Discharge Scripts

Posted by The *Angriest* Pharmacist as Doctors, Errors, Lazy People, Me being a dick, True Story, Work Sucks

Do they even look at these damn things?

I have a hospital near me that generates discharge scripts via computer. It’s all based on what meds the patient was on during the stay in-house. I know the process there because I called and spoke with their pharmacist on duty one night. We hate our jobs equally.

It goes like this. The Ward Clerk generates a list of all current meds on the MAR (Medication Administration Record). This sheet includes PRNs, parenterals, orals, rectals — the works. The doctor then goes down the list and circles YES or NO. This sheet is then sent to the pharmacist who removes the NO drugs from the profile (by D/C’ing them). Then, the pharmacist prints these sheets directly on the floor and they are reviewed by the patient’s nurse based on what was said and what s/he expected. There is a space for the doctor to sign. My pharmacy will fill these w/o the docs signature because we deal with the hospital so much and these sheets are not “fake able.” I will admit though, that only 1 out of every 50 are unsigned. So, for the most part, the doctor has the OPPORTUNITY to review these sheets again. A quantity is written in on the bottom as well — usually it’s ONE MONTH.

So I can say, without a doubt then, that at least THREE sets of eyes see (or should see) these damn things before being given to a patient — Pharmacist, [Ward Clerk perhaps?], Nurse, and Doctor.

Why in the fuck did I get a sheet today that listed:
1. Fentanyl PCA 10mcg/hr Basal with 10mcg on Demand Every 10 Minutes.
2. D5NS 100mL/hr
3. Naloxone
- This was obviously in a ’set’ with the Fentanyl to pull from a Pyxis if needed.
4. Heparin Lock Flush 100 Units prn
5. Ancef 1g one hour pre-op

How did this shit get by? It was fucking signed by the doctor. He even wrote in *his* DEA number to cover the fentanyl…the only Narc on the script.

There was more on the script of course - they always leave OTC/PRN stuff and we just use our professional judgment on how to get those things to the patients (Ibuprofen, Docusate, Baby ASA). Usually we just grab it off the shelf if they want it.
But seriously? Dextrose in Normal Saline? Would you like me to educate the patient on how to start a line on himself? Should I also work through with him on how to operate the PCA Pump he has in his bedroom - making sure he sets it for MICROgrams rather than MILLIgrams since it’s fentanyl? [End Sarcasm]

I’m expected to review my work before it leaves my pharmacy. Why is this healthcare team not expected to do the same? I could get in serious trouble for not checking my final product prepared by my technicians.

If you care about the outcome I reached - I just scratched the bullshit out. Later in the night when it slowed down, I called the pharmacist on duty there and let him know that that stuff snuck through. He attributed it to “a student screwing around on the computer.” I attributed it to his laziness or lackadaisical demeanor. He did not like my analysis — nor did he apologize for the actions of himself or his student. If his lame-ass excuse was valid/true — it’s still his fault for not staring over the student’s shoulder…which would be the law for the student entering orders in my state of residence.

Just Questions

Posted by The *Angriest* Pharmacist as Just a question, Lazy People, Management, Me being a dick, PSE, Rude, Stupid People, Work Sucks

Every day I ask myself questions. Most are rhetorical…but they are pertinent questions. I will share these with you now. Feel free to comment with some of your own. OR Check Out Pharmacy Chick’s version of this same exact thing from February 2008.

Why do old, toothless people always appear to be chewing on something?

Why is it than if someone is walking to my pharmacy, I can predict with 99% accuracy that they want to buy 12-hour Pseudoephedrine?

Why is it that someone that wants a script filled 10 minutes before closing will have had that prescription for no less than 7 days?

Why does the person wanting a rare, expensive C-II drug come to my pharmacy each month wanting it only to find out that I still don’t have it and won’t order it for them unless they fill it with me once and wait for the order to come in?

Why does someone on Medicaid give me their card only to ask me to “just fill it for cash” — knowing full well that I’m going to bill it to Medicaid FIRST?

Why is it that people think they need Watson brand Hydrocodone/APAP? Nevermind - I know the answer to this one…more street value cause it can be identified by pill-heads.

Why does every person that I would idenfity as a drug seeker use “I have fibromyalgia” as the excuse for their early refill or other behavior?

