Does your pharmacy call if there's a prob. with your prescip.?

[PrincessMommy]

I'm so annoyed with my current pharmacy.  This never happened at our old pharmacy and it's the same company, just different location.   But, I'm wondering if I just got lucky before and that it's actually unusual for a pharmacy to call if there's a problem with a prescription.

 

Here's the issue:  I called in a refill for my son's prescrip. because he lost the previous (Nasonex) this morning at 8am.  Was told by the computer that it would be ready by noon.  I went in at 4pm and was told it couldn't be filled because I called it in 4 days early. They told me I have to call my insurance to  get an override.   I'm miffed that they didn't give me a courtesy call so that I could have dealt with this BEFORE I showed up to pick up the prescrip.   It's a consistent issue with them (another time it was because they had written down my child's b-day wrong).... and when I ask why they didn't call me, all I get is a "sorry "from the pharmacy aide.  Nothing changes.  

 

So will your pharm. call you if there's an issue?

[Carrie12345]

CVS has called me multiple times.  Once was while I was already in the parking lot, lol, but still.

[Lawana]

Nope. Pains in the you-know-what. Our usual issue is the Dr. calls or faxes in a an Rx, but the pharmacy "never got it". Or they are short the needed number of pills and you have to return to get the rest later, but they don't let you know ahead of time, so you could have it filled somewhere else. Grrrr.

[PrincessMommy]

Nope. Pains in the you-know-what. Our usual issue is the Dr. calls or faxes in a an Rx, but the pharmacy "never got it". Or they are short the needed number of pills and you have to return to get the rest later, but they don't let you know ahead of time, so you could have it filled somewhere else. Grrrr.

 

yes, that's another one that happened.  Didn't have the meds and wouldn't get them for a day or so... no call to give me a heads up.. Fortunately, it wasn't something we needed to have right then, but still..it's so frustrating.

[Mandylubug]

We use Target pharmacy. They call with any issues.

[Unicorn.]

We use Walgreens, and they always call.  

[Chris in VA]

Yes--our Rite Aid is wonderful. They have called in overrides for us when we lost meds (or some spilled).

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

We use cvs, they always call.

[73349]

CVS by me has not been consistent. I show up, wait in line, and half the time, they're like, "Umm...."

[Mrs Mungo]

They usually call me if there is an issue. But, the computer won't actually let me call in an RX early via the automated system. I have to call the pharmacist and talk to them about it.

[BlueTaelon]

Nope, drives me nuts, especially when I've driven 30-60 minutes to pick it up. I've had the issue with kmart, walmart, walgreens and the local mom and pop place about 30 min from here.

[Ewe Mama]

Our pharmacy is very good about contacting us with issues when we use the automated refill phone line. The automated system may say that we can pick up the prescription at ---- time, but a human calls us as quickly as possible when there is a glitch.

[Mom23Boys]

We use Rite Aid and they call us right away, all the time.  They call to let us know if they have just a partial prescription and see if we want to pick it up or wait until the next day, if there is problem with insurance, or if they just don't have our meds in.  They have even called us to tell us they were running late getting it filled and give us an update on when it will be done.  We love them.  

[gardenmom5]

It could be more to do with the pharm manger for that particular pharmacy.

[MomtoCandJ]

It totally depends on the pharmacy techs. Some don't give a rats behind, some just flat out don't have the proper training.

[trulycrabby]

I use rite aid and walgreens; both call if there are problems or questions.

[Kathryn]

I've never had a problem at either of the two CVS pharmacies closest to us. They've called when there's been an issue.

[JFSinIL]

My Osco is wonderful - but then they have been filling our prescriptions for over two decades now, and some of the staff behind the counter are the SAME as two decades ago. It pays to be known - I bet your old pharmacy would have given you and "advance" of four pills on your next refill in this case.

[TechWife]

Our insurance requires us to use CVS. They are terrible about things like that. I've tried four different stores and they are all the same.

[creekland]

We use a small-town local pharmacy - not connected to a large chain (yet still is often the lowest cost when we call to compare prices).

 

They not only call if there is any issue, they'll also call if they know we could substitute a less-expensive option.  They'll call us and ask if we're interested, then call the Dr to get it approved.

 

We're self-pay on prescriptions... but even if we weren't, I love our pharmacy. 

