the Valyou Savings Program for those without insurance, which offers Sanofi insulin at $99 per month. Learn more about Sanofi savings opportunities.

Novo Nordisk offers savings cards that reduce copays for a variety of insulin products. Get more details here.

Your financial well-being is our priority

At Alto, we understand how stressful it can be to navigate insurance coverage benefits and savings opportunities. We prioritize your financial wellness, working with your doctor, your insurance (if applicable), and any third party savings programs that you may qualify for to make your insulin and other medications as affordable as possible. In addition to automatically applying any coupon savings, we’ll connect you with any outside programs that require you to apply directly.

We also offer free, same-day delivery to simplify your diabetes management, and our dedicated diabetes support team is here to answer any questions you may have. Get started or learn more about Alto, reach out any time through in-app secure messaging or by phone at 1-800-874-5881.

This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

All third party trademarks (including logos and icons) referenced by Alto Pharmacy remain the property of their respective owners. Unless specifically identified as such, Alto’s use of third party trademarks does not indicate any relationship, sponsorship or endorsement between Alto and the owners of these trademarks.

With one in ten Americans living with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and more than 88 million adults living with prediabetes, many more people have a connection to diabetes than it may seem. And whether you are living with diabetes yourself or care about someone who is, or if you simply want to know more about diabetes prevention, there’s no shortage of information to learn or actions to take. Thankfully, there are a variety of resources that can help, from online support groups and events to diabetes education programs and advocacy materials. Explore our diabetes resource round-up below to get started.

Diabetes Resource Round-up

With a mission of improving the lives of everyone affected by diabetes, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) is a comprehensive hub for diabetes research, education, advocacy, and support. The national organization also has local offices throughout the U.S. where you can learn about community resources and events.

Beyond Type 1 and Beyond Type 2 are global online communities for individuals living with diabetes, powered by a nonprofit organization (also named Beyond Type 1) that funds a variety of diabetes research and projects.

Focusing on type 1 diabetes, JDRF is a leader in research and advocacy and a destination for type 1 diabetes support and community. Like the ADA, JDRF has many chapters across the U.S. that offer opportunities to connect locally with those affected by type 1 diabetes.

Founded by an endocrinologist living with type 1 diabetes himself, Taking Control of Your Diabetes is a resource hub for individuals and families affected by diabetes as well as medical professionals seeking to stay informed of the latest developments in diabetes care.

ADA engagement platform, with opportunities to take action and raise awareness

Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists (ADCES) legislative action center

Beyond Type 1 community table, a monthly conversation series

ADCES diabetes education program directory

JDRF type 1 diabetes daily management page

Getinsulin.org, an insulin access resource

Johnson & Johnson Patient Assistance Program

Lilly Cares Foundation Patient Assistance Program

Novo Nordisk Diabetes Patient Assistance Program

ADA tips on nutrition, fitness, mental health, and more

ADA free type 1 diabetes self-care manual

JDRF type 1 diabetes health insurance guide 

Project Power, the ADA’s free virtual after-school diabetes prevention program for children

ADA summer camps and year-round programming for children with diabetes

ADA resources on school safety and diabetes

With a dedicated diabetes support team, Alto has deep expertise in diabetes management. Our extensive library of diabetes-focused content offers the information you need to manage the condition and live an active life. Here are a few of our top reads:

What’s the Difference between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes?

New Diabetes Diagnosis? Here’s What to Know

How to Manage Your Child’s Type 1 Diabetes Diagnosis

We make it simple to manage your diabetes, with free, same-day delivery right to your doorstep, temperature controlled packaging, and automatic savings investigations. And our dedicated diabetes team is here to offer individualized support and walk you through your first insulin doses.

Reach out any time through in-app secure messaging or by phone at 1-800-874-5881 to learn how Alto can be a partner in your diabetes care.

In our previous post, we discussed how we designed our biometric authentication system with both privacy and a better user experience in mind. In this post, we'll show you exactly how we did it.

