Lady comes in through the drive-thru and throws a hissy fit because her Dr.'s office called in a sixty day supply of one of the three meds that she always gets. She demanded to speak to me immidiately, wanting to know why I didn't call and correct the office....
Wow, because I have nothing better to do.
I told her that I have to prioritize the calls I make as I'm the only one on staff at the moment that can legally make a call like that--I wasn't even going to get into the techs being able to make that phone call as long as they were only leaving the request. I then told her if the office had called in something that she was allergic to, or called in something that would have had a serious interaction with something else I knew she was taking I would have called right away. I can't call the office because I feel she should have a 90 day supply for everything as that would not be my place as I am not the (almighty dumbass) doctor (who lets the cleaning service authorize faxed refill requests). Heaven forbid it be the mistake of the office.... She didn't like that answer very much. I apologized but added, if she was concerned about the number of trips that she made to the pharmacy (she only shows once every three months, and no there isn't an ambulation issue here) that she should call ahead to make sure everything is ready, including the amount that she is getting BEFORE she arrives. In the meantime I offered to call the office on Monday as it was Friday evening and see if a 90 day supply could be authorized. She seemed mildly satisfied though still disgruntled that I wasn't going to drop everything just to make sure she always got her 90 day meds.
As I roll my eyes to the ceiling for the thousandth time. Do you think I like feeling like an automaton, mindlessly filling scripts day after day? That I don't want to just change the quantity on a BID dosing from 30 to 60 when it has a years worth of bloody refills, or like to call because the twit behind the desk can't read the noting in the chart and calls in atenolol 30mg instead of 5omg? It's demeaning and I know the offices get pissy because I get to waste their time because of errors on their part that we all know they will never acknowledge. Going back to the lady in the drive-thru, the reason for my original bitch, I wish people realized the real reasons for my job and that minimizing the number of trips to my counter for the pure sake of their personal convenience is NOT one of them. You want 90 day scripts then harass your doctor. NOT ME!!!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
My Week Part 1
So, I started out the morning like usual being cold, tired, and lacking caffeine. The first person in the lane of stupidity otherwise known as the drive-thru to the rest of the world was a former patient of ours. He had moved to a neighboring state some time ago (a blessing from the powers that be mind you) and was back in town for some reason or another. He told my tech that he needed a transfer. Okay, fine. Not a problem except that the out of state pharmacy didn't open for a couple of hours due to time differences between the two states.
Pt. "You have to give me a tablet now. I've been out of the med for a day now" in a tone that said I'm spoiled and now it's your problem.
CitWC "I need to transfer the prescription first."
Pt. "No, I need a tablet now, I'm going to do errands."
At this point I wanted to ask him just how many pharmacies he passed between state A and state B before he darkened my doorstep again. Seriously, I don't give a damn about his business and if the Lamictal was so important, why is he over 24 hours past due. Bear in mind that this guy wouldn't even look at me while talking to me. I had to read lips from the profile of his face while trying to hear what he was saying through an ancient mic/speaker system with the wind blowing in the background. I wasn't going to fight him on this, not because I was afraid he was going to go to the manager or take his business elsewhere, or even call the dreaded corporate number. I caved because I would feel bad if he went about his errands and either seized while driving (don't ask me why he's driving if he's prone to seizing) or if he had a psychotic break and hurt someone all because I didn't feel like giving in to his pissy demands. Stupid reasons, I know. Moving on...
I gave him a tablet in a vial, didn't even bother to label it though I seriously considered just plunking it down on the drive-thru tray. I told him if he came back before 3pm he could find another pharmacy and not get his precious store savings points. I felt sorry for his current pharmacy because he was a problem child for us and I can only imagine what hell they've put up with because he's a new customer and holds that leverage for a time that all new people do.
When I finally did get a chance to fill and check his script, I had the joy of filling it with a different manufacturer so that tabs looked completely different. I know the patient has a tendency to err on the side of paranoia, sticker stating that "This is the same medication you've been getting" aside....
Pt. "You have to give me a tablet now. I've been out of the med for a day now" in a tone that said I'm spoiled and now it's your problem.
CitWC "I need to transfer the prescription first."
Pt. "No, I need a tablet now, I'm going to do errands."
At this point I wanted to ask him just how many pharmacies he passed between state A and state B before he darkened my doorstep again. Seriously, I don't give a damn about his business and if the Lamictal was so important, why is he over 24 hours past due. Bear in mind that this guy wouldn't even look at me while talking to me. I had to read lips from the profile of his face while trying to hear what he was saying through an ancient mic/speaker system with the wind blowing in the background. I wasn't going to fight him on this, not because I was afraid he was going to go to the manager or take his business elsewhere, or even call the dreaded corporate number. I caved because I would feel bad if he went about his errands and either seized while driving (don't ask me why he's driving if he's prone to seizing) or if he had a psychotic break and hurt someone all because I didn't feel like giving in to his pissy demands. Stupid reasons, I know. Moving on...
I gave him a tablet in a vial, didn't even bother to label it though I seriously considered just plunking it down on the drive-thru tray. I told him if he came back before 3pm he could find another pharmacy and not get his precious store savings points. I felt sorry for his current pharmacy because he was a problem child for us and I can only imagine what hell they've put up with because he's a new customer and holds that leverage for a time that all new people do.
When I finally did get a chance to fill and check his script, I had the joy of filling it with a different manufacturer so that tabs looked completely different. I know the patient has a tendency to err on the side of paranoia, sticker stating that "This is the same medication you've been getting" aside....