[Night Elf]

I have Kaiser and they call. I don't have experience with other pharmacies.

[PrincessMommy]

Nope, drives me nuts, especially when I've driven 30-60 minutes to pick it up. I've had the issue with kmart, walmart, walgreens and the local mom and pop place about 30 min from here.

 

that would really drive me nuts too..

 

Thanks everyone for your responses.  It looks like I *might* get better service by switching.

[Carrie12345]

Our insurance requires us to use CVS. They are terrible about things like that. I've tried four different stores and they are all the same.

 

I'm really sorry to hear that.

My CVS has even gone so far as to transfer medications and prescription formula from other locations to fill ours, even though I could drive to the next one myself in 5-10 more minutes. 

[itsheresomewhere]

Left Walgreens over stuff like this and switched to Target.  They call and once called to let me know it would be ready about 30 minutes later than the pickup time.

[JessReplanted]

They call sometimes, but I have encountered so many frustrating situations at the pharmacy that now I always call ahead before picking it up. If a prescription has been faxed over to them, I will call to make sure they got it. I also check the status online and then call before I go pick it up. It's ridiculous, but I feel like it's the only way to really make sure you get the medicine you need.

 

I've also learned not to wait for the pharmacy to call the Dr. - I call the Dr. myself if there is a problem with a prescription.

[prairiewindmomma]

I've gotten impatient with techs on dealing with this issue.  I have our family's file tagged with a "please call" so that there is an additional visual reminder that I do not want to haul my four children into a store only to discover that the very popular medicine that they always have in stock just happens to be on backorder and that it won't be in for several days. After the third time that happened, I talked with the pharmacy manager...politely. They shouldn't be sending the "ready at 4" message if it hasn't been filled and ready for pick-up. Period.

[KatieJ]

Hmm..we rarely have RX filled and only have one that is a refill monthly.  We have used Costco for years now.  I remember one time the RX couldn't be filled due to a lack of supply and I think I didn't find out until I got to the counter.  If it happened often, I would have a chat with them to see if there was some way to deal with that, but I expect there isn't.

[Tap]

I work in pharmacy...so here is the pharmacy's side of the situation.

 

We simply do not have time to call every patient with every minor situation that comes up.  In my pharmacy it would take at least an hour a day to make those calls to 60+ people and it would only truly affect 1 or 2 people who planned to come in.  It is VERY irritating to be one of those people, I do understand that, but our employer doesn't give us the time to make those calls, so they don't get done. Our hours are calculated based on scripts I fill, not how much work I put into each one...phone calls and special circumstances are not factored in to that. The vast majority of the time (like 95+%), the problems that delay a script for a day or so are non-issues for the patients and they never even know there was an issue to begin with.  Here are how some common situations are seen by, and dealt with by the pharmacy departments staff at our chain:

 

1. Prescription refills that are called in too early.  Usually, the patient already knew that it was early and didn't plan to pick it up for a week anyways. Most insurances allow refills 5 or 6 days ahead of time.  People don't generally come in 10 days don't actually show up early to pick up a refill unless there is a special circumstance.  A lot of people set up med trays a week or two at a time, so getting a notice a week early that someone isn't going to come pick up yet, is quite common. Every pharmacy that I have worked in keeps a box of 'refill too soon' scripts (electronic or on paper) sorted by date.  A note would go into the box for that script to be filled on that day.  In your situation, we actually see it as 'if the patient knew there was special circumstances with the prescription, and they need it filled earlier than than the insurance allows, it is their responsibility to call us and  ask for help resolving it."  This same situation comes up about 15 times per day in my pharmacy.  If the prescription is fillable with in a week or two, it goes in to the RTS box, if it is further out than that, we figure it was a miss type in to the phone system and it is thrown away.