Considerations and Approaches for Implementing Biometric Login: Part 2

In Part 1, we discussed how we designed our biometric authentication system with both privacy and a better user experience in mind. In this post, we'll show you exactly how we did it.

To build a new authentication mechanism, we opted to use the react-native-biometrics library. This library interfaces with the device's biometrics, generates a keypair, and stores the private key within the device's keystore. When logging in with biometrics, the library creates a signature using the stored private key, and the signature is then sent to the server for validation. (Note: this library is now unmaintained. At the time of writing, this implementation can instead be accomplished with the following maintained libraries: expo-local-authentication to access device biometrics, keypair to generate a keypair, react-native-keychain to access the device keystore.)

Check if biometrics are supported and configured by the user for this device.

const { available } = await ReactNativeBiometrics.isSensorAvailable();

If yes, prompt the user for a biometric scan.

const { success } = await ReactNativeBiometrics.simplePrompt({ promptMessage: 'Confirm ID' });

If the scan succeeds, generate a keypair. The react-native-biometrics library's createKeys method will automatically save the private key to the device's keystore, and return the public key counterpart. Send the public key to your server.

const { publicKey } = ReactNativeBiometrics.createKeys('Confirm biometrics');

// Save the public key to your database
post('/save_biometric_key', { key: publicKey, device_id: 'xyz' })

When the user tries to login with biometrics, scan their biometrics. This time, if the scan succeeds, create a signature using the stored private key. The react-native-biometrics library's createSignature method handles all of this.

// Prompts for scan
// On scan success, accesses private key and uses it to generate a signature, which is then returned
const signatureResponse = ReactNativeBiometrics.createSignature({
  promptMessage: 'Face or fingerprint ID for Alto Pharmacy',
  payload: BIOMETRIC_SIGNATURE_PAYLOAD,
});

Send the signature to the server to validate against the public key. If validation succeeds, the user has successfully authenticated with biometrics and can proceed into the app.

// Call your server API to validate the signature against the public key that you've stored in the database
const validationSuccess = await post(
  `/validate_biometric_signature`,
  {
    signature: signatureResponse.signature,
    payload: BIOMETRIC_SIGNATURE_PAYLOAD,
		device_id: 'xyz',
  },
);

if (validationSuccess) {
  // Login Success
} else {
  // Login failure
}

import ReactNativeBiometrics from 'react-native-biometrics';

const setUpBiometricLogin = async () => {
  // Check if biometrics are supported and configured on this device
  const { available } = await ReactNativeBiometrics.isSensorAvailable();

  if (available) {
    // Prompt user to scan biometrics
    const { success } = await ReactNativeBiometrics.simplePrompt({ promptMessage: 'Confirm ID' });
      
    if (success) {
      // If scan is successful, generate a keypair, then save the public key to the server
      const { publicKey } = await ReactNativeBiometrics.createKeys('Confirm biometrics');

      post('/save_biometric_key', { key: publicKey, device_id: 'xyz' })
    }
  }
}

const loginWithBiometrics = async () => {
  // Scan user's biometrics. On scan success, generate a signature
  const signatureResponse = await ReactNativeBiometrics.createSignature({
    promptMessage: 'Face or fingerprint ID for Alto Pharmacy',
    payload: BIOMETRIC_SIGNATURE_PAYLOAD,
  });

  // Validate the signature against the public key saved on the server
  const validationSuccess = await post(
    `/validate_biometric_signature`, 
    {
      signature: signatureResponse.signature,
      payload: BIOMETRIC_SIGNATURE_PAYLOAD,
      device_id: 'xyz',
    },
  );

  if (validationSuccess) {
    // Login Success
  } else {
    // Login failure
  }
}

1. build a way to store a public key associated with a device

2. write a method to validate a signature against a public key

3. expose endpoints to save a public key, and validate a signature

Once biometric authentication is built, there are additional decisions to make. The right decisions for your app will depend on your goals; the approach we took here at Alto may not align with what is best for your app.

How should biometric sessions interact with our existing email and password sessions?

