It's a SIMPLE Question...

"This appears to be your medical coverage. I need to see a card with your PRESCRIPTION coverage. Maybe a card that says Medco or CVS/Caremark?"

Bearded Freak: "No, that's what I have."

There's nothing on the card that indicates prescription coverage. I think back to the ONE time someone gave me a card with nothing on it that referred to prescriptions. After I figured out how to get the info into the computer, just as the patient said it would, it worked. So every time someone hands me a medical card I wonder if this is another one.

"Are you sure? This card doesn't have any information how to bill prescriptions," I ask, again. A line in forming behind the bearded wonder. It's not a nice trimmed beard. This guy looks like he came straight from the Occupy Wall Street group.

"No, that's what I have."

I call the 800 number, get transferred around a lot, beg the computer to let me talk to a human, press ZERO about 100 times... finally I get to talk to a human. I explain the situation.

"Sir, you're going to have to call back. No one is there today, it's a HOLIDAY." Of course, no one actually gets sick or gets prescriptions on holidays, so why should they have to work, right? I guess I didn't mention this was a New York state government funded card the patient has handed me. Government workers never work holidays. They're in the other 50%. Those of us in this 50% have to work today.

So I turn around to deliver the bad news to beard boy. I see a huge line has now formed behind him. But he has his hand stretched out to hand me a card. It's a CVS/Caremark card with big letters, "PRESCRIPTION COVERAGE" on it.

"I found this. Will this work?"

I just shake my head. I put in the info and run the claim. He's out the door in 3.5 minutes.

Honestly, it's a pretty simple question: "Are you sure you don't have a separate card for your prescription drug coverage?" And yet, I go through this scenario way too many times. I just want to scream.