Internal medicine group warns about changes to post office operations

The American College of Physicians — a national organization of 163,000 internists —is warning that recent changes to postal service operations that have caused mail delays could also harm the many people across the country who get medications through the mail. The Department of Veterans Affairs fills 80% of its prescriptions by mail, and there have already been reports of delays among veterans waiting on their mail-order medicines, according to a statement from ACP President Jacqueline Fincher. "Any prescription medication can only be as effective as a patient’s ability to access it," Fincher says. She added that patients — especially those with chronic conditions — ought to be able to rely on the post office to receive their treatments.