Why does every complaint go to a non-pharmacist store manager rather than to me?

Why does every doctor’s voicemail message have the same bullshit message that I can’t skip over (they can press ZERO to get to me!)? “Leave the patient’s name, date of birth, drug name with spelling, strength, quantity, last fill and pharmacy call back number.”

Why do people have to ask for the pharmacist to give a refill number?

Why will people have pizza delivered to their home in an hour and be happy with that wait time but want their prescription in 15 minutes or less?

Why do people want name brand drugs then be completely happy with store brand soda, chips, water, clothes, and everything else?

Why would someone present a prescription for a child then refuse it when the copayment is anything more than free?

Why would someone call me a ’stupid fucking cocksucker’ during one trip to the pharmacy then yell at me during their next trip when I use the word ’shit’ in front of their child?

Why do I have to concern myself with HIPAA when any patient would be willing to yell, “Yeah my name is Fred Jones…3-14-51. Doctor Smith called in my Viagra refill this morning”?

“Sir, are you taking any other medications?” No.
“No OTC meds?” No.
“No Vitamins?” No.
“Any herbals?” Nope.
“No other medicines at all?” Well, I’ve been taking this Saint John’s Wort for depression.

Why is the answer always, ‘NO’ to “Do you have any questions for the pharmacist” only to have the patient call the pharmacy back in 10 minutes later?

There are 24 hours in the day. Why does everyone have to spend their 30 minutes in the pharmacy on the cell phone?

Why does every patient with a new insurance card present that card at the cash register rather than the pharmacy drop off window when the read the sign that says “Please present your insurance card when you drop off your prescription”?

Why is it that 1 out of every 100 patients feel the need to poor their pills out on the counter and count them right there in front of all of us?

Why do Americans have the words, “I want to talk to your supervisor” into their brains for use at the first sign of a problem, dissent, friction, or trouble?

Why is there a direct correlation between the number of items in a person’s shopping cart and the likelihood they will want them rung up in the pharmacy?

Why is there a direct correlation between the number of scripts filled in my pharmacy and the amount of alcohol I ingest every evening? Nevermind — I know the answer to this one too…

Why is there a direct correlation between a patient’s lack of teeth and oral hygiene and the likelihood they will present a medicaid card?

Why do I have to be the person to explain to some people that BEER cannot be paid for with Food Stamps?

I have a feeling this post has instant classic written all over it…

I Feel Cheap - Very Cheap

Posted by The *Angriest* Pharmacist as Lazy People, Stupid People, True Story, Work Sucks

I’m back. Sorry for the lapse. I’ve been busy and somewhat injured making it hard to type.

Has any pharmacist out there ever sucked up their pride and done something they normally wouldn’t do for a patient because that patient brings in a lot of scripts (and income) into the pharmacy? I did that today, and it made me feel sick.

A *long* time patient came in today. My keystone tech took his script. He was just diagnosed with Type II Diabetes Mellitus. He’s not overweight, so it was somewhat surprising to me. He already has a meter and lancet device. He didn’t get that from me. The script was one of those generic scripts (Glucose Test Strips + Lancets #qs for one month +PRN Refills) Keystone tech had a conversation with him about exactly which meter he had and what kind of lancets he would need.

They settled on the Accuchek Comfort Curve and our store brand lancets which are made to fit pretty much any lancet device. We put the strips on hold — he still had some of those. So, we merely filled the strips and Metformin 500mg po BID. Easy enough right? Right. He was comfortable with the price — his insurance knocked off very little, but the cost on the strips was 5 bucks and his metformin was 5 or 6 bucks.

He got home, and pretty much immediately called back. He wanted to speak to a manager. I have gotten to the point where I don’t like to handle complaints. I like to let keystone tech handle it — she’s great at it. I’m usually a dick. Go figure. But, he wasn’t having it. He wanted to talk to me.

