By Alexey Spasskiy · Published June 15, 2026 · 8 min read
There is no single CVS Caremark fax number. Caremark runs a separate line for each kind of request: prior authorization by plan type, new mail-order prescriptions and CVS Specialty referrals. Members don't get a fax line at all; Caremark tells them to call the Customer Care number on their ID card. The table below lists Caremark's main fax numbers, checked against its own pages and forms on October 26, 2026, and who may send to each.
Almost every line here is for a prescriber's office. If yours has retired its fax machine, mFax Business sends Caremark forms from your practice's own fax number, on the web, a phone or a desktop. It is HIPAA-compliant faxing with a signed BAA, from about $9/mo.
CVS Caremark Fax Numbers at a Glance
| What you're sending | Fax | Phone | Who can send it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prior authorization: Medicare Part D | 1-855-633-7673 | 1-855-344-0930 | Prescriber's office |
| Prior authorization: Medicaid | 1-866-255-7569 | 1-877-433-7643 | Prescriber's office |
| Prior authorization: commercial plans | ePA; 1-888-836-0730 on the Texas standard form | 1-800-294-5979 | Prescriber's office |
| Prior authorization: specialty drugs, commercial plans | ePA; 1-866-249-6155 on the Texas standard form | 1-866-814-5506 | Prescriber's office |
| Contraceptive zero-copay exception | 1-888-487-9257 | 1-800-294-5979 | Prescriber's office |
| New mail-order prescription (FastStart form) | 1-800-378-0323 | 1-877-864-7744 (e-prescribing help) | Prescriber, from a secure office fax line |
| New CVS Specialty prescription | 1-800-323-2445 | 1-800-237-2767 | Prescriber's office |
| Appeal of a denied request | The number on the denial letter | On the letter | Member, prescriber or representative |
| Member questions | None | Customer Care number on your ID card | Member |
Sources: Caremark's prior authorization page and the forms linked from it, Caremark's page for health professionals and the CVS Specialty FAQ.
The number printed on your form wins
Many employers and health plans publish their own copies of Caremark forms, and for Medicare Part D determinations Caremark sends you to the member's plan website for the form. If the form in your hand prints a fax number, send to that number.
CVS Caremark Prior Authorization Fax Numbers
The CVS Caremark prior authorization fax number depends on the member's plan: 1-855-633-7673 for Medicare Part D and 1-866-255-7569 for Medicaid. For commercial plans, Caremark lists ePA and a phone line instead of a fax. The Prior Authorization Department works Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central.
Prior authorization is the plan's check that a drug will be covered before the pharmacy fills it. Caremark notes that plans use the same term for exception reviews: quantity limits, step therapy and non-formulary drugs. Either way, the request comes from the prescriber or the prescriber's authorized agent. The member's part is asking the office to send it.
Medicare Part D
- Fax: 1-855-633-7673
- Phone: 1-855-344-0930
- ePA: caremark.com/ePA
For a formal Part D coverage determination, meaning a prior authorization or an exception request, Caremark points you to the member's plan website for the right form and submission instructions.
Medicaid
- Fax: 1-866-255-7569
- Phone: 1-877-433-7643
- ePA: caremark.com/ePA
The Minnesota Medicaid PA request form that Caremark posts prints the same number as the payer's secure fax.
Commercial (non-Medicare) plans
Caremark's prior authorization page gives commercial plans two routes: ePA and the phone line 1-800-294-5979. It lists no fax. The Global Prior Authorization Form posted there has no fax line either; it reads, "Please submit prior authorization (PA) requests electronically via ePA." Caremark's Florida and Minnesota forms say the same.
One Caremark-posted form still prints fax numbers: the Texas Standard Prior Authorization Request Form. Texas requires health plans to accept that form, which is meant to be sent by fax or mail. Caremark's copy lists 1-888-836-0730 for non-specialty drugs and 1-866-249-6155 for specialty drugs, with phone lines 1-800-294-5979 and 1-866-814-5506.