 

 

2. Not having the medication  you need on hand.  We can not possibly have every single med, in every quantity, on hand at all times. The computer averages how much we use and orders the medications for use according to monthly averages. If a patient is making a special trip into the store to get an rx, they should call us first to see if we have it on hand.  Ask you particular pharmacy how much time they need to order a med, so you know the specifics in your situations.  Rural pharmacies may not get an order every day or even if they do, it could come in at 4pm and may not be there yet at 9am, when you show up.  Our pharmacy fills 1300-1400 scripts per week keeps a $220,000 running inventory.  Even with that amount of inventory, we have an average of 10-20 prescriptions left each night that we did not have on hand and needed to order for the next day.  When we had a $300,000 inventory, we still had 6 or 7 left....we never have it all. And at $300,000 we routinely had $20,000-40,000 of expired medications to deal with every year. At 220,000 we average $8,000 in expired meds.  It may not be as convenient, but it makes prudent business sense to reduce the inventory. This may not apply to you, but we have 30 count bottles of medications that cost us $500-1000 per bottle.  People change meds all the time, so if we stock all those meds just to have it on hand, and the person goes off the medication, we get stuck with the medication.  Sometimes even on common medications, we just run out, due to many people filling on the same day.  One example is that we have 3 patients who all take the same $400 medication.  They all get it within a day or two of each other every month.  We never have enough for all 3 scripts.  The computer does all of our ordering and it sees that we average 90 tablets a month, or 3-single fills of 30 tablets.  The computer keeps one bottle of 30 on hand, it doesn't compute that we use all 90 in 1 or 2 days.  We try to explain this to people, and suggest they always allow 2 business days to make sure we have it but sometimes they forget and get upset with us people for it, but we don't control the computer or the company that I work for who regulates the amount of inventory I can keep on hand. 

 

3. Electronic prescriptions not going from point A to point B.  Sorry, but this is a huge issue and no one really knows the answer.  There is a big black hole somewhere filled with electronic communications.  In our computer system, it is a multi-step process to delete a prescription.  It doesn't happen accidentally.  We have ZERO interest in losing a prescription, filling scripts is what we do.  We are sure there are many 'operator errors' that cause the scripts to go missing, but quite honestly on the pharmacy side, it doesn't really matter why it is missing....just that it didn't get from-them-to-us.  Most of the time, when we have pushed for an explanation of where a script went, it can be figured out.  The person doing the inputing sent it to the wrong pharmacy, the transmission didn't go through an the inputted didn't notice the rejection, there was missing information so the script didn't ever get sent in the first place, etc.  For scripts originating on our side, the most common error is the pharmacy sent the request to the wrong office fax, or wrong physical location for the doctor. (Every location a doctor has worked at in our area in in my system, sometimes we don't really know which is the most current unless we ask the patient where they were seen, or have the address off of an old script). In our system, we have it set to print out a piece of paper with an alert for every prescription that doesn't transmit all the way through, not all pharmacies are willing to waste the paper to do this, and go off of a master print out, which is easier to miss. 

 

4.  The automated computer system, just takes information IN it doesn't really do anything with the prescription, other than put it in a fill cue.  It doesn't process the insurance, it doesn't calculate dates correctly, it doesn't know if I have the medication in stock, it doesn't problem solve, it doesn't know how long the real wait time is (ours gives a 4 hour window no matter what is going on).  Call and talk to a person if you want a real time answer. 

 

 

Smaller, slower pharmacies or busier ones with more staff, may take the time to call with special circumstances.  We do call certain people who we know have particular situations that make it hard for them to come in.  But, for the most part, our customers just know to give us 24 hours to fill and order a script and then there will not be a problem when they pick up.  If they have a special circumstance, they call and talk to us and don't use the automated system.  Please realize that 100% of our business is custom orders.  We want to fill your scipt, that is what we do.  But sometimes we just can't do it all at one time. 

[TechWife]

Tap -

 

This is my takeaway from your post - companies don't give their employees the authority to do what is best in any given situation. For several of the examples you cited, the simple ability for a person to review and override a computer generated order to your distributor would fix the problem. Others are simple things that could be fixed with more efficient management of the physical environment and adequate staffing. While I sympathize with the people who work in pharmacies, this is a company issue. Well run companies give their employees the ability to do what needs to be done to get the job done within the parameters of the law. If people choose to take their prescriptions elsewhere, the company will start paying attention. 

 

Let me describe some of the situations I've had with the pharmacy that I am required to go to, which is 20 minutes from my house: 

 

1) Doctor visit at 8:00 AM. Doctor sends RX over to pharmacy. I go by at 12:00 noon to pick it up. I'm told "Sorry, we don't pull Rx from the doctor's offices until the afternoon." Go back at 4:00 pm "Sorry, that's out of stock. Our order for the day goes in at 11:00 am, so it will be ready the day after tomorrow." I've now taken a sick kid out three times in one day and have nothing to show for it. If I take the RX back from them and go to another of their locations (it's a chain), I have to hope they have the med, because the pharmacy won't call around for me. 

