Frequently Asked Questions
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT US
Company
UBACARE is an innovative health company that has transformed the way you experience healthcare by providing direct-to-patient healthcare services using multiple providers and technologies under one platform. We incorporate smart digital automation and other technologies to improve our accessibility and scope of delivery of services to anyone, anywhere 24/7 simply through your phone, tablet or computer without you having to venture to a medical clinic or pharmacy.
The days of sitting in a medical clinic full of sick people or standing in line at the pharmacy have now been replaced with a truly upgraded healthcare experience that is accessible, easy to use and affordable for anyone to use.
We see UBACARE as the perfect springboard when it comes to providing truly affordable, convenient and easy to use healthcare and lifestyle solutions for all men and women.
We are a team of medical doctors, clinical and compounding pharmacists, product managers and two seasoned entrepreneurs who collectively not just imagined but created a forward- thinking company that meets the health and lifestyle needs of people now and in the future through accessibility, affordability and convenience. As a team, we have remained committed to our mission to helping everyone live a longer, healthier and better life.
We want to give your health back to you, the people. How we do that is through empowerment and that starts with listening to you. As a healthcare company, we are focused and passionate on helping and taking care of everyone.
We provide a range of health and lifestyle services to support you live the better life. One the one end, we are a pharmacy provider that can fill and dispense prescription medications but also have in-house compounding and specialty pharmacy capabilities. We also have created our own proprietary virtual care platform that is a blend between using secure video chat and dynamic online screening which enables us to assess, diagnose and prescribe treatment 24/7. On the other end of the spectrum, we believe in helping people reach their goals and become the best version of themselves. We provide the best solutions, to help with weight loss, hair loss, skincare, smoking cessation and sexual health. It is part of our DNA, as your health is more than just a disease.
Virtual Care
Virtual care is simply a broad term that describes the way a healthcare provider interacts remotely with their patient. Providers may use digital tools such as live video, audio and instant messaging to communicate in real-time with their patients.
First, you need to complete an online questionnaire which is used to gather relevant information for your healthcare provider about your goals, medical history, current symptoms and chief complaint. Our questionnaires are based on treatment algorithms from clinical guidelines used to assess, diagnose and recommend appropriate treatment which is then verified by one of our prescribers. During your assessment, you can chat with one of our healthcare providers within seconds, not minutes to answer any of your questions or concerns. If you prefer to schedule a visit online from your computer, tablet or phone, we have an online scheduler to accommodate your needs. After your virtual appointment, your treatment plan may include a prescription which can be filled and shipped discreetly to your doorstep.
You can be assessed and treated 24/7. If you wish to speak to a medical doctor and/or healthcare provider, you can do so anytime on Mondays to Fridays from 9am to 9pm EST.
There do exist limitations to what we can assess, diagnose and treat using virtual care and as a result the following services will not be provided under any exception:
No specialist referrals
No insurance forms and cases
No X-ray, CT Scan, MRI, Ultrasound and any imaging requisition
No narcotics, controlled substances, no opiates, benzodiazepine, cannabis will be prescribed.
For Prescription refills, patient is required to list ALL their prescription medications requiring refills.
Yes. UBACARE has incorporated telemedicine and collaborative health record technologies that enable US and Canadian licensed medical providers to practice within their scope and manage patients remotely. Every healthcare practitioner you interact with is licensed to diagnose and treat while complying with all governing medical laws.
It is our duty and responsibility as registered healthcare providers to make sure that we positively identify each patient to be sure we are treating the right person. Without correctly identifying a patient, the rest of the steps in the patient care and safety process can be compromised. For all new patients, an appropriate piece of government-issued identification must be provided or at least two pieces of secondary identification to create your patient profile in our medical and pharmacy records.
It is simple. Just click any of the buttons that say “Get New Prescription” or “Get Started” and follow the prompts so you can enjoy your one-stop shop for assessment and treatment for everything from hair loss, sexual dysfunction, skincare, weight loss to getting a simple refill.
Pharmacy
We can only process prescription drugs with a valid prescription in accordance with the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia. If you do not have a prescription, we can still help you skip a trip to the doctor’s office and connect you with medical experts in seconds!
