Today I drove to my own Goofmart Grocery to get some groceries. I don't do that often because I get recognized and people want to talk.
One of our pain in the ass patients is in the store and walks past me twice. She doesn't recognize me in my Ghostbusters T-shirt and she's an idiot anyway.
At one point I'm pushing past the pharmacy to wave at Mickey and Tim. The lady is there and I hear Mickey tell her we can't fill her Fioricet until tomorrow because the MD has written on the script "must last 30 days from last fill."
"Crazy promised me you would fill it today," she says, having no idea I'm standing right behind her.
I never promised her anything. It's a lie. Fortunately Mickey knows her games.
"I'll pay cash" she says.
"It says must last 30 days regardless of insurance" Mickey tells her. "30 days is tomorrow"
I decide to move on, rolling the cart away.
"Well it's *almost* 30 days..." I hear her say... and then can't hear her anymore because I'm too far away... blissful peace.
3:31pm -- phone rings "Thank you for calling Goofmart Pharmacy, how may I help you today?" "My name is Becky. A prescription should have been called in for my mother Itaka Celexson. She's at Oakdale Old Farts home. Someone will be by to get it right away." "Well nothing has been called in...." <click> 3:32pm -- phone rings "Thank you for calling Goofmart Pharmacy, how may I help you today?" "This is Dr. IM Workingsaturday. I have a new prescription for one of my patients at Oakdale." <New Prescription for Celexa follows... patient has never had based on the titration schedule given to me> 3:34pm -- phone rings I'm still taking the new prescription info. I'm alone; I can't answer the phone. 3:35pm -- phone rings "Thank you for calling Goofmart Pharmacy, how may I help you today?"
"This is nurse Ratched with Oakdale. You should have received a new script for Mrs. Celexson." "Yes, I'll have it ready shortly." "Someone will be there to get it right away. 3:37pm -- No, I'm notkidding... someone is at the window. "Hello, I'm here from Oakdale Old Farts home. Is a prescription ready for Mrs. Celexson?" I hope ALL of these people don't think Celexa is a rescue medication, or else they're in for a big shock today about 3:40pm.
The other day it was just the tech and myself as the only staff on duty.
At one point we were experiencing a high volume of pharmacy patrons. That's a nice way of saying the excrement hit the fan it and it was flying everywhere.
Amid the chaos, the tech has greeted a lady at the drop off window with a prescription. I'm desperately trying to fill three prescriptions for the three people in line at the register. There's no tech there to help them, so they just stare at me.
The lady at the window has THREE GoodRx cards... those little yellow nightmares that seem to be everywhere like AOL start up CDswere in the 1990s. She didn't download the app or go online. No, that would be too easy. Instead she's come down to the pharmacy during our busy dinner hour and wants to try EVERY SINGLE CARD merely to GET A PRICE on her medication and THEN to decide whether she wants it or not.
The tech does her best pounding on the keyboard to get the Not-so-GoodRx info into the computer. She sends off a claim. REJECT. She checks the ID number. She's a digit off. She fixes it and sends it off again. Then again, and again. POW! A claim is adjudicated with a co-pay to the patient of $12 and some odd cents.
"Well let me think about it," she says, slowing pulling the prescription out of the tech's hands. "I'll let you know."
Time wasted: 18 MINUTES.
During that time I checked out over six patrons, filled five prescriptions, and typed up two others... and I did it all hurriedly because I was basically alone and trying to keep up with the workflow. I'm a seasoned pharmacist, but even the best pharmacist in the world can't keep up when it becomes overwhelming.
Those in support of Not-so-GoodRx will try to blame our system. They will say we should have more help. Yes, we should have more help, but NOT for the sole purpose of adding GoodRx crap to the computer all day long.
Here's a silly little video to illustrate:
Please read what I'm about to say very carefully:
Eventually, all this crap with GoodRx will lead to a serious medication error that harms or kills a patient. The family will be devastated, the pharmacist will lose his/her license and his/her will to live, and there will be lawsuits.
All for a few bucks of savings that aren't anywhere close to the "80%" advertised by GoodRx. Are those few bucks really worth it? Is it really worth endangering people's lives?