We opted to treat email and password sessions as longer-lived primary sessions, with biometrics as a shorter-lived secondary session on top of that primary session. This means that a user must first login with email and password in order to use biometrics on subsequent app opens. If the user logs out for any reason, they will need to log in again with email and password before they can use biometrics again.

How often should we prompt the user for biometrics vs. email and password?

We opted to prompt the user for biometrics far more frequently than email and password, but made this configurable in case we want to adjust.

We use tokens and cookies for session management.

There are plenty of edge cases to consider as you're developing biometric capabilities for your app, including: what should happen when the biometric scan fails, or when the signature validation fails? What should happen if a user disables biometric permissions from their device? What should happen when two users share a device? What should happen if 'risky' activity is flagged for this account? How can we disable biometric login if needed?

Face and fingerprint ID login has clear benefits for both the end-user and the application itself, but it comes with a host of implementation decisions. If you're considering building biometric login for your app, I hope this article gives you clarity on what biometrics is, the different ways you can integrate it into your app, and the tradeoffs and edge cases to consider.

At Alto, the Patients Engineering team worked closely with our Security Engineering and Product teams to align on our goals and build the best solution for our needs. Our Security team offered deep expertise on the authentication strategies to adopt and avoid, and our Product team kept us tethered to building the best experience for our users.

Working as a team is one of the best parts about developing at Alto. If you want to meet the awesome team I'm talking about, come join us - we're hiring!

Face and fingerprint ID login is a convenient, seamless way to gain app access on a mobile device. Instead of typing in a lengthy, hard-to-remember username and password, many apps allow you login with just a quick scan of your face or fingerprint (also known as biometrics).

Considerations and Approaches for Implementing Biometric Login: Part 1

It's a desirable feature for both our end user and the Patients Team here at Alto — we want to make it as easy as possible for users to log in while also performing more frequent authentication checks. Improve the user experience and the security of our app? Sounds like a win-win.

As an engineer, implementing biometric login might seem easy, as mobile devices already capture, manage, and encrypt biometric data and expose APIs for app developers like myself to initiate a biometric scan. All I need to do is call that API and wait to hear if the scan is successful or not. What isn't as simple, though, is figuring out what to actually do with a successful biometric scan response. What does a successful scan mean, and how does that relate to the username and password credentials that users currently use to access our app?

This post walks through the decision points we encountered while implementing biometric login and how our healthcare privacy concerns influenced the final implementation approach.

Prior to implementing biometric login, the only way for users to access the Alto app was with email (username) and password. A valid email and password generates a session, which expires at some frequency. Once the session expires, the user must re-enter their email and password to regain access to the app.

From the beginning, we knew that biometrics would need to be built with our existing email and password session management in mind. This is made clear in the Apple developer docs: "Use biometrics as a supplement to something you’re already doing. Don’t depend on biometrics as your only authentication option."

Make it easier for users to login. Nobody likes typing in an email and password — especially on a mobile app. Our goal was to reduce the number of times a user must enter their email and password.

Enhance the security of our app using more frequent authentication checks. As a healthcare app that displays Personal Health Information (PHI), conducting more frequent authorization checks decreases the likelihood of PHI becoming exposed to an unauthorized third party.

Have the ability to revoke biometric access from a particular user. Similarly, we want to be extra careful to ensure that if a device is lost or stolen, we have a fallback plan to invalidate a user's session and protect the user’s PHI. For email and password initiated sessions, this happens when a user changes their password, as any change in login credentials will invalidate all active sessions for that user. We needed a similar contingency plan for biometric login.

There are several ways to use a mobile device's biometrics to authenticate a user, with varying degrees of security.

No server-side authentication. Simply integrate with the device's biometrics as an extra layer of authentication. If the biometric scan is successful, let the user proceed into the app.

Provides an extra check and gives your app a sense of modern polish

No server-side validation means that nothing is being validated against your system, so this is not a good substitute for account authentication. Therefore, even if you add this check, the user should still be prompted to re-enter their email and password at the same frequency as before.

Given this, this approach wouldn't help us reach our goal of reducing the number of times a user must enter their email and password.