Get a prescription for free and in minutes using our online virtual consultation.
Our team of health care providers on our HIPAA and PIPEDA compliant virtual care platform will write you a prescription if only deemed safe and appropriate after online consultation.
Our site and services are provided to you by UBACARE – Your Intelligent Health Company, an organization licensed and registered in the Province of British Columbia. UBACARE is not a company, NUYU is accredited by the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia. UBACARE’s Registration Identification Number with the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia is 38739.
You can verify our pharmacy accreditation through the following link: http://www.bcpharmacists.org/search-pharmacy. Simply type in “UBACARE” in the search field.
We are an independent technologically driven, central fill implies we are filling for other licensed pharmacies and shipping orders to them located at:
Unit 106 19140 28th Avenue
Surrey, British Columbia
Canada V3Z 6M3
Please note that as a central fill pharmacy we are not open to the public for walk-in business.
We can save you valuable time when it comes to refilling your medication. We suggest that you elect to use our automated refill reminder (we call, or email to confirm) which enables us to fill your medication before you run out. Many of our patients request that we refill their medication 7-10 days before it runs out.
If you prefer, you can refill your using our easy refill tool located at https://ubacare.com/refill-prescription/. Your prescription will be filled within hours and shipped same or next day.
In cases, where your medication has run out of refills, you can either get a new prescription for free in minutes by using our online consultation tool. Alternatively, we can contact your doctor to request a new prescription.
We can transfer your medications to our pharmacy in any number of ways.
- Use our easy-transfer tool located at https://ubacare.com/transfer-request/. We will respond to your request within hours Monday to Friday.
- Call us at 1.888.244.8998 and speak to one of our pharmacists who will follow your exact instructions.
- Email us at support@ubacare.com and place a request, please provide us with your pharmacy details and name of medication(s) you would like transferred. Only applicable for Canada.
Yes, we can contact your doctor’s office directly with your permission anytime you need a new prescription or a refill reauthorization.
Our prescription drug costs are a relative bargain compared to the United States. Canada regulates the pricing of all prescription medications to ensure that the prices are not “excessive” for the payers (public health care plans and private insurance plans). This extends to every patented drug, whether covered on an insurer’s formulary or not. Hence, In August 2019, the Federal Government of Canada officially announced the enactment of regulations to further reduce patented drug prices saying it would save Canadians C$13.2bn (US$10bn) over a decade, overriding heavy opposition from pharmaceutical companies. Generic drugs listed on public formularies are subject to price controls set out by the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance. The general formula is if there is only one generic drug on the market, the allowed price is 75-85% of the original product. If there are two generic drugs, the allowed price is limited to 50% of the original product price. Once there are three or more generics, oral solid dosage forms are capped at 25% while other dosage forms are capped at 35% of the original drug price.
On the other hand, the United States allows drug manufacturers to set their benchmark prices for any given drug and more importantly approves drug for entry into the marketplace primarily on their safety profile. Drug manufacturers maintain high prices in the United States through two strategies: protection from competition and negotiating power. Drug manufacturers are permitted to set their own drug prices while being granted market exclusivity which is enforced through two forms of legal protection against competition: Initial market exclusivity which is awarded to new drugs upon FDA approval and patent-related exclusivity allowing manufacturers to receive patent protection up to 20 years or more for their invention. The United States does not regulate or negotiate the prices of new prescription drugs when they enter the marketplace in contrast to other industrialized countries that use government oversight and leverage their negotiating power to determine the appropriate purchase price for drugs.
The results are high copays at the pharmacy for many Americans who cannot afford medications.
We currently accept all major insurance plans for Canadian patients. For patients outside of Canada, we are working with our US partners to facilitate management of third-party insurance in the future.
Generic drugs are “unbranded” pharmaceutical products. They are a finished drug formulation that contains the same active ingredients as an original brand-name drug, but they are generally less expensive.
Yes, all drugs that are authorized for sale in both Canada and the United States must undergo a similar review process and be approved by Health Canada and/or the Food Drug Administration (FDA). These agencies are responsible for assessing the safety, efficacy and quality of all medicines. There are no differences in the quality and safety standards that generic drugs and brand-name drugs must meet.