 

2) Prescription needs to be refilled, but is out of refills. Online, the system allows me to request they contact the doctor, I do so. I have five days of medication left.  The doctor signs off on it and returns the fax to the pharmacy. The pharmacy then proceeds to fill the prescription with the generic instead of the brand name, as the doctor orders and signed off on. Keep in mind, this got past the tech and the pharmacist. The pharmacy sends me a text to tell me the Rx is ready. I notice the error  when I pickup because the prescription is much less than I anticipate. They argue with me that the dr. ordered generic until I make them show me the Rx. Then they tell me the insurance won't pay for it, until I give them the authorization number from the insurance company, then they tell me they don't have the brand name in stock, even though this monthly prescription has been filled at their branch for two years running. It's Friday, I've spent 30 minutes trying to pick up this prescription, and their order won't go in until Monday, so it will be Tuesday before I can get my Rx filled. I run out of medication. This has happened to me multiple times. 

 

3) I've had to wait, in the store, for up to one hour to get an Rx filled. I sit by the pharmacy and listen to the pharmacist talk to his wife on the phone about their weekend plans, listen to him dicker with a tech over the work schedule only to find out that they left my Rx by the intake computer, didn't actually put it in their computer so it would show up on a fill list. Then they try to tell me it will be another 45 minutes until it's ready. I stare at them. They have it ready in ten minutes.

 

I honestly could go on and on  about these types of errors and customer service experiences. Until two  years ago,  I had several pharmacies to choose from. I had two favorites that I used & never had these types of problems.  Now, I have no choice. The pharmacy knows this and so they don't have any motivation to keep me happy. 

 

So, there you have it. The way pharmacies are run (computer systems, procedures) combined with a staff that isn't motivated to take care of the customers makes for a miserable experience. 

[Word Nerd]

All of our notifications are either emails or automated calls (it's impersonal but fine with me the vast majority of the time), so I highly doubt we would be notified personally if there was a problem filling a prescription. I suppose I would assume there was a problem if I didn't get the auto-notify message when I expected it. 

[PrincessMommy]

Thanks, Tap, for your perspective.  I appreciate hearing from the other side of the counter.   The thing is,  I often get an automated reminder from the pharmacy when it's almost time to refill a prescrip.  Ya know, the computer calls your phone and says "Someone in your household has a prescrip. that is ready to be refilled.  It is important to take your medicine.... please call the pharmacy for a refill..."    How hard it is to have a computer send me a message saying "There has been a problem with a prescription for someone in your household.  Please call the pharmacy at your earliest convenience."  ??

[Tap]

Thanks, Tap, for your perspective.  I appreciate hearing from the other side of the counter.   The thing is,  I often get an automated reminder from the pharmacy when it's almost time to refill a prescrip.  Ya know, the computer calls your phone and says "Someone in your household has a prescrip. that is ready to be refilled.  It is important to take your medicine.... please call the pharmacy for a refill..."    How hard it is to have a computer send me a message saying "There has been a problem with a prescription for someone in your household.  Please call the pharmacy at your earliest convenience."  ??

Not hard, but just not programmed into the computer system. 

[prairiewindmomma]

And that is where someone needs to re-write their auto-caller software. Seriously, there is big money in setting up autodialers, and the code fix wouldn't be that complicated. :)

[kewb]

The small local pharmacy gives me excellent customer service and always calls if there is a problem, looks for coupons, tells me if it is cheaper to pay cash vs. inusrance, give me a few pills if they have not heard back from doctors office and I am out, and happy to answer all my questions and help me find a solution.  The convenient 24/7 CVS-not so much.  Although the CVS is excellent with the prescription is ready text.

[Tap]

Tap -

 

This is my takeaway from your post - companies don't give their employees the authority to do what is best in any given situation. For several of the examples you cited, the simple ability for a person to review and override a computer generated order to your distributor would fix the problem. Others are simple things that could be fixed with more efficient management of the physical environment and adequate staffing. While I sympathize with the people who work in pharmacies, this is a company issue. Well run companies give their employees the ability to do what needs to be done to get the job done within the parameters of the law. If people choose to take their prescriptions elsewhere, the company will start paying attention. 

