Pharmacy

The Cornell Health Pharmacy accepts the following insurance plans. Please bring your insurance card, or a photo of your card on your phone.

• Cornell student health plan (SHP) (BIN 610502)
• Aetna US Healthcare (BIN 610502)
• Advance Rx (BIN 004336)
• Advance PCS (BIN 610415, 610239)
• Caremark (BIN 610029) – we accept most Caremark plans, but not all; please contact Caremark or our pharmacy to confirm 
• Express Scripts / Medco (BIN 003858, 610014)
• FLRx (BIN 003585)
• Medimpact
• Optum (BIN 610279, 610127)

If you have one of the insurance plans we accept (listed above) — we can bill your plan directly. You will be responsible for the copay when you pick up your prescription.

If you have a different insurance plan — you will need to pay for your prescription in full (see payment options below), and we will provide you with a receipt that you can submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement.

For those enrolled in Cornell's Student Health Plan (SHP), the prescription copays for a 30-day supply are:

• $12 (for generic)
• $40 (for preferred brand name)
• $60 (for non-preferred brand name)

For all other accepted insurance plans (see above) – please check with your individual insurance company for information about prescription copays.

If we do not accept your insurance plan – you will need to pay for your prescription in full, and we can provide you with a receipt that you can submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement. You may ask our pharmacist for the price of a medication before getting your prescription filled by calling 607-255-6976 during business hours, or by sending a secure message through myCornellHealth (select "Pharmacy Requests" and then "New Message").

Paying for prescriptions:
University policy prevents us from accepting cash. You can Bursar-bill your prescription charge (students only), or pay with credit card (VISA, MasterCard, American Express or Discover) or check at a cashier desk on Level 4. Staff and faculty may provide their Cornell NetID to have bills sent to their home.

Online: Log in to myCornellHealth (available 24/7). Select “Pharmacy Requests” > “New Message” > "Send a message or attachment to the Pharmacy," and then either "Fill a new prescription" or "Refill a prescription."

By phone: You may also call our 24/7 automated refill service at 607-254-6337.

Time required: Your prescription will be ready for pick-up in two business days (if we cannot have the prescription ready within this time frame, we will contact you). You may also indicate when you'd like to pick up your prescription in the "Special Instructions / Comments" section when you order your prescription online. For urgent prescription refills, please come to the Cornell Health Pharmacy in person.

Don't have any refills left? See "How to request more refills from your Cornell Health provider" below. Please allow additional time (on top of the "time required" above) for your prescription to be renewed and filled.

Prescriptions from non-Cornell Health providers within New York State must be e-scribed to the Cornell Health Pharmacy (listed as "Cornell – zip code 14853" in the Surescript network) to comply with NY State Law.

Prescriptions from out-of-state providers can be dropped off, phoned in (607-255-6976), faxed (607-254-5042), or e-scribed to the Cornell Health Pharmacy (listed as "Cornell - zip code 14853" in the Surescript network).

Federal law does not allow pharmacies to fill prescriptions ordered by providers outside of the U.S.

Note: Most prescriptions for controlled substances (e.g., Adderall) are subject to both federal and state regulations. Talk with our pharmacist to learn more about filling C2 medications at Cornell Health.

For ongoing prescription needs, consider transferring management of your prescription to a Cornell Health prescribing clinician (see below).

In accordance with New York State Pharmacy Law, our pharmacy staff can only transfer ONE refill to or from another pharmacy. If more than one transfer is required, the prescribing clinician must authorize it. We need the phone number of either the other pharmacy OR your clinician in order to authorize the refills. (Your patience with this process is appreciated. Very often phone lines are busy or your home pharmacy is in a different time zone, and we have to wait for them to open for business.)

To request a prescription transfer ....

You must have refills left on your prescription. Log in to myCornellHealth (available 24/7). Select “Pharmacy Requests” > “New Message” > "Send a message or attachment to the Pharmacy," and then "Transfer a prescription to/from Cornell Health."

You may also call our 24/7 automated refill service at 607-254-6337.

If you are out of refills, see "How to request more refills from your Cornell Health provider," above.

Schedule a medical appointment with your Primary Care Provider or another medical clinician: call us at 607-255-5155 or log in to myCornellHealth and click "Appointments." Bring your prescription (printed prescription or the prescription bottle) with you to your appointment. Be sure to plan ahead and schedule your appointment well ahead of when you will need your prescription filled.  

If applicable, you can provide your previous health records detailing your diagnosis and treatment: bring them to your appointment, or upload them through myCornellHealth (log in to myCornellHealth and go to Messages > New message > Send a message or attachment to Health Records). Alternatively, you can have your previous health care provider fax them to us at 607-255-0269.

If you take medication for an ADHD diagnosis and want to transfer your medication to a Cornell Health prescriber, please know that we require thorough documentation of your diagnosis. Please review our ADHD Resources PDF for details.

If you have refills left on your prescription:

Request a prescription transfer to another pharmacy (see "How to transfer a prescription refill to or from the Cornell Health pharmacy," above).

Or, you may take your prescription bottle/label from Cornell Health to a pharmacy in your area. The pharmacy can then call us and ask us to transfer the prescription to them so they can fill it. (Note: some State laws prevent this.) Be sure you have the phone number for the Cornell Health Pharmacy available when you make the request (607-255-6976).

Please remember that New York State Pharmacy Law allows us to transfer only ONE refill to another pharmacy, unless authorized by the prescribing clinician.