Tier exceptions don't go through ePA
Caremark's ePA FAQ says the electronic channel handles prior authorizations, quantity limits and formulary exceptions, but "Tier exception requests are not ePA compatible." For a tier exception, call the prior authorization line for the member's plan type and ask how to submit it.
Contraceptive zero-copay exceptions
The Preventive Services Contraceptive Zero Copay Exception Form is faxed to 1-888-487-9257. Questions about the process go to 1-800-294-5979.
Why Caremark steers you to ePA
Caremark says ePA is "2-3 times faster than phone or fax." It runs through CoverMyMeds, Surescripts and Arrive Health, in a web portal or inside your EHR, and registration is free for prescribers. Chart notes and attachments travel with the request.
If your EHR already offers ePA, use it. Keep the fax line for the rest: mail-order and specialty prescriptions you don't e-prescribe, appeals, and any form that tells you to fax.
CVS Caremark Prior Authorization Forms: Which One to Use
Caremark links its prior authorization forms from its prior authorization page. Which CVS Caremark prior authorization form you need depends on the plan and the state:
| Form | Use it for | How it goes in |
|---|---|---|
| Global Prior Authorization Form | Commercial plans: a prior authorization or formulary exception for any drug | ePA, as the form says |
| Drug-specific clinical criteria (info.caremark.com/dig/pa-forms) | Seeing what the reviewer asks about a drug: GLP-1s, Humira and its biosimilars, Dupixent, glucose monitors and more | Reference; answer the questions in ePA or on the form |
| State PA request forms (Texas, California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan and others) | Plans in states that set a standard form | As printed on the form; the Texas form lists the fax numbers above |
| State step therapy and appeal documents | Step therapy exceptions and appeals under state rules | As printed on the document or on the denial letter |
| Medicaid PA Request Form (Minnesota) | Minnesota Medicaid | Fax 1-866-255-7569 |
| The plan's Part D coverage determination form | Medicare Part D members | As the plan's website instructs |
What the Global form asks for
The Global Prior Authorization Form doubles as a formulary exception request. It asks for:
- Patient and prescriber details, including your secure office fax number
- The drug, strength, directions, quantity, day supply, route and ICD-10 diagnosis
- All relevant clinical documentation. The form warns that demographic and drug information alone "may not constitute a sufficient request for coverage."
- Every medication the patient has tried for the diagnosis, and why each failed or was contraindicated
- Continuation-of-therapy answers, such as whether the patient received the drug in the last 120 days
- An Expedited/Urgent box, for when the standard review time could seriously jeopardize the patient's life, health or ability to regain maximum function
Need to fill in and sign a form before sending it? Open it in our free PDF editor: type into the blanks, draw your signature, download. Nothing is uploaded; the file never leaves your browser.
Faxing a Prescription to CVS Caremark Mail Order
The CVS Caremark fax number for new mail-order prescriptions is 1-800-378-0323. Prescribers send them on Caremark's FastStart New Prescription Fax Form, or e-prescribe to CVS Caremark Mail Service Pharmacy, NCPDP ID 0322038, which Caremark recommends "for immediate processing."
The form's fine print matters:
- It covers non-controlled drugs only.
- "This fax will only be accepted when sent from a prescriber's secure fax line." Caremark marks the form for health professionals only.
The form asks for the patient's name, date of birth, address, phone, CVS Caremark member ID and allergies. Then up to three drugs, each with strength, directions, quantity (90 days unless you write otherwise) and refills (a year unless you write otherwise). It ends with the prescriber's signature, the substitution choice, and the prescriber's name, address, phone, fax, NPI and DEA number.
E-prescribing questions go to 1-877-864-7744 (TTY 711), Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Eastern.
If you're the patient, you can't fax your own prescription to Caremark. Ask your doctor's office to e-prescribe it or fax it on the FastStart form. Our guide to faxing a prescription to a pharmacy explains who can fax a prescription and the rules for controlled substances.