This approach is a good fit if your application already has an existing login and session management system, and you want extra authentication checks throughout the user's session without modifying any other part of the system.

Tie biometrics to our existing email and password authentication. Use the user's biometrics to unlock an encrypted version of their email and password credentials. When a user sets up biometric login, store the user's login credentials within the device's keystore — the keystore will automatically encrypt the credentials. After a successful biometric scan, retrieve those credentials from the keystore and send them to your existing login API.

Still easy to implement, no backend changes needed

Biometric scan can be used in place of entering an email and password

Changing email and password credentials will revoke biometric access: if a user changes their credentials, their biometrics will access stale credentials and fail to login. (This is somewhat of a con as well — it provides a poor user experience, but it's an edge case that should happen infrequently.)

There is still only one way for a user to authenticate server-side, but now two ways to pass server-side authentication — essentially weakening your app's existing account security.

This approach effectively hands out internal login credentials to third party storage. While not a huge risk considering a device's secure storage is encrypted and trusted by most users, it’s not necessarily a best practice either.

This approach is a good fit if your application doesn't contain sensitive data, and your goal is to make it more convenient for a user to login by replacing email and password with a biometric scan.

Create a separate authentication mechanism for biometrics. Introduce a new authentication mechanism specifically for biometrics, resulting in two independent forms of server-side session authentication: email with password and biometrics. The implementation could look like generating a keypair or a shared secret to save and validate against the server whenever a user attempts to login with biometrics.

Biometrics is now tied to its own secure server-side authentication mechanism, which means it can be used independently of email/password (or even replace it, if you choose to).

Two layers of authentication adds security to the app. Not only does a user need a valid email/password session, they also need a valid biometric session.

It provides fine-grain control over a user's biometric session. You can invalidate a user's biometric session by invalidating the public key and can even invalidate a biometric session without impacting an email-and-password session if needed.

Requires building and maintaining a separate authentication mechanism

This approach is a good fit if your application contains sensitive data (e.g. PHI or financial information), and your goals are to make it both more convenient for a user to login by replacing email and password with a biometric scan while also strengthening the security of your account management system.

Because we are a healthcare company dealing with sensitive data, we chose this last path. It required greater engineering investment, but we agreed it was imperative that we maintain a secure system while introducing biometric login for users.

In part 2, we talk implementation details, including the library we used, code snippets, and questions to consider before you get started. Interested in learning more about engineering at Alto? Follow us on LinkedIn.

Residents of the Austin metro area can now choose Alto’s same-day doorstep delivery for their pharmacy needs. 

Hello Austin

Alto's new Austin-based pharmacy marks our third location in Texas.

Starting today, December 7th, residents of the Austin metro area can now choose Alto’s same-day doorstep delivery for their pharmacy needs. 

At Alto, we believe it’s our job to ensure you have your medications at the best price, on time and with the support you need. We bring pharmacy to you - no more waiting in line, making an extra trip, or finding out your prescription isn’t ready to be picked up after you’ve already arrived. Our free doorstep delivery means your medications come directly to you on the day and time you select, and most medications are available the same-day. Stay up to date on your courier’s progress with text alerts or in our mobile app. 

Starting a new medication or doing an injection for the first time? Message a pharmacist with your questions, even in the evenings and on weekends. And we’re a full service pharmacy - we stock all major brand, generic, over-the-counter and specialty medications, meaning your entire family’s pharmacy needs can be managed in the Alto app and coordinated into one delivery.

Courier delivery windows
Monday - Friday: 6 - 9 pm CT (7 - 10 pm CT for outlying areas)
Saturday - Sunday: 2 - 5 pm CT (3 - 6 pm CT for outlying areas)

Walk-in hours
Monday - Friday: 9 am – 7 pm CT
Saturday - Sunday: 8 am - 4:30 pm CT

Austin residents interested in using Alto’s services for their medication needs can ask their doctor’s office to send all prescriptions to Alto Pharmacy (via ePrescribe, phone or fax).

