Thursday, February 5, 2015

Dear Patients...

We make money by filling prescriptions. Surprise, surprise. So when your doctor calls in a new prescription, GUESS WHAT? We're going to fill it. That's what we do. So STOP acting surprised when you get a phone call from our automated system to let you know we have a prescription for you to pick up, and STOP acting surprised that your doctor called it in. Are you not listening at all when you're visiting your doctor and he/she says they'll be calling in a prescription for you at the pharmacy?
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4 comments:

  1. AnonymousFebruary 5, 2015 at 4:38 AM

    Actually I've received those automated calls telling me that I had a prescription to pick up but I hadn't even been told I was getting a prescription. The doctor did a blood test and, apparently, one of the thing he was checking for was a Vitamin D deficiency. I thought they were just checking my thyroid, they never said anything about anything else. A few days later I got a call from the pharmacy telling me my Vitamin D prescription was ready, but the doctor hadn't even called me with the test results.

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  2. AnonymousFebruary 5, 2015 at 6:34 AM

    It's true, sometimes things are called in before patients are made aware.

    Especially if it's e-scribed, the doctor usually sends in the Rx as they're reviewing the labs then they send a message via EMR with orders for the nurse to notify the patient but since nurses don't always have time to sit in front of their station and wait for messages to pop up that might not get done until the end of the day. Our EMR lets us flag priority on staff communication and routine result calls are usually low priority.

    Sometimes the patient won't answer the phone and let us notify them and since HIPAA we can't leave a message unless we have 4 different signed consents saying we can. If the results are abnormal (if new meds have been prescribed they probably are) sometimes we don't leave messages even if HIPAA does allow, that is just a courtesy so as not to worry patients if it's something we think they won't understand without a lengthy explanation or opportunity to ask us questions.

    And sometimes, as you said, people are told and just don't listen. That does happen more often than people think.

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  3. AnonymousFebruary 5, 2015 at 7:06 AM

    Im a pharmacist and get this call all the time. However, as a patient recently I now understand why the patient's have no clue. My dr told me they were ordering a specific medicine. It wasnt covered. NBD. However, the next day I get a call form some specialty pharmacy in god knows where Ive never heard of saying your dr transmitted an rx for you to us. Want us to fill it? Umm No it wont be covered by my insurance right? Right. Ok then Ill ask for an alternative. WTh? Dr didnt get what the wanted from the retial pharmacy I used and all be it they were trying to help, they transmit te same thing to a random pharmacy out of state thinking it will help me get my med. Ha! And no it wasnt a specialty med needing to come from a mail order pbm. Crazy.

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  4. KDFebruary 17, 2015 at 9:36 AM

    My doctor likes to handle renewals at visits. I'm not usually out of my medication yet at that time. Instead, she is sending the prescription in so that I will have refills when I'm ready. She is basically sending the pharmacy the prescription to hold. I understand the pharmacy's frustration as system isn't clear that "here is a refill for later" instead of "here, fill this now." With the electronic method this should be an easy fix. Just add a box "fill today" or "wait for refill call from patient."

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