"Thank you for calling Goofmart Pharmacy, home of the painless flu shot. This is Crazy RxMan, how may I help you be well today?"
"I just opened my bottle of Ly-sint-toe-pril. It looks different. Is it different now?" she asked.
"Ok, let me get on the computer. What's your date of birth?"
I get the patient info and pull her profile up on the computer. I scroll down, and down, and down. There isn't any lisinopril on her profile.
"Mrs. Cordoba, I don't see lisinopril on your profile. What is the Rx number?" I ask.
"It is 1001-03394-304930-493941-19343," she replied. I might be exaggerating there. I just remember it was a long number that went on forever.
"Yes."
"Does it say 'Goofmart Pharmacy' anywhere on the bottle?" I ask, just to make sure our company didn't send it to her.
"No."
"How would I know what's in the bottle? Why didn't you call the people who sent you the bottle?" I ask, annoyed. I'm trying to fill 287 prescriptions all at the same time and I sure as heck don't have time for this phone call.
Silence.
Mrs. Cordoba doesn't know what to say, and for good reason. She's asking ME to identify a medication we didn't fill for her. And she doesn't want to call the pharmacy that did. That's freaking annoying.
"Mrs. Cordoba, bring the bottle by the pharmacy. We'll take a look at the tablets to make sure what's actually in there if we can. No promises, though, ok?"
"Ok," and she hangs up.
So mail order, you masterful wizards, you've sure got a great thing going for you. You take away our pharmacy business but leave the counseling up to us. That's just great, you sleaze lords.
Buttheads.
As a customer, I loathe mail order pharmacy. I could be totally wrong but it just feels like the insurance companies and the mail order pharmacies are in bed with each other, spending the least amount of money yet the only one who gets screwed is the patient.
ReplyDeleteCall me old-school, but I want to drop off (or have my md e-prescribe) my script then go see the same familiar face when I get my drugs. You know, a human being who probably knows any meds I'm on and can tell me about the interactions right then and there if need be.
FYI- us pharmacists that are employed by mail order get calls saying my retail pharmacist must have misfilled my prescription can you id the tablet for us...
ReplyDeleteYeah, sure they do.
ReplyDeleteIf the woman wants to compete on price, who are you to care she gets hurt? Let her have her fun.
ReplyDelete