Have existing prescriptions at another pharmacy? Start a transfer online or give us a call at 1 (800) 874-5881, and we’ll handle the switch.

Need to pick up? Our pharmacy is located at 4175 Freidrich Lane, Suite 202.

General customer support hours are Monday - Friday 8 am - 11 pm CT and Saturday - Sunday 9 am - 8 pm CT. Patients can reach out to Alto via phone at 1 (800) 874-5881 or in the Alto app.

Founded in 2015, Alto is a patient-centric digital pharmacy based committed to the health and wellbeing of you and your family. We provide free same-day delivery to your door seven days a week for prescriptions, but, more importantly, offer cost transparency, personalized in-app and phone support, and real-time coordination with doctors and insurance companies to get you the care that you need. Alto is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Denver and Dallas, and currently delivers across the greater Bay Area, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Seattle, Denver, Las Vegas, New York City, Houston, Dallas and Austin.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in December 2021 and has been updated for accuracy and completeness.

Alto Connect is the industry’s first mobile app for clinical teams to track prescriptions and message with the pharmacy on-the-go.

Introducing Alto Connect

Big news from the team here at Alto: today we launched Alto Connect, the industry’s first mobile app for clinical teams to track prescriptions and message with the pharmacy on-the-go! You’ll also see the new Alto Connect brand on our desktop portal, formerly known as AltoMD: new name, same great pharmacy services.

The Alto Connect mobile app is the next evolution of Alto’s custom-built provider communications center, formerly known as AltoMD. Alto was the first pharmacy in the United States to offer a prescriber-focused pharmacy communication platform when the original desktop-based AltoMD product launched in March 2016. Since then, more than 500 doctors offices have integrated Alto Connect into their daily workflows and prescription management. 

Doctors offices who work with Alto Pharmacy can now access Alto Connect across all of their devices, providing greater flexibility and convenience for monitoring prescriptions on busy days spent juggling patient consultations and other business needs. Instead of spending hours on the phone or fighting with the fax machine, Alto Connect provides instant access to prescription information and pharmacy messaging, and Alto Connect users can move seamlessly between the two platforms throughout their workday.

With Alto Connect, clinical staff can view all current prescriptions at Alto Pharmacy, including delivery status, out-of-pocket costs and refills. You'll never have to wonder if a patient picked up their prescription or stayed on track with their refills between visits - our system tells you exactly where every prescription stands for every patient.

Have a question for our pharmacy team? Curious about insurance coverage, delivery times, or other aspects of our service? Our team is here to help! You can send us a general message or ask a question specific to one of your patient's prescriptions. 

Alto Connect's push and email notifications alert you when a prescription needs additional information to move forward — most commonly, a clinical clarification or additional data needed for a prior authorization. We'll only alert you when we're certain we need your team's input, so you can stay focused on your patients.

Using AltoMD on your computer today? Nothing changes other than the name! Ready to try Alto Connect mobile for yourself? Scan the QR code above to download the app - your AltoMD login works on the mobile app. 

Need help setting up an Alto Connect account or want training for your staff? Reach out to providersuccess@alto.com.

October is American Pharmacist Month, a time to celebrate the critical role that pharmacists and pharmacy technicians play within healthcare.

Celebrating American Pharmacist Month At Alto

October just might be our favorite month of the year, and for a good reason: it’s American Pharmacist Month, a time to celebrate the critical role that pharmacists and pharmacy technicians play within healthcare.

Pharmacists are one of the most accessible healthcare professionals, seeing people 5 to 8 times more frequently per year than primary care providers. And as such, they are integral to your overall health and well-being. 

You may not realize all the responsibilities that a pharmacist’s role encompasses. In addition to filling your prescriptions, they also educate on medication usage, advocate for changes that improve care, and problem solve clinical, ethical, managerial, economic, and legal compliance issues, becoming a trusted resource to the individuals they care for. Extensive training and education are required to enter the profession: a pharmacist must earn a doctorate in Pharmacy and complete state-specific licensing requirements before becoming licensed to practice pharmacy.

