:rolleyes:
Out of curiosity, why would a pharmacist need that much personal information? “Here’s my prescription, here’s my insurance info, I’ll be back in an hour to pick it up” should be sufficient.
Well, they need your list of allergies in case there is an interaction with one of your medications. They need your phone number and address to maintain a file on you. Most times people hand in the wrong insurance card, or an old one, or a dental card that has no pharmacy information on it whatsoever, so give me a couple minutes to run the claim through so we don’t have to do all this shit again when you return expectantly. But what I’m referring to is when you have prescriptions phoned in, i.e. calling your doctor and saying “I need something for a UTI, can you phone it into this pharmacy for me?” and then we have a prescription for someone that doesn’t exist in our system. It’s just a courtesy, and it saves everyone time and anger.
That information is pretty standard. A lot of times the doctor only scrawls your name on the prescription. The pharmacy needs to make sure that you are Jane Smith at 123 Anywhere Street, Hoboken, NJ and not Janet Smith at 123 Anyplace Ave Hoboken, NJ. You would be amazed at how often same/near same names come in.
The phone number is to let you know if your script won’t be ready for some reason. The allergy information is to make sure you’re not allergic to anything. Things like date of birth, etc are to confirm that you are the correct person in the computer, etc. Most prescription cards only have a name and group number- no SS#, address, or anything like that. (MOST, not all)
Look, what do you expect people to do if you continue to go to a pharmacy that treats you poorly? You keep going back there, so ask the pharmacy manager why it takes so goddamned long! I know I would be. Either get your stuff mail order or find a pharmacy where the staff doesn’t have their heads up their asses, that’s all you can do. You can’t come in here bitching about shitty service that you willingly keep going back for and expect much sympathy.
Why does it take so long? I don’t know, but it sounds like that pharmacy has a clusterfuck going on and I wouldn’t trust them to fill anything. That is not normal for any pharmacy, period. There’s your answer.
I complain about my town all the time, but the pharmacy is wonderful. They are nice, efficient, and will do the extra things like call doctor offices to straighten out weird issues.
The only problem is that Jim, the head pharmacist, really likes to talk about drugs. You have to try not to let him be the one to serve you if you get a new prescription or he’ll talk to you for days. 
One of the guys I work with is like that. He’ll take any opportunity to explain how decongestants are vasoconstrictors and tighten the blood vessels which corresponds to a rise in blood pressure and so if you’re on anything for high blood pressure you can only take…blah, blah, blah. And there I am watching the poor bewildered patient holding the box of Coricidin HBP who just wanted to know if it was on sale…
What does he do when they want to buy 4 bottles of Delsym? 
Bitches about kids these days using dextromethorphan to get high.
Read about “drug seeking behavior” and what sort of lies, prevarications and tricks these addicts will put a pharmacist through to get their fix.
In fact, one of our Members here, a fairly Ok dude otherwise, is an Opiate addict and has posted several threads whining and bitching about pharmacists not getting him his FIX RIGHTNOW! :rolleyes:
My sympathy is for the Pharmacist, in most cases. Of course, there are jerks in that profession, too.
Yep, that pisses me off in any area of life. Look fucker, if you give me a time to wait because you screwed up the first time, then I’m showing up one second past to hound your temporaltarded ass with withering glares and toe tapping until my fucking scrip is ready.
Let it be known that if I personally screw up and am late, I give someone an accurate time instead of maliciously jerking their leash around while laughing at the ironically speedy passage of the hands around the clock. Fuckers, all of them.
Our doctor doesn’t just take the pharmacy number and have someone call the scrip in; she faxes it directly from the laptop she carries around with her that she takes all her notes on. She also knows the prices of different medications at different pharmacies in the area as well as what our copays are, and on one occasion recently sent us to another pharmacy where it was cheaper to buy the medication for cash than to involve the insurance company in it. Another specialist who I see regularly doesn’t fax in their scrips, but they do print them out so that they’re always legible. And, actually, for some years now I’ve always make sure I can read a scrip before I leave the doctor’s – that way I know what the medication is so if there’s an error in filling I’ll be able to spot it myself. I feel a certain responsibility for my own health, after all!