I got on the phone and he was angry. He didn’t yell. He didn’t curse. Lucky for him, because if he would’ve gotten hostile, I would have not been as nice as I was. I was shocked I didn’t call him a fucking asshole as is…Anyway, he has the nerve to tell us that his lancet device is a Accuchek MULTICLIX (which has some sort of drum-type lancet where one drum has 5 or more lancets in it so there’s less handling of sharps). He then tells me that he told this to my keystone tech and the prescription CLEARLY states that — we screwed it up. He then goes on to tell me that he drives out of his way to get to us because he gets good service from us. Then he started with the “here’s what is gonna happen A — you all are gonna do this. B— you are gonna do this” bullshit. I was having none of that. I offered to fix it, eat the difference and mail it. That wasn’t good enough. He needs the lancets now. He needs to be checking his blood sugar 5 times a day (WHICH IS FUCKING BULLSHIT AS TAP SAYS). Then he tells me I have to pay for his gas to get back out there.

So, I looked at his profile. We fill 10 scripts a month for this guy, and we get pretty good return on his stuff. I also know that he buys a ton of vitamins, assorted OTC vitamins, and other stuff from us. So, he’s a pretty valued customer. I sucked up my pride. Rather than tell him I heard the entire conversation and that he told my keystone tech that the store brand lancets would be sufficient AND that the prescription merely says lancets and nothing more, I folded. I told him I would refund the 5 bucks. I also told him I would get the Multiclix ready and edit the price to zero. The difference between the two would cover the cost of his gas and troubles as the Multiclix are much more expensive (They are like 14 bucks per 100 whereas the store brand is 4-5). So, I returned the store lancets (I told him to just pitch them as he refused my offer to GIVE him a lancet device that they would work in — he wasn’t comfortable with that since he’s used to the Multiclix…that also pissed me the fuck off). I then filled the Multiclix, billed it to his insurance (to at least cover a little bit of the loss), and I changed the price to zero. My net loss was 18 or so dollars.

So, anyone that is familiar with business knows that 3% net profit is ideal after all is said and done. That’s unrealistic in pharmacy, but it’s a decent gauge. So, to make back that $18, you have to sell ~33x that amount to cover the loss. So, I have to do close to $600 worth of business to make that back…That’s exactly why shrink/theft is such a huge deal and horrible for business. Now, I’m not saying it’s theft, but I damn sure bent over backwards here.

I know that I’ll make that money back, but I feel like a freaking spineless piece of shit for kissing this guy’s ass like I did. But, word of mouth goes a long way in my area — and I’m sure that he’ll let it be known to everyone how nice we are and how we made things right.

Then again — I did make a note in his profile that he gets no more favors…:-)

My turn…

Posted by The *Angriest* Pharmacist as Doctors, Insurance Companies, Lazy People, Me being a dick, Stupid People, True Story, Work Sucks

Just about everybody has taken their shot at “Why does my prescription take so long to fill?” Now, I will end this argument once and for all. For starters, here is the short version: “IF YOU WANT M&M’s, BY ALL MEANS - GTFO! KTHX”

Now, I really like PharmacyTales Version (WHERE DID YOU GO, PT?), but the problem with it is that it is much too wordy. A visitor to the normal, American pharmacy would see that, scream TL;DR and run away screaming. The American public wants lists and pictures. I will now provide the perfect document to give to patients explaining WHY THEIR PRESCRIPTION TAKES SO DAMN LONG TO FILL!

==========================

Dear Pharmacy Visitor,
Recently, we’ve noticed an increase in prescription wait time due to many factors. To ensure all our patients have full knowledge of our policies and procedures, we’ve developed this list-type document so that each and every person knows the time and effort put into every prescription.

Prescription Filling Process: 
Drop-off of Prescription(s) by Patient [Usually 1 to 15 New Rx's or Refills]
New Patient Addition (OR Existing Patient Information Verification)
New Insurance Addition
Scanning of New Prescription (In some of our locations)
Input of Prescription into Computer System
Pharmacist Verification of Typed Prescription
Computer-Based Drug Utilization Review (DUR)
Pharmacist Acknowledgement, Review and Resolution of DUR Issues
     - These range from wrong/missing drug, dose, route, quantity, to drug interactions, poor doctor handwriting, unsigned prescriptions, and early/late refills.
Billing and Insurance Adjudication via Online Processes
Resolution of Various Insurance Issues (or Lack Thereof) via Phone Call to Insurance
Resolution of Other Ins. Issues via Phone Call to Doctor’s Office for Info/Change
Selection of Correct Drug/Dose from Shelf
Counting of Correct Quantity
Placement in Bottle/Labelling
Pharmacist Verification of Tablet Dispensed to Original Rx
Printing of Supplemental Patient Drug Information
Bagging of Prescription(s) With Correct Pamphlets
Cashier Verification of Correct Patient
Ringing of Prescription/Additional Store Items
Correction of “Patient Issues” with Billing Amount
Patient Signing for Insurance Payment/HIPAA Policy
Patient Payment for Rx/Other Items
Pharmacist-Patient Private Consultation