 

Let me describe some of the situations I've had with the pharmacy that I am required to go to, which is 20 minutes from my house: 

 

1) Doctor visit at 8:00 AM. Doctor sends RX over to pharmacy. I go by at 12:00 noon to pick it up. I'm told "Sorry, we don't pull Rx from the doctor's offices until the afternoon." Go back at 4:00 pm "Sorry, that's out of stock. Our order for the day goes in at 11:00 am, so it will be ready the day after tomorrow." I've now taken a sick kid out three times in one day and have nothing to show for it. If I take the RX back from them and go to another of their locations (it's a chain), I have to hope they have the med, because the pharmacy won't call around for me. 

 

E-scripts are a unique issue.  When I open the pharmacy, I have an average of 70 refillable prescriptions (not escripts) waiting for me to be ran, filled and bagged. (2 hours of work)  On top of that we have the people who are dropping off and waiting in the store.  We have 5 phone lines ringing, and customers picking up.  In my pharmacy it is hard, fast paced work, that has to be done with 100% accuracy.  We get about 100-150 escripts a day (electronic scripts from doctors offices). One person is typing those and it a full days worth of work by itself.  We type them as they come in, but honestly, they are behind the refills and  behind the people who are already in the store.  The reason....we have no idea when the person is coming to pick them up.  Escripts can be new prescriptions for a sick kid, a refill that the person doesn't even need yet, a prescription that may never even be picked up, or any number of senerios.  Escripted, doesn't mean it is urgent to us. It just goes into the normal workflow as they come in. Which could be 4 or 5 hours after we receive them, depending on what else we have coming in all at once and how much staff we have.

 

Since you have been told how your pharmacy handles escripts, you have the advantage to know to ask the doctor to give you a paper prescription instead and take it directly to the pharmacy.  That way you can ask if they have it in stock, make sure you get the brand name if you want it, and see if there are any insurance issues.  If you know that Escripts are not convienient at your location, then insist that your doctor doesn't send if via Escript.  If he insists on doing it anyways, wait 30 minutes and call the pharmacy to let them know it was Excripted and are coming to get it in an hour (or whatever it is).  That gives them the heads up to get it ready. 

 

I don't know how busy  your pharmacy is, but ours is stressful and physically demanding. Yes, we chatter to each other constantly and talk on the phone, because we don't take breaks, work 8-12 hour shifts and our brains just can't maintain constant attention to details for that many hours without coming up for air.  Please realize that in retail pharmacy, we have to constantly shift from intense concentration--100% accuracy, to being personable and friendly on the counter with people, trying to explain why thier insurance charges them $5 for one med and $50 for another. It is exhausting to switch your brain back and forth all day.  At our location, Our chatter isn't distracting like you would think it would be. (Maybe not true for everyone) It is part of what keeps us sane.  

 

I know not all pharmacies prioritize their customers like we do.  It may not sound like it but we continually get some of the best customer service awards in our chain, because we are honest with out customers and let them know how to get the best service at the pharmacy.  This usually involves them being more involved (the patient double checking things like brand name  etc) and paying attention to their own scripts.  Avoiding computer programs like Escripts or Autofills.  LOL  We do double the work flow that the chain 200 feet away does.  We often hear similar complaints from out customers about them(long waits, misplaced rxs etc), so I know your concerns are real.  I am just giving you a suggestion of finding out what you can do to get the best out of your local option.  I would guess that a paper prescription, walked in, having a discussion with the tech...is the way to get service. 

 

2) Prescription needs to be refilled, but is out of refills. Online, the system allows me to request they contact the doctor, I do so. I have five days of medication left.  The doctor signs off on it and returns the fax to the pharmacy. The pharmacy then proceeds to fill the prescription with the generic instead of the brand name, as the doctor orders and signed off on. Keep in mind, this got past the tech and the pharmacist. The pharmacy sends me a text to tell me the Rx is ready. I notice the error  when I pickup because the prescription is much less than I anticipate. They argue with me that the dr. ordered generic until I make them show me the Rx. Then they tell me the insurance won't pay for it, until I give them the authorization number from the insurance company, then they tell me they don't have the brand name in stock, even though this monthly prescription has been filled at their branch for two years running. It's Friday, I've spent 30 minutes trying to pick up this prescription, and their order won't go in until Monday, so it will be Tuesday before I can get my Rx filled. I run out of medication. This has happened to me multiple times. 