At many traditional retail pharmacies, each pharmacist is expected to tackle a broad assortment of tasks that often leave them feeling overwhelmed and stressed, like managing transactions for customers, answering questions about where non-pharmacy items are stocked, and contacting insurance companies on top of ensuring prescriptions are dispensed properly and safely. At Alto, however, pharmacists align with one of several practice areas — fulfillment, customer care, and onboarding — so that they are able to focus on specific aspects of pharmacist practice and deliver exceptional care to Alto’s customers.

Fulfillment pharmacists are responsible for inventory management, medication preparation, physical quality checks, and dispensing, all to make sure the right medication arrives at your door, on schedule. Our customer care pharmacists review prescriptions for accuracy and for potential complications with other medications on file; provide individualized consultations on dosing, side effects and other concerns; and partner with healthcare providers on clinical recommendations. And our onboarding pharmacists — a relatively new role at Alto — are a bridge to an individual's broader team, supporting healthcare providers and ensuring continuity of care between prescriber and pharmacy.

“At Alto, we are proud of our customer-focused services and forward-thinking means of providing those services,” shares Ashley Lee, Onboarding Pharmacist. “Being a pharmacist at Alto gives me the unique opportunity to not only practice patient care, but also to design it to be meaningful to as many individuals in need as possible. The innovation never stops here at Alto.”

How Alto pharmacists serve our communities

There’s no shortage of opportunities for a pharmacist to support an individual with their medication needs or to be a partner in their health journey alongside their doctor’s office, family and other support networks. Here are just a few of the many roles that Alto pharmacists fulfill.

Literally. Our pharmacists are educators who mentor other pharmacists-in-training. Sandra Aziz, Pharmacy Compliance Program and Training Manager, is responsible for training new Pharmacy Managers and Supervisors at our dispensing sites, ensuring they have the resources needed to be effective managers and to oversee their pharmacy location’s compliance program and daily operations.

Sandra also manages our internship programs for pharmacy students. Alto offers an immersive 10-week Pharmacy Operations Management summer internship program for eligible students at Howard University’s School of Pharmacy (HUCOP). The program provides an opportunity to gain a breadth of experience across clinical pharmacy care, operations, and business development. Students also have the opportunity to actively influence Alto’s software development and implement ideas that further preventative healthcare and pharmacist involvement in community health.

Sandra also launched our Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences (IPPE) and Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE) programs, which allow students from pharmacy schools across the country to select Alto as a practice site. While at Alto, they are exposed to highly skilled and entrepreneurial pharmacists, engineers, and operations experts with whom they can partner to challenge, reinvent, and improve pharmacy. 

“It’s been really rewarding to see more pharmacy students expressing interest in our programs,” Sandra said. “We have a rare opportunity to give students an experiential learning experience that you won’t find at any other pharmacy. At Alto, our pharmacists work cross-functionally across operations, engineering, and design to build a better, more intuitive community pharmacy from the ground up. We focus on challenges faced by patients, providers, and payers, and find solutions that optimize experience, transparency, and health outcomes.”

Read our previous post, 'From Pharmacist to Professor: Sandra Aziz Spotlight'.

They’re also here to teach you! Our pharmacists are happy to chat on the phone for however long you need to offer individualized support. Many customers use these one-on-one consultations to learn how to give themselves injections as part of fertility treatment or diabetes management or to confirm special storage or dosing instructions, but our pharmacists are happy to share their expertise on any question related to your prescriptions or health needs.

For example, did you know that our pharmacists are experts on managing side effects? As a bridge between you and your doctor, our pharmacists review all of your current medications to identify any potential symptoms or medication interactions, and they’re available to talk through any questions or concerns.

Lawmakers in several states have recognized the accessibility of pharmacists and their potential to play an even larger role in healthcare, specifically in the HIV prevention space. California became the first state to allow pharmacists to prescribe HIV prevention medication like pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) in 2019, and Colorado became the second in November 2020. 