Other Pharmacy Related Tasks — Not *Directly* Related to Your Prescription:
All of the Above Steps for the Person(s) in Front of You in Line
Numbering/Sorting of Older Prescriptions for our Filing System
Shelving of Incoming Drug Orders/Stock Replenishment
Stocking/Straightening of OTC Drug Shelves
Calling of Drs. for Rx Refills for Other Patients [as a Courtesy]
Calling of Drs. for Order Clarification/Prior Authorizations/Etc
Answering of Patient OTC Drug Questions
Answering of Assorted Store-Related Questions
Answering of Phone Calls Concerning ANY Issues
Taking Refill Requests from Pts Refusing to Use Computer-Automated Refill
Taking of NEW Prescriptions from Doctor’s Offices
Ringing out of Items Not Related to Rx Sales
Ringing out/Logging of Pseudoephedrine Sales
Printing Rx History Forms for Patients for Tax Purposes
Cleaning of Pharmacy Area
LUNCH - We get one just like you!
Bathroom Breaks - We gotta go sometimes, too!

If you think you can help us optimize any of these steps, feel free to give our toll-free number a call at 1-888-ANG-REST.

Sincerely,

Your Phriendly Pharmacist

Fills deez fer me

Posted by The *Angriest* Pharmacist as Disgusting, Lazy People, Stupid People, True Story, Welfare

I filled 9 scripts today for three different kids.

Jimbo Jones — Flintstones Vitamins, Iron Drops, and Rondec DM
Jackson Smith — Flintstones Vitamins, Iron Drops, and Rondec DM
Cameron Sledgehammer — Flintstones Vitamins, Rondec DM, and Augmentin

Several things piss me off about this situation:
1. This mother was pregnant again (likely with a 4th man’s seed).
2. Five of the nine prescriptions are OTC Products (Flintstones x 3 and Iron x 2)
3. All of these children were on State Aid - meaning part of my taxed wages paid for these five prescriptions.
4. The cost of these 5 OTC prescriptions is negligible (Generic Flintstones cost $4-5 bucks for 100 of them and Iron drops cost $3-4 for 2 ounces — total cost: $23 or $9 if the kids shared the bottles).
5. Reimbursement on these types of scripts is absolutely pathetic because it’s OTC. It’s something like cost + $0.50 — And there’s always problems with submitting and getting them to work. So, you have to transmit several times at like 15-20 cents each to get it to adjudicate.
And WORST of all:
6. The prescriptions were dated 2/13/08 —- TEN FUCKING DAYS AGO!

Are you fucking kidding me? The kids probably aren’t sick anymore and don’t need the Rondec or the Augmentin, YET she still took these little kids to the doctor (again, on my dime) and got the scripts. So, I’m filling prescriptions for NOW healthy babies. She wasted the time of the doctor since she didn’t get the scripts immediately filled. She wasted my time (as well as my tech’s time) because I’m filling scripts for babies that aren’t sick. She’s obviously neglecting the children to some extent since she failed to get the scripts filled in a timely fashion (which, in my opinion would be within 24 hours — preferably 12). They were sick enough to take to the doctor, right?

So, again I ask: Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME?

I say another government baby is exactly what this chick needs.

As always in my posts - there’s one final thought that ties this all together — that makes my points really hit home — that makes the reader go “what the fuck” — that makes me want to cringe in disgust.

She works [part-time] in the grocery store CONNECTED to my pharmacy. I’m sure she’d been there more recently than 10 days post-doctors-appointment.

