Thursday, July 23, 2020

That narrows it down

I'd like to thank my E-prescribing service for this helpful message to let me know which patient's script didn't go through.



10 comments:

Packer said...

Let’s not all fall apart here, it could have been the one that doesn’t keep him alive

gloriap said...

Weren't computers and WIFI going to make our lives easier? I use a Medicare RX home delivery for some things but for others,Costco is much cheaper. When the Dr's office leaves a message that a RX has been ordered, I never know which he chose.

Officer Cynical said...

Never end a sentence with a preposition.

Mad Jack said...

Right.

At 8:30 AM, I request a refill. The pharmacy informs me that since there are no refills remaining, they'll have to call the doctor.

11:00 AM: I call the pharmacy. They tell me that they've notified the doctor, but he hasn't responded.

11:05 AM: I call the doctor's office. The doctor's office informs me that the doctor will not refill prescriptions. The pharmacy does that, and they refuse to discuss it any further. The receptionist/clerical worker talks over me every time I try to say anything.

12:30 PM: I call the pharmacy. They tell me that the doctor has not notified them, but that they'll try again and call me back.

2:30 PM: I call the pharmacy. They tell me that the doctor has been notified, but has not responded.

3:00 PM: I'm feeling sick due to a lack of medication.

3:30 PM: I call the doctor's office and get a replay of their 'we do not do prescriptions here - your pharmacist does that'. When I ask if they've heard from the pharmacist, they tell me that they cannot release that information. I ask that my doctor call me. The clerk replies 'yeah-yeah, sure' and hangs up.

4:00 PM: I call the pharmacy. They tell me that the doctor has been notified, but has not responded. But! They'll try again.

4:05 PM: I call the doctor's office. He hasn't received my message, as he doesn't get messages until 5:00 PM. I remark that the office closes at 4:30, and the clerk responds that I'll have to try tomorrow. When I explain that the prescription is critical to my continued good heath, the clerk asks me why I waited until the last minute to get it refilled.

4:45 PM: My doctor calls me. I explain what's going on, and he tells me that he hasn't received any messages today. He also tells me that the receptionist staff doesn't work for him; they work for Mega-Health Services, Inc. Sadly, when he says jump they stare at him like a dog watching television. He tells me he'll call in my prescription, that I should give it 15 minutes and call the pharmacy. If it doesn't go through, call him back on his cell and he'll fix it.

5:00 PM: The pharmacy assures me that my prescription will be ready by 10:00 AM tomorrow, if that's alright. When I say it isn't, the time mysteriously changes to 5:15.

Three days later I write a letter to the ombudsman department of Mega-Health Services, Inc., and describe the obstructive behavior of their clerical staff. I never received an answer, which is not surprising.



G. Stockton Powell said...

"There was an error in the prescription for, and it did not get sent to. Does it really matter who or what? The universe is an indifferent vortex of chaos, life is fundamentally meaningless, and sooner or later we all die anyway."

Anonymous said...

Mad Jack: It is a rare situation where one cannot refill a scrip 5-10 days ahead of running out. For a critical (miss a dose and die) Rx, a patient has a responsibility to keep an inventory and make timely refill requests. Really, for any regular med. The patient has the most to lose. As the Fat Man said, the patient is the one with the disease. It's like lying to your doc: he's embarrassed, you're dead.

That said, slip-ups happen and oversights occur. One should always be able to get thru in an emergency. You have learned that you cannot, and it's not your doc's policy but that of whomever is managing his practice. I would immediately find a better managed practice.

And always have a 5 day backup supply. Even if you have to pay full price for it, no insurance. I've never met a doc who wouldn't write for that if asked.

Anonymous said...

It's OK, the prescription was for placebo anyways.

The Scrivener said...

Mad Jack: Always best to call before you are down to your very last pill -- at least a week ahead is best. Even for a scheduled medication, I can and do write a script ahead of time and mark "DO NOT FILL UNTIL XXXX" -- that way the pharmacy has it on hand when your next refill comes due.

OldRPh said...

Mad Jack-
I gotta say it -you are an ass hole.
How is it that your lack of planning became your doctors and pharmacist's problem.

Lynne said...

That computer generated Rx error sounds like an email I received Friday from a real human:

"The file you sent us has over 40,000 records. This will be overwhelming for a user to scroll through. Please limit the file to what our system needs."

... And that was the end of his email. Notice he didn't bother to explain exactly WHAT it is that HIS system needs or doesn't need, so that I could add additional filters to exclude some of the data. Am I a mind reader?

 
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