North American Specialty Hospital (NASH), a pioneer and experienced provider of medical care and treatment outside the U.S., including Mexico and Canada, recommends four best practices for Americans to follow that ensure safe, legally sourced prescription medications from across borders. Given surging healthcare inflation and the rising cost of prescription drug prices, many US companies and their employees look to other countries for less expensive, affordable options.

“Given our years of experience with safely and legally providing Rx drugs to Americans, who are often directed by their employer to utilize our services, this guidance is timely and important,” says Michael Agostino, CEO, NASH. “Our team of physicians, nurses and care coordinators both in the US and Mexico protects people from these issues and safeguards access to legitimate medications. We support the recommendations of the U.S. State Department to exercise caution when purchasing medication in Mexico and align NASH best practices with these suggestions.”

To source medications safely from Mexico, NASH has established the following list of four fundamental safety protocols.

• Use a licensed travel-for-treatment intermediary or pharmacy which can provide evidence of a valid and current license for operations in the Mexican state where that intermediary is based.
• Confirm the intermediary or pharmacy only seeks medications from Mexican pharmaceutical distributors licensed by COFEPRIS (Commission Federal para la Proteccion contra Riesgos Sanitarios), the FDA equivalent in Mexico, eliminating the possibility of utilizing an illegal “pop-up pharmacy” who may hold the intention to defraud the public.
• Confirm the intermediary only seeks medications which are FDA-approved and registered by COFEPRIS.
• Confirm the intermediary or pharmacy requires a prescription from a Licensed Mexican Physician (which is required by Mexico for distribution as well as by the FDA for importation back into the U.S.), and then obtain a prescription from a Mexican physician licensed by the federal government of Mexico (and whose credentials can easily be verified at www.cedulaprofesional.sep.gob.mx).

“We are aware that counterfeit medications represent a serious health risk to buyers,” says Agostino. “Our travel for treatment programs, including orthopedic surgeries and access to licensed physicians who administer specialty medications, are designed to raise the confidence level of all Americans who need and want these affordable options.”

About North American Specialty Hospital (NASH)

NASH is a U.S. majority-owned and managed enterprise headquartered in Omaha, NE with operations in Cancun and Toronto, founded in 2014 with a drive to increase the quality of health care outcomes while significantly lowering the cost relative to the U.S. health care system. Functioning as a U.S. Center of Excellence in the Delivery of Healthcare outside of the United States, NASH deploys preeminent U.S. physicians in accredited facilities with U.S. clinical protocols. The company excels in delivering uninterrupted continuity-of-care, providing elective surgical procedures as well as specialty pharmaceuticals. NASH services U.S. patients primarily who traveling for treatment under sponsorship by their U.S. self-insured employers.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230327005478/en/