Bacon Dogs?

SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!

You know what the world doesn't need? Oscar Mayer bacon infused hot dogs. Do you know what the world is getting anyways? Oscar Mayer bacon infused hot dogs. 

"No one knows bacon like Oscar Mayer," Jared Baker, director of Oscar Mayer hot dogs, said in a statement. "We know Americans love bacon, and we know they love hot dogs, so it seemed like the perfect time for us to introduce our first hot dog made with bacon." True bacon aficionados were quick to notice that the new hot dogs aren't made entirely out of bacon; the ingredient list includes mechanically separated turkey, chicken, and pork as well as bacon pieces. The packaging promises no artificial colors, fillers, or by-products, but does disclose that additional smoke flavor is added.

Another Crazy Product

Looking for that special gift?

Looking for something for the man/woman who has everything?

They don't have one of these!

The Infant Circumcision Trainer !

Life/Form's $186 circumcision trainers "include the foreskin, glans penis, frenulum, meatus, and coronal groove" and are "made with our soft, lifelike material, which is pliable, delicate, and realistic to the touch."

Get yours today!

Rock, Paper, Scissors, HARDCORE Edition

Non-serious gamers need not apply...

Pharmacy, Gangnam Style

Pharmacy Remodeling Phun

The remodel team is here again! They're doing some more remodeling and need to take down a wall and then put up a new wall with the door in another spot.

There's three of them. There's the smarter of the group who I call IQ 75. He has two assistants whose combined IQ couldn't be 60 together, so I just refer to them as the 30s. I'm serious here. One of them would probably be proud to tell you his daddy is also his uncle.

Anyway, they've removed the wall. They need to be fast because the time clock is ticking and I'm not staying past closing. So they tear down the wall and start framing a new wall, this time with the door in a different spot, but NO WHERE NEAR where I know the new door is supposed to go. I saw the plans and in the past did some construction work on my own years ago so I know what's going on.

"Uh, guys... this door isn't supposed to go here." I point to the spot where the door is supposed to go. "It's supposed to go here."

"Nut-uh" says one of the IQ 30s. 

IQ 75 says, "Naw, it's supposed to go here."

"No, seriously. I'm not kidding. I saw the plans. The door is supposed to go here. Then I explain why because of the future expansion plans. The only way it will work is for the door to go where I'm telling them it is supposed to go.

"Nut-uh," says the other IQ 30.

They ignore me and go back to work. I call my RPM and explain what's going on to here on the phone. I tell her that the crew is making a huge mistake and it will cause Goofmart money to fix it -- money that could be spent on tech hours.

"These guys are professionals, Crazy." she retorts. "They know what they're doing."

She hangs up. I'm sure wherever she is someone is delinquent with giving Zostavax shots and needs a whipping right now.

An hour later the IQs break for lunch. TWO HOURS later (wouldn't it be nice to get a two hour lunch?) they return and start working again. A little while after that the lead contractor shows up. He starts swearing and pointing and yelling. Within minutes the IQs are tearing down the wall (again) and framing a new one, this time putting the door right where I said it was supposed to go.

Trust your pharmacist. Even with matters of carpentry.

What is a PRIOR AUTHORIZATION?

I had a technician a few years ago that just didn't seem to understand why all our patients didn't immediately know all pharmacy lingo. Every week a patient would get an insurance denial on their prescription with a response from the insurance, "PRIOR AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED."

And every time my tech would say to the patient, "Sowwy, we need a Prior Auth."

And most of the time, the patient would reply, "What do you mean, Prior Auth? My doctor already authorized it!"

From there the conversation would just get worse until I would step in and explain everything. I finally became tired of the same scenario playing out over and over. So I had to explain to my technician that most people have NO IDEA what she was talking about and we need to take the time to explain what it means to every patient.

So what is this "prior authorization" crap and what does it mean to me, Peter Patient?

MOST PEOPLE have prescription drug insurance. Cigna, Medco, Aetna, WellDyne, Big Jim's Health Co-op, CVS/Caremark... or a state-funded Medicaid (which really isn't insurance) or Medicare part D. Every insurance has a number of underwriters and every plan has a different "formulary." A "formulary" is a list of medications that are covered under the plan. NOT EVERY DRUG prescribed is on your formulary. Expensive medications are usually NOT on most formularies. It is so complex that prescribers have no way of knowing what your specific insurance will cover and won't cover. Sometimes they go the extra mile and will contact the insurance before you leave the office to see if a specific med is covered, but MOST of the time you'll get all the way to the pharmacy before you find out.

At the pharmacy we type up your prescription and send it off electronically to your insurance for payment. Basically we're billing your insurance electronically and it will immediately tell us what your co-pay will be -- the amount we charge you in the pharmacy. Sometimes we'll get a message back that the medication isn't covered at all. For example, most insurance will not cover Vitamin D and you'll have to pay "out of pocket" if you want it. 

THEN there are the few times that the insurance sends back the dreaded message, "PRIOR AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED." What this means is that your insurance has a few questions for your doctor... they want to "authorize" payment "prior" to us dispensing it. They want to know if the doc has tried other therapy with you or if there is another medication on the formulary that they will cover that will be just as effective. 

One example... your cholesterol is high and your prescriber wants to put you on Crestor (which doesn't have a generic currently). Some insurance will ask for a prior authorization and they'll want to know if you've tried "lifestyle changes" first or what your HDL and LDL lab values indicate... perhaps you can get adequate cholesterol reduction from taking the generic Zocor at a fraction of the cost of Crestor, thereby saving money for all the insured members of your plan.

So once we get a request for a P.A. (Prior Authorization) we'll contact the doc to let them know. Usually we fax over a form. Sometimes the doc will get back to us right away, other times it takes a few days. Rest assured WE MAKE MONEY from processing prescriptions so we're going to do everything we can to get the correct information where it needs to be. So don't let a "prior authorization" scare you... most of the time it just means a slight delay in getting your medication.

Funny Sunday Pharmacy Memes part 2