When a generic drug is reviewed, the manufacturer must demonstrate that the generic drug performs similarly to the brand-name drug and that the generic drug delivers the same amount of medicinal ingredient at the same rate as the brand-name version.
In many cases, generic drugs match the size, shape, color and taste of their brand-name counterparts, but cannot be identical as each version must be visually distinct and identifiable. The variation could be the imprint on the tablets, the size, color, or shape. The important thing is that the generic medicines must have the same active ingredients and be “bioequivalent,” meaning they work the same way in your body as their brand-name counterparts. The differences in appearance do not affect the safety or effectiveness of generic medications.
The standards for bioequivalence in Canada are built upon internationally recognized standards and the criteria are among the highest in the world. Health Canada Scientists ensure that the standards for bioequivalence are adhered to and kept up to date as they work closely with an expert panel of Scientists, Physicians and Pharmacists from across Canada. Health Canada also regulates the non-medicinal ingredients, such as fillers and preservatives, for both brand-name and generic drugs and they are subject to the same approval process.
One of the main reasons generic drugs cost less is the significant reduced financial investment in research and development along with marketing compared to a new brand-name drug. The savings can be substantial and may be passed along to you in the form of lower prices. For this reason, when a new drug is created, many companies apply for a patent, which allows the patent holder to have exclusive rights for a certain number of years to sell the drug and make up its initial investment. Eventually, when the patent nears expiration, generic drug companies can apply for permission to manufacture their own generic versions of the drug. As a result of having no start-up costs to develop the drug from scratch, they can afford to make and sell the medicine for less money.
If you are taking a brand-name medication, you can talk to one of our pharmacists about switching to a generic drug. In some cases, a generic drug may not yet be available if the brand-name drug is still under patent.
Pharmaceutical compounding refers to the art and science of preparing customized medications for patients and animals. We are committed to patient safety by utilizing the highest quality materials available, cutting edge technology and quality assurance process controls that provides the right drug, right concentration, right route of administration for the right patient. We provide both sterile and non-sterile compounding services on site and do not outsource any formulations to assure the highest level of safety and quality. If your doctor has prescribed you a compounded medication, ask them to include any specific requirements on the prescription so there are no delays in preparing your medication.
Many of our compounded formulations are used for men’s and women’s health, dermatology, hormone replacement therapy, IV therapy, fertility, gastroenterology, chronic pain, sports medicine, podiatry, urology and urogynecology, wound healing as well as many other areas.
Rx Plus
Rx Plus is a Canadian company that works in parallel with wholesale pharmaceutical distributors who are licensed to export medicinal products for human use in accordance with the approved status for an authorized geographic region. Rx Plus optimizes pharmaceutical procurement solutions and passes savings/discounts on selected brand-name and generic medications to patients. Rx Plus only procures drugs that have received FDA approval to assure that patients receive the right drug for that specific geographic region. Rx Plus is different than other so-called brokerage companies in how it implements the highest rigorous standards in adding drugs to its in-house inventory to assure safety and effectiveness.
Generic drugs are manufactured with the intent of creating a medication that resembles an existing approved brand name drug in terms of dosage form, safety, strength, route of administration and performance characteristics. The requirements for a generic drug manufacturer to seek approval by a regulatory authority by submitting a new drug application is considerably cheaper and less time-consuming than their branded counterparts.
Generic drugs are also considerably cheaper from other countries outside the United States because of strict government interventions and oversight from other countries to curb drug costs. Rx Plus only sources drugs from pharmaceutical wholesalers that benefit from heavily regulated pricing reforms imposed on drug manufacturers. In turn, Rx Plus provides generic and brand-name drugs at considerable costs savings directly to patients.
To the average customer, a generic drug is simply a copycat of the brand-name drug, basically it is the same drug at a cheaper price. While generics are required to have the same active ingredient(s), they are not made with the same exact specifications of their brand-name counterpart. Both the FDA and Health Canada require generics to be bioequivalent as the brand-name drug; however, they are not required to submit clinical testing for safety and efficacy like their brand manufacturers must undergo. The one major difference is that the FDA allows a generic drug to be as much as 80 percent below to 125 percent above the brand-name drug’s range in terms of bioavailability ~ absorption. Lastly, generic manufacturers are hampered in their ability to fully disclose listed side effects that may differ from their brand-name equivalents due to current rules preventing them from making any updates on their warning labels.