Movie annoyance, speech impediments, and pacifiers

Posted by The *Angriest* Pharmacist as --Not Pharmacy--, Disgusting, Insurance Companies, Lazy People, Me being a dick, Stupid People, True Story, Work Sucks

I’m back! I’ve been a little under the weather, very busy, and overall lazy lately. I’ve gotten somewhat addicted to a new flash game called ONSLAUGHT. Anyway, the first thing I wanted to bitch about was something that really pissed me off at a movie I went to recently. We’ve all been irritated by a crying baby (for fucks sake), a cell phone ringing (or a fucking asshole that answers a call, “I can’t talk, I’m in a movie!”), or some punk ass 14 year olds that won’t shut the hell up or keep their grubby ass hands off of their neighbor’s new trainer bra.

I found a new thing that irritated me today…a blinking light. Some hotshot sat in front of me - and he wanted all of us to know he had a bluetooth headset. He left it on — I guess in case someone gave him a call during the movie — and a little blue light blinked every 5 fucking seconds the entire movie. I handled the problem as maturely as I know how, I began by throwing popcorn at him repeatedly…every time in blinked. That didn’t seem to work and he chalked it up to some Emo faggots sitting behind me. I think upgraded my arsenal to Jujyfruits. By the time he realized it was me, I’d wasted too much Jujyfruit goodness to warrant a continued assault. Finally, I brought out the cannons. I began kicking his chair. Sure, I could’ve asked him to turn it off, but then I can’t be a complete dick. So, after I kicked his chair about 5 times he turned around and asked me in a real pissed off tone (rightfully so), “What’s the problem here?” — “Ohh, sorry. I keep seeing a blinking light from the corner of my eye and it keeps startling me. It’s a knee jerk reaction.”

My response got the action I wanted. It also made the emo faggots chuckle in emo faggot delight. Good for them. Maybe they won’t cut themselves tonight.

-=+=-

I’ve never called an insurance company and spoke with a “customer care representative” with a legitimate speech impediment before. Sure, I’ve talked with Indians, Brits, Ebonics-speakers, and flat out idiots, but I’ve never called and gotten someone that was 100% unintelligible. I politely asked for her to repeat hersself 5 times before I got pissed off. I didn’t realize it was a speech impediment at first - I thought the person just had a real shit-ass attitude and was giving me her “hoe-hum-I-don’t-want-to-be-here-so-fuck-you-and-the-world” voice. I couldn’t understand a damn thing.

“What’s your NPI and name” sounded like “Where are pirates drinking cum?”

“What’s the RX number and fill date” sounded like “Do you like gays that eat cake?”

“How can I help you today” sounded like “Man, you need a fucking lay.”
Now you can see why I handled the problem professionally by merely hanging up and calling back. I got someone different the next call, thankfully.

Get a clue insurance companies - speech impediments and jobs that require 100% conversation and communication should not be left to the cleft of mouth.

Or perhaps everything is going directly to plan for them. I hung up - maybe I won’t call back next time and just force the patient to pay cash. Sometimes I wonder if that’s why the cards they give out lack any applicable information used in billing.

-=+=-

Finally, pacifiers - foofoos - binkies - dummy - comforter - whatthefuckever. Fine for babies. Once a child is mobile (i.e. it can crawl or walk or move under its own power) those things need to hit the bricks. That’s my rule.

Of course, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry says you don’t have to worry about removing them from the child’s pie-hole until the permanent teeth begin coming in. The Brits, however, say to avoid using them altogether and discouraging thumbsucking at all costs because it eventually causes problems with how the teeth grow and develop. They ultimately cause the child to need oral braces.

Today, I saw a child sucking on one of these fucking things that was much too old to have their face covered with a pacifier. The kid was about 6. Maybe no permanent teeth…but definitely old enough to know that these things were for babies. Too big to be placed in the seat of a shopping card.

Absolutely ridiculous. Sure, you can’t control your kid. Sure, you can’t keep your kid appeased or keep its mouth closed (and therefore quiet and not screaming). So, you take the easy way out and stick a RUBBER TIT in its mouth. Wow.

My kids will grow up wondering what the fuck those things are for - that’s a promise.

Happy filling…

How to lose weight…

Posted by The *Angriest* Pharmacist as Lazy People, Stupid People, True Story

Two or three times a week someone comes to the counter with a few over-the-counter “weight lose medicines“ and asks the fateful question, “which one of these is better?” Most pharmacists know the answer, “Both of those suck…in fact, all of them suck.”