“As healthcare providers in the community, there is a big opportunity for us as pharmacists to play a critical role in HIV prevention and help increase accessibility to medications like PrEP and PEP,” explains Susan Sun, Specialty Pharmacist. “It’s been wonderful to see growing recognition of a pharmacist’s impact even outside of the healthcare community, and the recent legislation that allows pharmacists to prescribe in some states is just a start. It’s a privilege for pharmacists to be a part of these exciting changes and make HIV prevention easier for others.”

In honor of American Pharmacist Month, we’d like to say a big and heartfelt thank you to our incredible team of 175+ pharmacists. Each of you plays a critical role in the wellbeing of our customers, the strength of our provider relationships and the quality of our service — we’re grateful for your hard work all year long. 

Here are just a few of the faces responsible for providing exceptional pharmacist care at Alto!

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in October 2021 and has been updated for accuracy and completeness.

Diabetes educators are healthcare professionals with extensive knowledge of diabetes who have been certified to coach individuals living with the condition. Read on to learn more about how they can help with your diabetes treament.

What Does a Diabetes Educator Do and How Can They Help You?

Diabetes management involves a lot of information — about diet, exercise, medications, blood sugar monitoring, and other components of treatment. Some of this information may be new, and it’s understandable to feel overwhelmed if you or your child has been diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. That’s why there are diabetes educators — specialized healthcare professionals — who are here to offer support at every step of the way.

Diabetes educators are healthcare professionals with extensive knowledge of diabetes who have been certified to coach individuals living with the condition. Their credentials — which are awarded by a national certification organization called the Certification Board for Diabetes Care and Education — must be renewed every five years. This ensures that they are familiar with the latest breakthroughs in treatment, including any updates in insulin therapy or supplies and medications.

They’re here to help you learn how to administer insulin and use diabetes supplies like glucose meters and continuous glucose monitoring devices to monitor your blood sugar. They can also help with insurance navigation, support programs, and connecting you with others living with diabetes. Additionally, diabetes educators can address lifestyle questions about the daily challenges of living with diabetes, such as “how can I design a meal plan that’s right for me?” and “should I take any precautions when exercising?” to help you feel informed about your diagnosis. 

In addition to helping make day-to-day life with diabetes more manageable, research has found that a diabetes education program can lower your risk for diabetes-related health complications like kidney damage. 

Beyond providing relevant information about your diabetes diagnosis, a diabetes educator can help you make lifestyle changes to strengthen your health. They meet each of their clients where they are to develop an individualized diabetes management plan.

A diabetes education program is most effective when it addresses specific goals. The Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists (ADCES) has identified several key areas of diabetes care that a diabetes educator’s work can focus on, including the following:

Healthy, balanced eating is a big component of managing your diabetes, as carbohydrate intake is one of several factors that affect your blood sugar levels, along with physical activity and insulin. However, having diabetes doesn’t mean that you have to give up your favorite meals altogether. A diabetes educator can help you understand which foods to limit and guide you in meal planning to spread your carb intake throughout the day.

In addition to the overall health benefits of exercise, like strengthening heart function and lowering stress, physical activity helps individuals with type 1 or type 2 diabetes maintain a healthy weight and manage blood sugar levels.

It’s much easier to achieve your fitness goals when they are clearly defined, and your diabetes educator is here to help bring specificity to your exercise plan. Since the key to sticking with a fitness routine is choosing activities you actually enjoy, your diabetes educator will help you find a moderate-intensity workout that you can see yourself doing three or four days a week (swimming, jogging, brisk walking, and dancing are a few options.) Remember that it’s okay to take it slow when starting out and build your way up to more intensity.

Keeping track of your blood sugar levels is a critical part of your diabetes management plan, as the goal of insulin therapy is to keep your blood glucose levels in a healthy range. By regularly monitoring your blood sugar, you will be able to understand the effectiveness of your medications and determine if you need to make any changes. This can also offer insight into how diet and physical activity affect your blood sugar levels throughout the day.