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Some random gripes...
Where to start?
Budget cuts. They suck. They make resonable people behave like children. Funny, I know the general public doesn't live under a rock. I would imagine that even some of my 'higher-end' customers are experiencing some of the negative side effects that have resulted from the down turn in the economy. Why then, are they so befuddled and then rude/angry/mean when our wait time creeps up above 20 minutes at night when the day staff is gone? I had my two interns occupied at various points of contact with customers and I was just coming back from the OTC shelves post recommendation to hear someone loudly proclaim, "Why do I have to wait so long for my prescription?"
Gee, let me think?? This customer was not blind, as I watched her beady little eyes scan the lines of people and the two 'employees' at the end of each line, never mind the drive thru that was completely neglected and then spy me racing back to the pharmacy with hopes that I don't get another question from someone in line. There was clearly no one behind the counter to take the prescription, let alone fill it and this twit wants to know why there's a longer wait time. This wasn't the first time that night I heard stupidity flowing from a customer's mouth like diarrhea either.
My 'help'. Help is usually a good thing, but not when one is visibly pregnant and thus moves like she's stuck in sand. I understand the tired, achy, all over not fun that is pregnancy but this one normally moves like a sand sloth when not incubating a developing clump of cells. There is never a sense of urgency with movement, thought, or motivation. That kind of laid back 'tude may come in handy in the future if she finds a nice quiet store that never breaks fifty scripts a day...Still, I'm glad that she could cover for the sick call or I would have been in even deeper shit. The other intern will be the first blind pharmacist that ever gets licensed to my knowledge. He couldn't find a bag of meds if it was the only one in a drawer, after studying a map of how to get there. Yet, I'm still greatful for the help, as I know the night could have been much worse.
Drug shortages. Fine. We can always work with alternatives, but only if the docs ever return calls with some sort of authorization, preferably without the 'Are you stupid, of course it should have been changed' attitude. Trust me, I don't like not having prescriptive authority in these cases anymore that Dr. Badass likes to spare me a second of his precious time.
Budget cuts again. We are being forced to cut across the board. It's not pretty. I truly hope that it doesn't take as long as it's being predicted to see some up swing in the economy besides the profits that are being seen in the fast food sector. I don't like the thought of the statin and BP lowering med scripts that will surely follow.
I guess that's it for the moment. It's been a long month, moonlighting when I can. Might as well pad the coffers while I can, especially since no one else seems to want the shifts I'm picking up. Glutton for punishment I suppose. Hopefully I won't wait so long to post next time. Heck, I might even have some good material for once. Bad times make for some funny situations simply because of the nature of the times.
Budget cuts. They suck. They make resonable people behave like children. Funny, I know the general public doesn't live under a rock. I would imagine that even some of my 'higher-end' customers are experiencing some of the negative side effects that have resulted from the down turn in the economy. Why then, are they so befuddled and then rude/angry/mean when our wait time creeps up above 20 minutes at night when the day staff is gone? I had my two interns occupied at various points of contact with customers and I was just coming back from the OTC shelves post recommendation to hear someone loudly proclaim, "Why do I have to wait so long for my prescription?"
Gee, let me think?? This customer was not blind, as I watched her beady little eyes scan the lines of people and the two 'employees' at the end of each line, never mind the drive thru that was completely neglected and then spy me racing back to the pharmacy with hopes that I don't get another question from someone in line. There was clearly no one behind the counter to take the prescription, let alone fill it and this twit wants to know why there's a longer wait time. This wasn't the first time that night I heard stupidity flowing from a customer's mouth like diarrhea either.
My 'help'. Help is usually a good thing, but not when one is visibly pregnant and thus moves like she's stuck in sand. I understand the tired, achy, all over not fun that is pregnancy but this one normally moves like a sand sloth when not incubating a developing clump of cells. There is never a sense of urgency with movement, thought, or motivation. That kind of laid back 'tude may come in handy in the future if she finds a nice quiet store that never breaks fifty scripts a day...Still, I'm glad that she could cover for the sick call or I would have been in even deeper shit. The other intern will be the first blind pharmacist that ever gets licensed to my knowledge. He couldn't find a bag of meds if it was the only one in a drawer, after studying a map of how to get there. Yet, I'm still greatful for the help, as I know the night could have been much worse.
Drug shortages. Fine. We can always work with alternatives, but only if the docs ever return calls with some sort of authorization, preferably without the 'Are you stupid, of course it should have been changed' attitude. Trust me, I don't like not having prescriptive authority in these cases anymore that Dr. Badass likes to spare me a second of his precious time.
Budget cuts again. We are being forced to cut across the board. It's not pretty. I truly hope that it doesn't take as long as it's being predicted to see some up swing in the economy besides the profits that are being seen in the fast food sector. I don't like the thought of the statin and BP lowering med scripts that will surely follow.
I guess that's it for the moment. It's been a long month, moonlighting when I can. Might as well pad the coffers while I can, especially since no one else seems to want the shifts I'm picking up. Glutton for punishment I suppose. Hopefully I won't wait so long to post next time. Heck, I might even have some good material for once. Bad times make for some funny situations simply because of the nature of the times.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
New sometimes sucks
I hate the new year. Not for the insurance change over that causes so many so much frustration. I hate the new year because it always reminds me how completely alone some can be...even when surrounded by friends or family. Just one of those things I was thinking about. Go figure.
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