And the pharmacy we usually use is terrific; if you’re waiting for your medication, they’ll normally have it done in 15-20 minutes. I usually just drop off a scrip and come back later to make it more convenient for them – I figure a pharmacist who’s not quite so rushed is a pharmacist who’s less likely to make mistakes. Same with ordering refills by phone; our pharmacy has a great 24-hour refill line, and I always give them at least a day to get my refill done, so that they can do it during less busy times. I know what it’s like to have too many things to do all at once, and since it’s peoples’ lives they can affect, I do try to be a considerate customer!
We’ve not always been so lucky, though. On two separate occasions I have lived in areas where every single pharmacy had at least a four-hour wait to pick up a scrip, and more often a full day – and that was after standing in line for at least an hour to get to the counter to drop it off in the first place. That’s when we started hunting for locally owned smaller pharmacies and patronized them, even if they were farther away and the medications cost more – there are times when making you wait upwards of four hours for medication for your sick child is just inexcusable, IMO.
I don’t envy you guys pharmacists your job. Dealing with all the assholes, both customers and doctors’ offices and insurance companies, while trying to be as careful as you have to be? I truly don’t know how you do it.
Unfortunately, because of my insurance, I am tied to one particular chain of pharmacies that maintains the same company wide policy.
And yes, I’ve taken it upon my happy ass to ask- while you may think otherwise of me, I’m not an idiot. Half of the time the person I’m speaking to laughs and says that’s just the policy, they know it’s incredibly stupid, but they can’t do anything about it. The other half of the time the person hems and haws and just says that’s the way it is. So, I’m left to deduce that- for whatever God forsaken reason- the pharmacy that I am compelled by my insurance company to go to (if I want my prescriptions covered) maintains an incredibly stupid policy.
And again, yes. I have complained both to a manager and to the insurance company. I got a nice little pre-printed letter back from the company tanking me for my concerns and that was that.
Which is why I’m here in the Pit, bitching about my incredibly stupid pharmacy and their incredibly stupid policy because, as it stands, I can’t go elsewhere.
I used to go to a Walgreens near my apartment for my prescriptions. It was always a 20-minute wait, which I found reasonable, when dropping it off and waiting. But then, I decided to start dropping it off and picking it up later, to avoid the wait. I’d drop it off at noon, and they’d say, “when would you like to pick this up?” and I’d say, “oh, at about 5:00 p.m.” or “tomorrow morning,” and they’d say, “okay!” and every single time, I’d arrive at the appointed hour to pick it up, and it would still be a 20-minute wait. So what’s the fucking point? I could have just waited when I dropped it off and saved myself a trip.
With my new insurance, I use the mail order pharmacy for one drug, and I get my birth control pills from the Target pharmacy (it’s on a tier that only allows you to get one month at a time, and it’s only 2 bucks cheaper from the mail order, so I just get it locally). Target does auto refills, which is nice, because they just automatically fill it a few days before I need it, so I can stop by and grab it whenever, no waiting.
Oh my…where to begin. Let’s say you drop off a script for birth control. We’re not busy and it should take all of 10 minutes to fill. 10 seconds after me telling you it will be 10 minutes another “patient” drops off 2 prescriptions. 1 for Oxycontin and 1 for Oxycodone. The notes on this patient’s profile tells us to verify all controls. The notes for this MD also tells us to verify all controls.
Then a woman brings in a script for amoxicillin for 3 year old child running a fever of 102. The 3 year old’s profile shows an allergy to penicillin meaning there’s no way we’re going to fill this prescription until we’ve checked with the MD.
Guess who’s script is getting filled first?
I’m sorry I told you 10 minutes but life happens. I’m calling the pediatrician first and getting the kid the medication first. Then I will call the MD’s office to verify the control, because I try to avoid giving drugs to addicts. Then I will fill your script for birth control as fast as I can and apologize to you from here to tomorrow for the wait.
Try to remember the tiniest thing can hang up your script. If the doctor calls it in and gives us the wrong date of birth, spells your name wrong, your insurance company has you listed as male and you’re female…ad nauseum.
We don’t hold up your prescription because it’s fun. We know you’re in pain. We know you don’t feel well.
And one more note on the birth-control - Ladies, if you’re on birth control FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING THAT IS GOOD AND HOLY - please do not WAIT until Sunday to call in for a refill!!! If you don’t have anymore refills, it is very unlikely we can get a hold of your doctor on a SUNDAY! PLAN AHEAD!
