I'll Be Talking to YOUR Supervisor

Hello, Goofmart Pharmacy, this is Crazy RxMan, how may I help you?

"Yes, who is this?"

This is Crazy.

"I spoke to a gentleman the other day with a really cute name. Is he there?"

Mickey is his name. He's off today.

"No, it wasn't Mickey. Does he go by another name? Who else works there?"

I'm Crazy. We have Flynn and Tim the techs and Mickey the other pharmacist.

"No, it was a really cute name. What's his name?"

Mickey. Like Mickey Mouse. He's the only other person here with me and the techs.

"NO NO NO. That's NOT it. It was Tuesday that I called. Who was there TUESDAY???!"

Mickey and Flynn work here on Tuesday. Mickey works the entire day.

"Well it wasn't Mickey. I don't know what YOUR issue is, but I'll be talking to your supervisor."

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@GoodRx Tactic: When Faced with a Difficult Question, LIE

When faced with hard questions on Twitter, Doug Hirsch chose to not answer the questions and then falsely accused your friendly neighborhood Crazy RxMan of threatening him, his business, and his family. 

Doug Hirsch, you're a creepy liar.

Dear reader, if you're a regular follower of the Crazy RxMan then you know I'm no fan of GoodRx. GoodRx adds a LOT of extra work at the pharmacy, adds time to fill a prescription, reduces profits at the pharmacy, fragments healthcare, and it's all for "amazing savings" that usually amounts to just a few bucks for the average consumer. And, most damning of all, it is COMPLETELY at the EXPENSE of YOUR personal, private, and confidential health information.

If you truly and honestly think that you're just getting a lower price at the pharmacy counter by using GoodRx without the cost being shifted somewhere else then quite frankly, you're naive. Nothing is free in this world. That cost is your private health care information.

I've written a number of blog posts on GoodRx. This LINK will give you a comprehensive list of EVERY blog post I've written about GoodRx.

A friend of mine on Twitter and fellow pharmacist, @GeekPharm, had an exchange of tweets with Doug Hirsch (@DougJoe) on Twitter. Doug decided to get involved with a discussion he wasn't actually involved in to begin with. Here's the brief exchange:

Here Doug Hirsch denies that GoodRx sells private information, but when specifically pinned down on the company's intentions with private and personal patient data, he deflects answering the question.

@GeekPharm tries to pin him down again, using a screen shot from one of my blog posts:

And again, let me explain to you that the GoodRx website used this exact phrase about your personal information:

"As we develop our business, we may buy or sell assets, and, depending upon the transaction, YOUR PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION may be one of the transferred assets."

This is NOT a typo. They published this on their website. It wasn't long after I posted a blog post about it that they changed their wording. You can use the Wayback Machine and dial it up! 

When faced with the screen shot, Hirsch ran like a scared puppy pissing all the way down the street.

And as @GeekPharm points out, he didn't deny what is (or what was) published on their own website.

And if you didn't catch it, Hirsch accused ME of threatening him, his company, and his family.

Hirsch, you're a miserable liar.

Once again, here is the LINK to EVERY blog post I've made about GoodRx. SHOW ME where I ever threatened anyone! I have not deleted any blog posts. Don't believe it? Then look on the Wayback Machine. It's a permanent record of everything ever posted on the Internet. And it will show that not only did your company publish the part about private data being an asset, it will also show that there is NO threat made by me to you, your family, or your miserable company.

People, when the CEO of a company defends their nefarious activities by making false accusations, maybe it's really time to legally delve into the matter and look at what's really going on behind the curtain. There's some seriously wrong things going on a GoodRx and YOUR personal and private health information is being bought and sold on the open market like a commodity. When faced with the hard questions, instead of denying it, the CEO tries to shift the attention first to other company's policies and procedures and then tries to make me out to be threat.

Doug Hirsch, you're a sad, sorry little man for making that accusation. The only threat I am to you is exposing the truth, and that scares the hell out of you.

The Shingrix Nut

A lady came by on Tuesday to ask if we have Shingrix. I said no, but we’re getting some on Friday. "Come in on Saturday — there’s no wait," I said...