Rx Plus will only source drugs from manufacturers that are registered with Health Canada and/or the FDA. Furthermore, previous history such as FDA warning letters, product recall history and active/inactive material procurement are taken into consideration. The majority of all generics selected by Rx Plus are shipped from the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
Rx Plus will not source generic drugs from manufacturers that have been cited by the FDA for violations pertaining to data integrity, falsification of records, sanitary conditions and failures to comply with Current Good Manufacturing Practices.
Rx Plus prides itself on being the only North American overseas distributor doing extensive due diligence in screening each and every drug manufacturer. As part of our commitment to transparency, we can provide customers with Health Canada and/or FDA registered manufacturing sites for each generic and brand name drug that is sold.
The bottom line, we are leading the way when it comes to patient safety and transparency.
Generic drug orders shipped by Rx Plus originate from overseas and there is only a single shipping option available on checkout with specified delivery date. You can expect but we cannot guarantee that you will receive your order at an eligible address between 10 days to 21 days. In all cases, a tracking number will be provided but a delivery date will only become available after the order is in transit and passes through customs. Delivery dates do not apply when because of an unforeseen circumstance outside of our control, such as a strike, natural disaster, or severe winter storm. Generic drug orders shipped by Rx Plus originate from overseas and there is only a single shipping option available on checkout with specified delivery date. You can expect but we cannot guarantee that you will receive your order at an eligible address between 10 days to 21 days. In all cases, a tracking number will be provided but a delivery date will only become available after the order is in transit and passes through customs. Delivery dates do not apply when because of an unforeseen circumstance outside of our control, such as a strike, natural disaster, or severe winter storm.
Orders
We are trying to create something special, and one of those special things has to do with any number of ways you can place your order with us:
- Call us at 1.888.244-8998 and speak to us, leave a voicemail or use our voice to text feature.
- Order online at https://ubacare.com/shop/
- Download our Apps at https://ubacare.com/pharmacy-services/
Order confirmations are generated and sent out automatically. Our emails can sometimes accidentally go straight into your junk folder and/or may be flagged by spam filters. If you still have not received a confirmation from us after checking your spam folder, please fill out our contact page, and we will be glad to assist you further.
We are committed to keeping your personal health information confidential. It is our policy not to collect, use or share personal health information without the patient’s consent, unless permitted or required by law. It is the norm for us to collect and use personal health information for any number of reasons such as to identify you, ensure the medication is appropriate for you, to monitor drug interactions or allergic reactions to your medications, to protect your health by providing you with appropriate health-related advice, to provide to your insurance carrier to properly adjudicate claims, to meet professional, legal and regulatory requirements.
All personally identifiable information is tokenized using JSON and BLOB document stored which complies with data protection laws such as PIPEDA, HIPAA, GDPR and CCPA. Robust defense in each layer of the vault secures the data including creating immutable audit logs, restrictive network rules, and per-record encryption to prevent unauthorized access to personal data.
We use Google Platform that supports PIPEDA and HIPAA compliance to support internally our end-user products. We also only use servers that are hosted in a fully secured, top-tier, third-party server center and supported by a top-tier backup server facility. The SnapMD data center is a SSAE 16 SOC I Type II, PCI, HIPAA and HITECH compliant environment with multiple database servers (Microsoft SQL), web servers, load balancing technology and firewall with IPS.
Outside of our normal communication with you or your caregiver upon the presentation and dispensing of prescriptions, your personal health information may be disclosed in the following circumstances:
- For processing a claim for payment and reimbursement from an insurance provider.
- To speak with your prescribing doctor and/or health care professional to confer with them details about your medication.
- To anyone who produces written authorization from you and only for the limited purposes set out in the authorization.
- As permitted or required by law.
Over the course of providing services or maintaining our system, we may use service providers who may require access to systems which contain personal information. These service providers are bound to keep all personal information confidential.