In addition to helping you get comfortable with your blood sugar monitoring devices, a diabetes educator will help you find your preferred system for logging blood sugar levels, whether it’s an app like mySugr, Health2Sync, or Diabetes Connect, or a physical notebook. They can also work with you on understanding how additional factors like food intake, physical activity, and stress levels impact blood sugar.

There are a variety of available diabetes medications, and each person’s needs are different. Individuals with type 1 diabetes take insulin every day to maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Some individuals with type 2 diabetes take insulin as well, while others take oral or injectable medication to help their bodies use insulin more effectively. 

In addition, some people with diabetes also take blood pressure or cholesterol-lowering medications to lower their risk of diabetes-related complications. A diabetes educator can help you understand the purpose of these medications, walk you through insulin injections, and help you manage side effects.

It’s important to speak with your doctor before making any changes to your medication timing or dosages. Your diabetes educator can be a great resource in helping you determine if you need to discuss any potential medication adjustments with your doctor.

Diabetes affects you both physically and emotionally, and it’s important to take care of your mental health in addition to staying on track with medications and blood sugar monitoring. In fact, feeling emotionally balanced while living with diabetes will strengthen your physical well-being too, as too much stress may increase your blood glucose levels.

To help you find your preferred coping strategies, a diabetes educator will generally steer you away from unhealthy habits — drinking, smoking, and withdrawing from social connections — and guide you toward healthier ones like meditating, journaling, and building a support network. It also helps to go easy on yourself as you work towards fitness goals and celebrate small wins.

Insurance coverage for diabetes education programs

Diabetes education programs are covered by Medicare and most private health insurers. However, a formal referral from your doctor is often required to get coverage. In addition, your diabetes education program must meet certain standards set by the U.S. Department of Health.

The ADCES has a map to help you search for an accredited diabetes education program near you.

We’re here to support your diabetes care plan

Just like your diabetes educator and other members of your support team, Alto will be here to help you manage your diabetes diagnosis. In fact, many diabetes educators, who understand how important it is to have a reliable diabetes pharmacy partner, refer their patients to us.

"When I refer patients to Alto, it's one thing they don't have to worry about."

We make it simple to follow your diabetes treatment plan, with proper packaging of temperature-controlled medications and free same-day delivery right to your doorstep. We’ll also tackle any insurance-related legwork too to ensure that you get the medication and supplies you need at the best possible price.

Reach out any time by phone at 1-800-874-5881 or in-app messaging.

When there are issues with your heart’s electrical signals it may beat too quickly, too slowly, or irregularly. This is called an arrhythmia. Learn more about the primary types of arrhythmias and the medications most commonly used to treat them.

Medications Commonly Used to Treat Arrhythmias

While a resting heart rate — the number of times your heart beats per minute when you’re at rest — will vary from one individual to the next, the healthy range for an adult is between 60 and 100 beats per minute. However, when there are issues with your heart’s electrical signals, which trigger each individual heartbeat, your heart may beat too quickly, too slowly, or irregularly. This is called an arrhythmia.

The best course of action depends on the type of arrhythmia you have and your overall health. Many cases of mild arrhythmias do not require any treatment. But your doctor may recommend medication to control or resolve your arrhythmia if there is a risk that your arrhythmia could cause more serious heart health issues.

Below, we explain more about the primary types of arrhythmias and the medications most commonly used to treat them.

Arrhythmias are categorized by the speed of the resulting heart rate and the area of the heart in which they originate.

A tachycardia is a fast heart rate, typically over 100 beats per minute when you’re at rest. There are many different types of tachycardias, including the following:

Atrial fibrillation is a rapid heart rate caused by irregularities in the electrical signals in the heart’s upper chambers, or atria. The condition may be temporary in some cases, but it often requires retreatment. It has been linked to more serious health issues including strokes.

Ventricular tachycardia is a rapid but steady heart rate caused by irregular electric signals in the heart’s lower chambers, or ventricles. The condition may lead to health complications depending on your overall cardiovascular health.

A bradycardia is a slow heart rate, typically under 60 beats per minute when you’re at rest. There are several types of bradycardias, including:

Pharmacist discussing medication with patient

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