I always tell these people the same thing — the weight loss meds sold over the counter are all worthless. They are nothing more than vitamins filled with green tea. If you want to lose weight, you have to modify your lifestyle. Eat healthier, exercise regularly, cut down on sweets. Everyone knows this, but they refuse to accept it. Why is that? Cause we can treat every other fucking disease on the planet, why can’t we make fat people skinny? I can give someone a pill that works on the beta-cells of the pancreas to increase insulin output, why can’t someone take a pill to make them lose weight?

The pessimist in me would say that drug companies don’t want to make fat people skinny. What’s a risk factor for every disease? That’s right, boys and girls, obesity! It’s the same concept as a man’s razor. Bic and Gillette could make a blade that stayed sharp forever, but what’s the point with that if we can bilk 30 bucks a month out of us grizzled guys?

I know Alli works, and I suggest it to the people holding a McDonald’s cup while they ask about the diet pills. After outlining the sludgy fart side affect, most people decide to just stay fat than modify their diet.

I started practicing what I preach, recently. I am 6′3″ and I weight in between 235 and 240. I wasn’t fat, but you could see I had an extra chin and some meat on my bones. I quit drinking soda. There goes about 900 calories (4 sodas on average) a day! At 900 cal x 30 days = 27,000 cal/month = 7-8 lbs! Just by doing that I could lose 8 lbs. Wow! So, I switch to water. My body is hydrated and burns calories dealing with that water. More calories burned! I also stopped eating sweets. I still have some candy now and then but not daily like in the past. I even started doing a little exercise…Not a lot — let’s not get crazy! I walk/jog a few days a week. Not very far either…just around the neighborhood.

The Tally as of now? I’m at 215. That’s a weight loss of 25 pounds in around 2 months. That’s a little fast I know (1-2 lbs of loss/month is suggested), but the with the sudden lifestyle modifications I made, the weight melted off.

If people would only listen to my fat normal-sized ass.

No, that was *not* your question…

Posted by The *Angriest* Pharmacist as Lazy People, Stupid People, True Story, Work Sucks

“La Pharmacia, this is TheAngriestPharmacist. How can I help you?”

“Yes, I had a question.” [Yes is not the answer to the question I asked]

“Alright, go right ahead…”

“What is Paroxetine for?”

“Well, it’s actually approved for lots of different things. It’s mainly used for depression, but it can also be used for generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and even obcessive compulsive disorder…”

“I see…is it the generic for Paxil?”

“Yes, ma’am, it is…”

“Okay, that was my question…Thanks!”

*Click*

No, that was not your question. The problem here is that people are so poor at communicating what they actually want an mean, they immediately pretend like it was YOU who was not effectively answering their question or communicating with them. Should I have answered the question, “What is Paroxetine for?” with “It’s the generic for Paxil,” this lady would have called me retarded and told me that was not what she asked. Then she would have asked what it were for — and THAT would have been her question!

Freaking crap…

-=+=-

The following jobs must be done daily at my pharmacy: Put away the order, take out the trash, put the HIPAA trash where it needs to be, Return Scripts to stock that are older than 7 days (call the patient if they are a regular), attempt to rectify any outstanding “problems” from the day/previous day, call the doctors that have overnight voicemails to get them out of the way, vacuum, package and put stamps on any Rxs we mail out, sanitize the trays and counters, refill all bottles and lids, label the day’s prescriptions, and make the pharmacist smile at least once with an anecdote.

That list is hanging in my pharmacy (mine is verbatim). My question is, why in the hell does none of that shit ever get done? My tech help is limited, and I can admit we are a little understaffed. But, why am I the only person willing to hang out a few minutes after or come in a few minutes early to insure they get done — it only makes the day run smoother and more efficiently. Not only am I the only person willing to do it, I’m the only person that cares if it even gets done…especially the important shit.

Anyone else have a pharmacy that isn’t efficient because the little stuff isn’t done in a timely fashion?

Ohh my - we have entered a new plateau of stoopid

Posted by The *Angriest* Pharmacist as Lazy People, Me being a dick, Stupid People, True Story, Work Sucks

Okay, we all know the lady (or gentleman) that tells us a long ass story merely to tell us they want to pick up the prescription that was filled 4 days ago. Today took retarded to a knew level. Here’s the story (my words in bold as they are more important - my thoughts are in brackets):

[Keep in mind - nothing was said prior to this first comment]

“I was taking this medicine and it really did a job on me. It was tearing my stomach up. Do I have to pick it up?”