She stops back in 15 minutes. 

She wants to make sure. I said yes.

She calls an hour later to ask Flynn the tech to write her name down for two shots: her and her husband. He tells her no problem.

Wednesday she calls to make sure we’re going to hold two shots for her. I said yes, of course. She wants to know if she will have to get a third booster because Saturday will be six months and a day and she was told two to six months for the booster. I tell her it’s only a day and not to worry about it.

Thursday she called and spoke to Mickey the manager. He assured her we would save two shots for her and her husband.

Friday she calls in the morning to check if we received our shipment. Flynn the tech confirms it and that we will definitely hold two shots for her and her husband.

Friday she shows up at 5pm when we’re in complete dinner hour chaos and says they’re there to get their shots.

I look at her, puzzled. I said, "It’s not Saturday."

She says, "But tomorrow will be past six months. I have to have it today. And I don't want you to run out."

I’m quite perturbed now. The demon inside me is ready to appear. I’m trying to fill like forty-three prescriptions at the same time when this nut job shows up when we’re going crazy.

Flynn tries to work with her insurance. Our “don’t you just love it” software has some flaws when you’re inputting insurance info. I end up calling the insurance company to verify the info. We have the right info but because it was entered slightly incorrect the first time it won’t let you change it. It keeps telling you that you already put it in. Even if you delete the info and start fresh it tells you that it’s already in there. It's a huge bug with the new software.

The lady sees I’m upset and asks Flynn, “Is he going to hurt me since he’s mad?”

The demon appears.

“Did you really just ask that? I’m a healthcare professional!”

She says she was just kidding.

Flynn puts it on a discount card and we plan to just figure out the insurance later since we're swamped. While he’s been fussing with the software I’ve been filling scripts like mad.

I get the shots ready and ask, "Who’s first?"

She decides to go first. 

I ask, "Ok, which arm?"

She can’t decide. 

The demon appears again.

"Ok, YOU stand aside while YOU figure it out. Let me do your husband's shot."

“Ok ok ok, left arm!” She wails.

Then she makes her husband go in the room with her and hold her hand.

Euthanize me. Seriously. I don't even care if it's painful. Anything is better than this.

Nebulizer Nonsense

A good friend who works at a CVS pharmacy inside a Target told me this one:

We had a guy come in a few days ago and pick up albuterol nebulizer solution for his daughter. He said he didn't need counseling. They had had inhalers before, so we didn't question it.

The next day he came in with the albuterol vials and the spacer for his daughter's inhaler.

"How does this work?" he asked.

I had to go to the back of the pharmacy to hide my laughter. He completely ignored the prescription the physician had given him for a nebulizer.

Never, but NEVER give them what THEY ASK FOR!

An elderly man steps up to the pharmacy counter.

Man: “I need some Sudafed.”

Me: “Flynn, get the man some Sudafed.”

Flynn grabs a box.

Man: “I need to sleep and this is just the thing.”

Flynn: “This will keep you awake.”

Man: “My nose is stuffed up and I can’t sleep. I need Sudafed. What’s the pharmacist think?”

Me: “This will help the stuffy nose so you can breathe but it keeps most people wide awake.”

Man, now agitated: “I need to sleep! What can I take to sleep?!”

Me: “Get some Benadryl. It will help your stuffy nose and it causes sleepiness.”

Man: “I have that at home! I don’t want that!”

Me: “Flynn, get the man what he wants. Get him some Sudafed.”

Man, now angry: “I’ve NEVER been treated by a pharmacist like this!”

Man storms off.

Miss Loosey isn't Contagious

If you’ve read any of my blog you know I have a regular that I call Miss Loosey.

She usually asks me for a hug when she comes in. Yesterday she picked up a Z-pack and I said no hug today.

Miss Loosey rolled her eyes at me and was offended. Then she proceeded to cough on me on purpose and said it’s ok because the doc told her that her illness is bacterial and not viral.

Do You Think...

This company also makes Sildenafil?