 

Brand name vs generic will always be an issue. It is easy to overlook.  Again, I would avoid electronic presciptions, automated phone calls and Escripts.  If you are out of refills, call the doctor and ask for a paper presciption.  That way you can see if the doctor wrote it with brand or generic, check the instructions, or anything else you want to do. Drop it off, make mention of the brand name, and ask if they have it in stock.  All of those issues are taken care of by having a paper script instead of electronic.  If you know they don't usually have it, make sure to drop it off or order the refill by Wednesday, so you can pick it up on Friday, since it seems like your pharmacy needs a little extra time to get it ordered each month.  Or just be honest with the pharmacy and ask them, the best way for you to handle it.  Most will be straight up and give you an honest answer.  if someone says, "Oh, I will try to just order it in ahead of time each month, don't trust them to remember."  

 

3) I've had to wait, in the store, for up to one hour to get an Rx filled. I sit by the pharmacy and listen to the pharmacist talk to his wife on the phone about their weekend plans, listen to him dicker with a tech over the work schedule only to find out that they left my Rx by the intake computer, didn't actually put it in their computer so it would show up on a fill list. Then they try to tell me it will be another 45 minutes until it's ready. I stare at them. They have it ready in ten minutes.

 

If the pharmacy says it will be ready in 15 minutes, and they haven't finished it yet, check in to find out what it going on.   Don't just let time tick by, don't wait 30 or 40 minutes to check back. (not saying you did, just pointing out to makes sure to check in)  If overruns of expected wait times by 45minutes  are not a random, rare occurrence, fill out a customer comment card about the issue.  In the case of them telling you Another 45 min, go get the store manager to prompt them to get it moving faster.  In my store, if something got missplaced out of workflow, you would be moved to the front of the line and out the door in 5-10 minutes  (unless it was 5+ scripts or something obscure like a compound).with profuse and sincere apologies.

 

I honestly could go on and on  about these types of errors and customer service experiences. Until two  years ago,  I had several pharmacies to choose from. I had two favorites that I used & never had these types of problems.  Now, I have no choice. The pharmacy knows this and so they don't have any motivation to keep me happy. 

 

UGG,  That is frustrating..  :0( 

 

So, there you have it. The way pharmacies are run (computer systems, procedures) combined with a staff that isn't motivated to take care of the customers makes for a miserable experience. 

 

[Tap]

And that is where someone needs to re-write their auto-caller software. Seriously, there is big money in setting up autodialers, and the code fix wouldn't be that complicated. :)

But it is expensive and companies don't like to spend money on convenience.   The just tell us to remind customers to call ahead, and call us if they have a special need or issue.

[Greta]

We've had excellent customer service from our pharmacy. Once when I had a similar situation, they not only called me to let me know there'd be a delay, but THEY called my insurance company and convinced them to go ahead and authorize a payment for a refill, even though they normally wouldn't do so. Also once when a doctor prescribed a medication that I'm allergic to, the pharmacy caught it and called the doc to get it changed. They're also really helpful with any questions or concerns that we have. I guess I never realized how awesome they are until you posted this. I feel like I should thank them!

[J-rap]

When we use Target (which we don't often, because they are an hour away), they will almost always call with an issue.  At our smaller, local pharmacy, they never call;  I have to go there in person to find out what's up.  Sometimes it's frustrating but because our town is small it's always on the way to somewhere.  Or sometimes I remember to call first.

[JudoMom]

Thanks, Tap, for your perspective.  I appreciate hearing from the other side of the counter.   The thing is,  I often get an automated reminder from the pharmacy when it's almost time to refill a prescrip.  Ya know, the computer calls your phone and says "Someone in your household has a prescrip. that is ready to be refilled.  It is important to take your medicine.... please call the pharmacy for a refill..."    How hard it is to have a computer send me a message saying "There has been a problem with a prescription for someone in your household.  Please call the pharmacy at your earliest convenience."  ??