CVS Specialty Pharmacy Fax Number
The CVS Specialty fax number for new prescriptions is 1-800-323-2445. The phone line is 1-800-237-2767, and prescribers can also e-prescribe to CVS Specialty, NCPDP ID 1466033. Caremark lists Specialty's hours as Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. local time.
CVS Specialty also posts enrollment forms by drug and condition. Send each one to the fax number printed on it.
A specialty drug often needs prior authorization before the plan covers it, and that request is separate from the prescription. The CVS Specialty FAQ notes that it can come from the prescriber or from the specialty pharmacy. For a Caremark-administered plan it goes through Caremark's prior authorization channels (ePA, or the specialty fax on the Texas form, 1-866-249-6155) rather than to the referral fax.
Appeals: Fax the Number on the Denial Letter
CVS Caremark doesn't publish one appeals fax number. A denial letter lays out the next steps, including where to send an appeal. Caremark's Arkansas appeal process puts it in one sentence: "Appeal requests can be mailed or faxed to the contact information that is on the denial letter."
The same document lists who may file: the member, the prescriber, or a relative, friend, advocate or anyone else (including an attorney) acting as the member's authorized representative. Deadlines depend on the plan and the state. Arkansas allows 180 days from the denial letter, for example, so read your letter before you send anything.
Caremark posts its state appeal documents, such as the Arizona appeal packet and the Arkansas process, on its prior authorization page.
CVS Caremark vs. Your Local CVS Pharmacy
CVS Caremark, often just "Caremark," is the pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) that is part of CVS Health. PBMs, in CVS Health's words, "work alongside health plans and employers to administer prescription drug benefits," and Caremark also runs the mail service pharmacy above.
Your neighborhood CVS Pharmacy is a separate business with its own phone and fax. Our pharmacy fax number guide shows how to find a local pharmacy's fax number, and Fax at CVS covers whether CVS stores send faxes for customers.
How to Fax a CVS Caremark Form Without a Fax Machine
Caremark's forms ask for your office's fax number, and the mail-order form is accepted only from a prescriber's secure fax line. A practice that retired its machine still needs a fax number of its own. mFax Business gives your practice one, with HIPAA-compliant faxing and a signed BAA included on every plan.
Fill in and sign the form
Download the form for the request type and open it in the free PDF editor. Type into the blanks and draw the prescriber's signature. Nothing leaves your browser.
Build one packet
In mFax, choose New Fax and add the form plus the chart notes or letter of medical necessity. PDFs, Word files and images are converted to fax pages, and several files go out as one fax, up to 60 pages and 100 MB.
Add a cover sheet marked Confidential
Pick a cover sheet template and tick Confidential to add a HIPAA confidentiality notice. Keep patient details off the cover page; our medical fax cover sheet guide shows what belongs there.
Send it to the right number
Enter the number for the request type with +1, for example +1 855 633 7673 for a Part D prior authorization. The fax shows In Progress for the whole transmission; the app's estimate is around 40 seconds a page.
Keep the receipt
Delivered means the receiving machine confirmed every page. Open the fax and choose Download receipt for a PDF you can keep with the request. If a fax fails, the row says why, and busy lines are retried automatically.
Faxes sent back to your practice land in the shared Received list that everyone in the workspace sees, and each teammate signs in with their own login. In the words of the mFax Business page: "Encrypted transport, PHI handled only in the US, and the BAA your privacy officer asks about." For the rules behind that, see our HIPAA-compliant fax guide.
Send Your Caremark Faxes From Your Practice's Own Number
Caremark now asks for ePA on its commercial prior authorization forms. Its mail-order and specialty pharmacies still take faxed prescriptions, though, and appeals, Part D and Medicaid requests and the Texas form can all go by fax. mFax Business is built for the solo practice and the small office: a fax number in your practice's name, HIPAA-compliant faxing with a signed BAA, and apps for web, mobile and desktop. Build your own plan with the seats and pages you need, from about $9/mo, and cancel anytime.