“I think I might be missing something here. What’s the question again?” [What? What?]

“Okay, so I went to this one doctor and he told me to stop taking it. But, the other doctor called it in. It hurts my stomach so bad. He told me to take Pepcid AC once a day.” [At this point I look for her bag. She has a Celexa and a note that says D/C Niacin]

“Well, I looked over here and you have one prescription ready. It’s for generic Celexa.”

“Ohh yes, that’s the one that I want. But, can I quit taking other’n?”

“Well, I cannot tell you to stop taking a medcine. I would say you need to get in contact with your doctor.” [This lady has a screw loose]

“Well do I have to pick it up?”

“You only have one prescription ready. You said you wanted it. I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“Well, I don’t want to pay for it.”

“Ma’am, if you don’t want to pick up a prescription, you don’t have to. Just because I fill it doesn’t require you to pick it up.”

“So I can just have it?”

“No, if you want to take something from the pharmacy, you have to pay for it.”

“But, it hurts my stomach so bad…” [Is this really happening to me]

“What do you want from me? Do you want this Celexa that is filled?”

“Yes, but I don’t want the other…” [Oh. My. God.]

“You don’t have to take it. I’ll put it back. I’ll call your doctor Monday and tell him that you cannot take the Niacin because it’s hard on your stomach.”

“Thank you…”

“Alright…have a nice day…”

[I really wanted to either kill myself or have this insane lady committed. What really pisses me off is that this bitch took this prescription, walked out to her car, and DROVE HOME! She couldn't even handle a conversation much less drive! She didn't understand her medicines. She merely wanted to tell me that she took Niacin, and it didn't agree with her. She no longer wanted to take it. She, of course, didn't want to purchase it. UGH!]

-=+=-

Today, I also heard these two insanely overweight women talking about how healthy they are. They conversed about how they only bake their foods. The jabbered about how one of their doctors told her baking was the only way to cook. I really wanted to chime in with, “While cakes are baked, that does NOT make them healthy. It’s not how you cook…it’s WHAT you cook and how much of it you shovel in your mouth.”

-=+=-

That’s all I can remember. I’m sure something else bitchin’ happened, but it escapes me now…maybe tomorrow. I’m gonna buy a little memo book and jot this shit down as it happens that way I can more accurately share it with the world.

Food for Thought

Posted by The *Angriest* Pharmacist as Lazy People, Me being a dick, Rude, Work Sucks

PHARMACY-GOERS: When I answer the phone, do not just begin with your Rx Number. For Christ’s sake, at least tell me what’s going on first (perhaps, ohh, I don’t know…YOUR NAME!). There’s a thousand things that I could hear when I answer the phone. An Rx number is one that is not expected or prepared for…At least say “I have a refill number I want to give you.” Freakin’ idiots…

PHARMACISTS: Are any of you ever too busy to take a refill number? Does anyone out there just transfer someone to the automated system when the patient starts in with an Rx number? I usually don’t, but I get pissed off when someone SPECIFICALLY asks for the pharmacist to merely give me a fucking Rx number. This is compounded by the fact both my tech and INTERN are instructed to say “Well, the pharmacist is helping someone else right now, are you sure this isn’t something I can help you with?” when someone asks for me. Sometimes, they even press the issue further with “at least tell me what’s going on so I can inform him for when he gets on the line…” They then usually take care of it - as they can with most situations (I’m lucky, they’re great). When someone specifically asks for me to just give me a refill number, I tell them the tech/intern are authorized to take refill numbers for me. If I know the person and it happens habitually, they get transferred to the automatic system…Iknowdickmovewhatever. It’s not hard. My voice system is the easiest I’ve ever heard. They have to punch in the number, confirm it when it’s read back, and bang…done! It even tells them when it will be ready (two hours usually).

DOCTORS: TAKE FAXES! When I call and talk to a receptionist, screw-ups happen. Let me fax in my refill request form. You can sign it and fax it back. There are so many doctors in my area that do not take faxes — it is ridiculous. They have no good reason…other than they are too fucking cheap to buy a fax machine and pay for a data line. It’s faster. It’s easier. It takes stupid nurses (if your office has any) and receptionists out of the equation.

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