....You come to my counter... I am on the phone with a drunk individual who wants the phone number to the grocery store down the road. After I instruct the drunk him/her (can't tell) the vitures of 411, you proclaim your doctor was to phone in a prescription for you to me. Your provider hasn't yet; however, you are unwilling to wait. Being me (helpful all the time), I call your doctors office to be put on hold ... for ~5 minutes. I'm then informed, by the receptionist that your Rx was actually called into another pharmacy across town. When I phone the pharmacy, to obtain your Rx, I am put on hold again before speaking to a clerk who realizes I need to speak to the pharmacist, put on hold again. Three minutes later, I speak to the pharmacist and transfer your Rx to me. My 2nd phone line begins to ring... and my third line begins to ring because the 2nd line was on hold the whole time. I return to the counter, where you are glaring at me while you fumble with your keys constantly, as if I don't know you are there. You proclaim, "I have never filled prescriptions here before but my cousin has." I reply, that's okay - I can get all the required info from you now , with a smile...
The phone continues to ring...which I let continue .. while I get your age,address,phone,allergy history (which you state codeine), and insurance card ... "I don't have my insurance card with me...I think it's in my car.. I'll be right back."
Ok, that's fine; I can answer one of the ringing phone lines... I answer the one medication question and take another Rx from a doctors office on the other. I just happen to see you in the magazine isle.. "Did you get a chance to find your insurance card?" I ask.
You sigh followed by the shout "my prescription isn't ready?" ... you proceed toward me at the counter and spend the next 3 minutes looking through your personal belongings for your card and state you can't find it. I call the original pharmacy to see if maybe they have it on record.. once again, I am put on hold.
My phone begins to ring .. again ..
I finally get the info from the other pharmacy, put you into the computer system, and process your prescription for Vicodin; which comes back from the insurance as rejected and I notice a possible allergy issue (hydrocodone/codeine). A rude patient cuts infront of you at the counter and asks where she can find bread..
My phone begins to ring ... again...
I point the patient to the "food" isle and inform you that the insurance on file is not working. Out of no where, you produce another insurance card, 2 seconds flat....hmmm looks like someone was trying to see if the zero copay insurance was still instated...
I process with the new card, as I multi-task and answer the phone..
Your new insurance card states it's Nebraska Blue, but with the group you are enrolled in, claims are to be processed through Caremark, whose logo is nowhere on the card.
My other phone line begins to ring ... again....
My proficient mind trouble shoots and works my computer system as another patient approaches me and wants to know why the cherry flavored antacid works better than the lemon cream flavored antacid. I state that they both have the same active ingredients and strength - so what may have happened is that he may have had a more mild case of heartburn when he took the cherry flavored product. He is unhappy and propells from his spitting mouth that he will not be satisfied until I confirm there is a difference between them - the cherry flavored brand is superior ... I maintain calm and tell him .. hey, if the cherry works - go with it! My phone continues to ring...
I file the claim through Caremark, who rejects your claim stating you had a 30 day supply of the same medication, Vicodin, 15 days ago somewhere else... you swear to me on your mothers life ... my phone continues to ring ...you didn't fill it somewhere else.
I call Caremark to see if they will tell me where so I can call them - maybe it was called in by another doctors office and never picked up. Finally I speak to an agent for Caremark and they confirm that one was processed somewhere else. You overhear the conversation and blurt out .. I got hydrocodone with tylenol, not Vicodin... I hang up with Caremark and inform you that they are the same...and my patients starts to drift away.
The phone rings.
It turns out that the doctor "verbally" informed you to take it more frequently than directed originally. I call the doctor to verify this and once again I find myself on hold... they confirm the change in frequency. I call Caremark to notify them that the day supply had actually been changed and should have been 15 not 30. They make the needed changes on their end and I get the override... my laser printer ..jams. My technician states she needs to take her lunch. As I fix the printer, your copay comes out for $.85 off the regular price of the prescription without insurance.... my phone rings.
At the cash register you sign the acknowledgement that you received a copy of my HIPAA policy and that I offered the required OBRA counseling for the new RX. You remark that your last pharmacist told you that you shouldn't take over the counter Tylenol along with the Vicodin, and that the acetaminophen you're taking instead seems to be working pretty well. I break the news to you that Tylenol is a brand name for acetaminophen and you argue with me that they aren't the same. You become flustered and fumble around for 2 minutes looking for your checkbook and spend another 2 minutes making out the $4.67 check. You ask whey the tablets look different than those you received from the other pharmacy - I explain that they are a different manufacture. You storm off with an attitude after I hand you your drug....
Now, imagine this wasn't you. However, the person who dropped off 3 people ahead of you ... maybe some will begin to have an idea why it takes more than 10 minutes to fill a prescription. This is a drop in the bucket ...
[Thank you Dr. Segreto, I credit you for this fine piece of work, and I promise to you what we talked about in work today :) that in exchange for me borrowing your blog, I'll send your way, any hot (and nice, of course) 'ladies' that pass by here, lol]~~till the next day, Ken, we work side by side, ciao, Karen.]