Shipping
We have logistic and freight solution agreements with Canada Post and United States Postal Service as our primary shipping partners. Every one of our standard orders are shipped and delivered to your requested shipping address after verification of said address. If no one is available during the delivery of your package, your package may be delivered to a secure area inaccessible to the public such as a mail slot or lock box. If no such safe option location is available, a Delivery Notice Card will be left indicating your closest pickup location to retrieve your package. Some products/shipping methods will require a signature.
We use special shipping called cold chain to ensure that your medications that require strict temperature ranges arrive at their destination fully potent and undamaged. A properly functioning cold chain delivery system keeps sensitive medications within a designated temperature range as they move through the supply system. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that refrigerated specialty drugs such as biologics be stored and transported within 2C to 8C (36F to 45F), unless the medication is stable outside of that temperature range. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) backs these requirements with regulations that define the appropriate storage conditions for pharmaceuticals (CFR2111).
We use a third party tested and validated temperature-controlled packaging. Our cold chain packaging exceeds international standards which require a 24-hour shipping and delivery duration, our packaging supports up to 96-hour shipping and delivery durations which take into consideration any unforeseen delays such as “dock wait and inspections” in the delivery process. Our cold chain logistics protects against both heat and freezing temperature to provide you safe delivery year around no matter where you are located.
Not necessarily. This will depend on the shipping method, type of product and availability of a “safe delivery spot” not accessible to the public such as a lockbox or mail slot. In some cases, a notice may be left with details as to where the order may be picked up and signed for near your home depending on the shipping method.
It is a fairly common practice for individual American consumers to purchase drugs from pharmacies in Canada and other foreign countries. While U.S. authorities have chosen not to seek prosecution of consumers, there currently is no legal framework supporting such activity.
The importation of pharmaceuticals from Canada to the United States is generally unlawful for commercial distribution. At UBACARE, we will only dispense and ship medications for personal use never for commercial use, direct to the patient via transactions completed in Canada and only for mediations that are approved by the FDA and Health Canada. Even though, there have been various proposals advanced in Washington D.C. which could change the law in the future, none of these pathways are available today. There are a few existing exceptions established under State law and approved by the FDA, but these exceptions do not apply in a purely commercial setting.
The U.S. government has in some cases taken legal action against those involved commercially in unlawful importation. Warning letters have been issued by the FDA to some online companies and, in other instances, criminal prosecutions have been brought against importers. The fact that the imported drugs may have been properly manufactured and are otherwise of the same quality as the domestic version of the drug is not a defense (the exception being drugs manufactured by a foreign facility registered with the FDA, where the foreign version of the drug is specifically FDA-approved.
Returns & Refunds
If you are not satisfied with your UBACARE purchase for any reason, please contact support@ubacare.com. We do not accept returns of prescription products for reuse or resale all sales are final. It is our policy that all sales are final in exception of cases of whereby UBACARE made an error in filling, billing and/or shipping an order which in those cases be subject to validation and approval at UBACARE.
My Account
To register for an Account, all you need to provide is your first and last name, email address and password. You can fill out the rest of your account information including shipping, billing address, and personal options at your leisure. Once registered, you can check your order status, order history, and manage your account.
By clicking on My Account at the top of every page, you can access your account history with UBACARE. You can change your account information at any time, as well as check the status of your latest orders. As always, you have the option to (un)subscribe to member benefits by clicking on the appropriate subscription box within your profile.
Each time you visit online, you should immediately sign in by clicking on the Sign In link or My Account. This will give you access to your account, including your shopping list, while you are browsing and shopping. You can save items in your shopping basket for the next time you visit online. The same items will reappear the next time you sign in.
For security reasons, UBACARE requires a password for signing into your account.
If you have forgotten your password, there are 2 ways to reset it:
- If you remember your login email address and security question answer, you can automatically reset your password. You will be asked for your login email address to retrieve your password hint.
- If you do not remember your security question answer, you can contact customer service to reset your password.
To change your account information, click on My Account and Sign In.
My Account is located at the top of every UBACARE web page. You can change your login, password, ship-to addresses, and billing information.
To create or add new addresses, just click on the Create A New Address button. To delete or edit an address, just click on the Edit/Delete buttons located below each address.