If you are out of refills: 

Please see "How to request more refills from your Cornell Health provider," above. When you request your prescription renewal, please indicate which pharmacy you'd like the prescription sent to. 

We regularly fill prescriptions from our Travel Services clinicians and from outside providers. Please check in with us after your travel appointment to fill your prescription and plan your prescription pick-up.

Please note:

• Your insurance company may not allow you to pick up your medication more than two weeks before your departure. We can get your information in advance and notify you when the prescription is approved and ready for pick up.
• If your prescription is greater than a 30-day supply, we may need to call your insurance company to get approval. We will need to know your destination, date of departure, and date of return.

If you are traveling outside the U.S.:

Please read this important information about medications and healthcare considerations. 

The Cornell Health Pharmacy is a pickup location for OptumRX maintenance and specialty medications (see details here).

Cornell employees with Aetna health plans can also fill and pick up OptumRX 90-day prescriptions at the Cornell Health Pharmacy rather than having them filled by OptumRX and mail-delivered to their home. The prescription copay is the same as through OptumRX Home Delivery: $10 for generic medications, $60 for preferred medications, and $90 for non-preferred medications.

To participate, ask your clinician to “e-scribe” your 90-day prescription to the Cornell Health Pharmacy (listed as “Cornell – zip code 14853” in the Surescript network). When we receive your prescription, we will keep it on file until you contact us (607-255-6976 or myCornellHealth) to fill it for you. We do not auto-fill prescriptions.

Medication disposal

Improper disposal of old and unused medications – even over-the-counter medicines – can pose a significant health risk to others. Never flush such medicines down the sink or toilet, or throw them in the trash. Doing so puts dangerous chemicals into our water supply and into the soil.

Instead, bring unused medications (tablets, capsules, patches, and liquids) to the Cornell Health Pharmacy for safe disposal. Original packaging is not required; just be sure all items are properly sealed.

Other drop box locations:

• Cornell University Police (G2 Barton Hall)
• Tompkins County Sheriff 
• Ithaca Police Department
• Cayuga Heights Police Department
• Dryden Police Department
• TC3 Police Department (Dryden)
• Groton Police Department
• Trumansburg Police Department
• For other drop box addresses, call 2-1-1

Sharps containers

"Sharps" containers are made for the safe disposal of used needles and syringes. They are typically made of hard plastic so that needles cannot poke through.

If you use needles or syringes – for any purpose – please obtain a sharps container. Sharps containers are available to students for free at the Cornell Health pharmacy (and to others at cost). Most other pharmacies carry sharps containers, too. You may return full containers to the Cornell Health pharmacy for safe sharps disposal.

Improper disposal of needles and syringes can pose a significant health risk to others. Please dispose of sharps safely. If you are aware of a location where sharps pose a risk to others, we invite you to print and post this flyer (CU NetID required). 

The Cornell Health Pharmacy maintains a large inventory of non-prescription items and health supplies our customers want and need most.

Among hundreds of items, you’ll find:

• medicines and pain killers to manage symptoms of headache, cold, flu, sore throat, allergies, stomach and intestinal distress, etc.
• first aid kits and supplies (antibiotic ointment, bandages, band-aids, cold/hot packs)
• sexual health supplies (internal and external condoms, lube, sponges, emergency contraception like "Plan B"; learn more on our Sexual Health page)
• oral hygiene supplies (tooth brushes, tooth paste, mouth wash)
• eye and ear care supplies (saline solution, contact lens cleaner, eye drops, ear plugs, ear wax remover)
• feminine hygiene supplies (pads, tampons, yeast infection treatment)
• chest binders (learn more on our Gender Services page) 
• shampoo, lotion, sunscreen, and other personal care items
• vitamins and supplements
• light boxes and full-spectrum light bulbs
• sharps containers
• travel supplies
• healthy snacks
• local herbal teas
• pet care supplies

If you have questions, our pharmacists will be happy to help you help you choose the best over-the-counter medication(s) for your needs. If you don't see what you need, please let us know. We welcome suggestions for improving our inventory.

Students studying on the Ithaca campus can get (a) two chest binders or (b) two pairs of tucking underwear or (c) a transtape option (starter kit or two rolls) each semester at no charge from the Cornell Health Pharmacy. If you want additional items, please check with pharmacy staff for current pricing.

Chest binder options:

• gc2b binders 
• For Them binders
• TomboyX compression tops
• Underworks tri-top binders

Tucking underwear options:

• TomboyX tucking underwear

Transtape options:

• Transtape starter kit
• 2 rolls of transtape of your choice 

How to order: 

• You may go into the pharmacy and fill out an order form and give it to one of our pharmacy staff members. Order forms are located with our sexual health supplies.
• OR you may order online by logging in to mycornellhealth, and selecting "Pharmacy Requests," "New Message," "Send a message to the Pharmacy." In your message, indicate what product, brand, size, and color (etc.) you would like.

We will contact you by secure message when your supplies are ready for pickup.

Help with sizing & options:

If you need help taking measurements, or would like to see samples, please send the pharmacy a secure message through myCornellHealth (see above). For those ordering gc2b binders, this helpful video can help with sizing.

Additional binding / tucking / taping resources:

Our Gender Services providers recommend the following resources:

• Tips for Safer Binding (from LGBTQ+ healthcare provider Callen-Lorde)
• Tips for Safer Tucking (from LGBTQ+ healthcare provider Callen-Lorde)
• Transtape application instructions (from Transtape)

Learn more about gender-affirming services at Cornell Health.