 

I use Walgreens (between my son & me, we have 7 monthly scripts), and they do give me an automated call when something isn't going to be ready at the promised time.  I just got to go pick up 4 of my monthly scripts, plus 3 antibiotic scripts sent over from the doctor since three of my boys have strep.  They were bagged and ready by the time I showed up (45 minutes after they were called over). 

 

If I were regularly having issues with the pharmacy having my rx on time, I would call them before I drove over to see if the script was ready.

 

 

[mommybee]

Thanks Tap! I've been working in this field just six months and it is crazy to me to explain to people just how intense and demanding it is. We always try to give great customer but sometimes we are just so busy that we can only do so much.

[TechWife]

It's a shame that pharmacies are so understaffed - at the outset, it seems like a good & interesting career field for someone who likes chemistry and math but doesn't want to do research.  Now I'm wondering if I've steered any teens wrong. We looked at demand - in our area (state, really) they are in demand, but didn't think to look at staffing issues. The drawback we saw was the number of hours worked, weekends, things like that. 

 

I know in my state a break for the pharmacist is mandated by law. If there is only one pharmacist on duty, the pharmacy physically closes for 30 minutes for a break. They get 30 minutes per 8 hours worked, I believe. I'm sure not every state is like that since pharmacists are generally salaried employees. 

 

I like the idea of an automated call when there is something wrong with a prescription that needs to be addressed by the customer. 

 

I don't like the generic vs. brand always being an issue because, the way I see it, it's the pharmacist's job to read the prescription. 

 

From what I've observed, I think Target has techs that are assigned to run registers and techs assigned to fill prescriptions so that they don't have to switch back and forth between tasks. That seems like a good arrangement, but again, that's a staffing issue. 

 

Thank you so much for your input, Tap. I really appreciate it. 

[Tap]

It's a shame that pharmacies are so understaffed - at the outset, it seems like a good & interesting career field for someone who likes chemistry and math but doesn't want to do research. Now I'm wondering if I've steered any teens wrong. We looked at demand - in our area (state, really) they are in demand, but didn't think to look at staffing issues. The drawback we saw was the number of hours worked, weekends, things like that.

 

I know in my state a break for the pharmacist is mandated by law. If there is only one pharmacist on duty, the pharmacy physically closes for 30 minutes for a break. They get 30 minutes per 8 hours worked, I believe. I'm sure not every state is like that since pharmacists are generally salaried employees.

 

I like the idea of an automated call when there is something wrong with a prescription that needs to be addressed by the customer.

 

I don't like the generic vs. brand always being an issue because, the way I see it, it's the pharmacist's job to read the prescription.

 

From what I've observed, I think Target has techs that are assigned to run registers and techs assigned to fill prescriptions so that they don't have to switch back and forth between tasks. That seems like a good arrangement, but again, that's a staffing issue.

 

Thank you so much for your input, Tap. I really appreciate it.

The brabd/generic issue can be a bit confusing depending on each states laws. In our state there are two lines that the doctor can sign his name on. The left line generally means generic and the right us brand. Under the line there are words that something like "dispense as written" or "generic permitted". Every once in a while they are reversed and that can trip us up for a minute until we figure it out. We only see a couple of 'brand name only' scripts a week out of 1300 scripts, so the general expectation is generic. We live on the border of a state that requires the doctor write DAW on a brand name script and the line it is signed on....doesn't matter. Add to this that various computer programs do things differently and you have an issue that seems obvious but can easily get overlooked in a busy pharmacy.

[QueenCat]

Kroger always calls if there is  problem. And they send me a text to say the script is ready.

[MomtoCandJ]

Ugh Walmart did a dozy on me. I went to get my BC pills Thursday, they were out and said the pills would be in Friday morning. I called and they said they came in so I go to pick them up and then they tell me that those did NOT come in and that they would reorder to come in Monday. Go in Monday afternoon and they still didn't have them. I ended up having to transfer them to Rite-aid who then had to authorize a different generic.

[JFSinIL]

I have to admit, one of my son's meds is an oddity,(blister packs of carnitor) and each month for the past year  I'd only get a partial refill, having to go back for the rest after it was ordered.  Finally the folks behind the counter (who have been filling this med for almost 20 years now, for some reason they had not had it fully in stock the past year) finagled something to make the system realize it needed to keep a full 30 day supply on hand by the 21st of each month!