And men and their Viagra/Cialis/Levitra - If you can’t wait the 30 minutes for us to fill your script - this will not do you any good!
Right off, I’ll admit that I haven’t read all the posts in this thread. So, it’s possible that someone else has already pointed out that you’re asking the wrong question. It’s not “why does it take 20 minutes to put a sticker on my Ventolin inhaler (and charge me $11.00 to do so)”. No, the real question is why all meds have to be dispensed through a pharmacy (or, in Canada, also via an MD).
Seriously, if I’ve been taking the same birth control pills for the last ten years, why do I have to go there for a repeat, wait, and pay for info that I probably now know better than the pharmacist? For what possible reason? They could have been dispensed by the guy at the 7-11. Likewise, if I’ve taken Lipitor for the past three years and now it’s time for my 12th refill . . . well, you get the picture.
I think we should have two options: Once you’ve got the doc’s prescription you 1. should be able to take it to a pharamcy (as they currently exist) and presumably get at least a bit of personalized instruction with your dispensed meds OR 2. you should be able to go to any store that bothers to stock and sell it and take it off the shelf yourself (of course, hygiene and expiry date standards, etc., would have to be maintained). Presumably, the latter would be less expensive and fast (as fast as you can put it in your basket), while, for a small additional fee, the former would give you some value added.
I know which option I’d use 99% of the time.
The following story is the reason I refuse to shop at any CVS.
3 years ago, I shredded my knee playing basketball. I tore my ACL completely, partially tore the MCL, tore both meniscus, sprained the LCL, and the patellar tendon. I was put on mepergan fortis after the surgery for a few days, and then vicodin. The surgeon gave me the mepergan script before the surgery, which I filled. 3 days later I went to get the vicodin filled. I go to the counter at CVS on crutches, with a knee immobilizer, a pain pump hanging on the inside of my knee with the tubes inserted, and a blood drain on the right side of my knee, almost full of blood. I hand off the prescription and figure I will be in and out since they aren’t busy. The only two seats in the waiting area are full. As the minutes tick by, I start to wonder what is taking so long. Finally one of the workers (I don’t know if it was the actual pharmacist or an asst. or what) looks up at me, gives me a dirty look, and says, “You might was well find a seat and quit standing there, we have to wait and confirm that this is a legitimate prescription”…of course there were no seats, so I had to stand there for almost 20 minutes before I could sit down. She was seriously pissed at me for standing at the counter, which I was doing because I thought for sure they would get me in and back out.
I know people fake pain med prescriptions, but do you really believe anyone would slice open their knee, insert a blood drain, and a pain medicine pump, wrap it all up and pop it in an immobilizer, and then come in and try to scam 30 vicodin?
Why does the pharmacist have to answer where the bread and milk are…
What the hell does a pharmacy tech do anyway. Can’t the lesser paid techs triage the phone calls and questions so that the pharmacist only gets the ones that require an educated answer?
Umm, Doc? You do know that quite a few 'scripts can be mailed right to your home, don’t you? 
The tech enters the information, verifies that it’s in stock and makes arrangements for an order or transfer if need be, processes that information through the computer, physically finds the drug, gets the drug, vial, warning labels and information pamphlet ready for the pharmacist, orders and maintains inventory, handles outdates, keeps supplies like vials stocked and handy, calls doctors offices and insurance companies for clarification/approval/errors, in addition to other things such as running register, cleaning, and directing patients to the pharmacist for counseling. In accordance with the rules specific to my state and my company, ANY question about ANY drug/vitamin whether OTC or not MUST be answered by the pharmacist. Techs are not even allowed to tell a customer which cough drop they think tastes best.
A LOT of the pharmacists time is spent answering questions like that, whether in person or over the phone. Is it ok to take aspirin with this? Can I take this if I’m diabetic? Am I allowed to cut these pills in half? Etc. And a lot of the phone calls from doctors must be handled specifically by the pharmacist as well.
To answer your question of why the pharmacist has to tell you where the bread is, it’s because he’s too nice to tell you to go ask a front-end employee. Honestly, the techs and pharmacists work in tandem, and are equally critical to the operation.