Yer Out!

Lady comes in and wants,"The rest of her Percocet". Oh and my clonazepam and Seroquel too.

Turns out the doctor wrote for her Percs every 14 days and it's been....5. Strike one.

Clonazepam and Seroquel both come back from insurance with a "duplicate pharmacy" rejection message. Strike 2.

Oh, but her Celexa come back accepted. Riiiight. The 3 drugs with a street value are too early, but the one that isn't (to my knowledge anyway) is just fine. Except, I'm not gonna fill it either. Clearly you are doing something fishy. Strike 3.

Piss off, lady.

That specific rejection message from that drug plan only comes if you filled that exact prescription TODAY at another store. If you filled it yesterday, the plan kicks back a "too soon" message.

So don't piss and moan at me, it's not my problem. Maybe you shouldn't be defrauding the system. Or should I say attempting to.

Don't tell me it's "impossible". Clearly it is not.

And I ain't playing your game.

I've Been Busy!

Like you haven't heard THAT before? Or maybe I should've called this post,"Where's my matter transmitter?"

I had a client call for a refill on her eyedrops at 10am. She had no refills, but her doctor will take faxed in requests for stuff, so I dutifully printed the form and faxed it. Client came in at 2pm wondering where her drops were. For the billionth time, she was informed that, according to her DOCTOR (not us, you will please note), it may take 48 hours for a refill request to be approved. Client whines that she has some and can't we call the doctor. It was quiet, so even though I knew what the answer would be, I played along. I called the office and recieved the information that the doctor wasn't in the office until tomorrow. So no refill till then. Client stomped off in a huff to the office. Where she sat for an hour to see the other doctor in the office. Client storms back with the prescription.

She was all het up because she is going to be on this med for "the rest of her life" and why can't they give her a bunch of repeats. I tried to point out that her condition may change over the years, or there may be a newer drug that is more appropriate, but she wasn't having none of that. As she stormed off, she was heard to be muttering,"Useless pharmacist. Can't jsut give me the meds".

This embodies the attitude that drives me crazy. I am NOT A DOCTOR. I have NO prescribing rights. Some nurses do. Don't get me started on the inequality there. But I do not. I do not have to "just give you a few" because you didn't pay attention to your supply of meds. In fact, technically, I am not allowed. I may on occasion give you a few. If it is a life-threatening condition and going off your meds would be deadly. That is it. and I don't have to do that either. I do that because I don't want my tax bill to climb even higher when you wind up in emerg because you couldn't plan ahead a couple of days and ask for a refill.

Who's the Boss?

If you are a pharmacist and will be working at a pharmacy in a medical clinic, make sure that you know who the boss is. I recently turned down a job after working relief in that situation. Although the pharmacy is owned by a pharmacist, the owner has no spine. So, when the doctors started making demands, the owner just caved.

The problem came in when the demands started impinging on me and my practice of pharmacy. I felt that clients should obey certain requirments set by law. The doctor wanted me to "make an exception". Numerous times. Then the doctor wanted the pharmacy to stay open well beyond the posted business hours for the "convenience of the patients". Turns out that some patients were complaining that when they came in late in the day, they would have to go a whole 100 metres to the next pharmacy instead of the one in the building.

I was willing to stay a bit late, but not up to 3 hours late. I also wanted to be informed when the clinic would be running late hours. They can tell. If they have appointments booked late in the day, then I wanted them to walk across the fucking hall the day before (minimum) and let me know.

Apparently that was asking for too much. I guess as a pharmacist I am classified as a "grunt' and not a professional. I guess as a human being, I have no life outside work except for what my boss, the doctor, allows me to have.

I walked. I wish them joy of the relief pharmacist who accidentally screwed up a compounded prescription-5 times- and overdosed the patient. I hope they have fun explaining to the non-english speaking pharmacist they have to stay late.

I wonder how the doctor will react when the boss can't come in and can't find anyone to work? So the pharmacy will stay closed for a day. Think the patients will complain?

Pissed

I just had a job I was going to be starting tell me that the doctors office across the hall doesn't like me. Apparently the fact that I like to have regular hours and not "just stay until the patients feel like coming in" is asking the patinets to conform to MY schedule. Umm, the posted hours are 8-3 (4 on clinic days). Not "when you feel like coming in". Fuck heads. If my almost boss doesn't get them straightened out, I'm walking. 2 weeks notice, I'm not completely unprofessional, but that's it. And the hours for the next 2 weeks will be 8-3, because that's what I feel like doing. They are lucky they had anyone, never mind a competent English speaker like myself.

good luck finding someone.

Irresponsibility

Client has been getting 1 seroquel every day. After a while, the doctor decides 1 week at a time would be okay. The very first week the client gets a week supply, the client somehow manages to go through or lose 4 days out of the 7. Of note is that the client has substance abuse problems and seroquel is occasionally used on the street to achieve an "altered mental state".

Client comes to me and insists I should give the next supply early. I reply that 1 week supply was given out and the next supply will be given out in 7 days from the first supply. Client says her drug plan allows early fills. Which is true. However, this client is not exactly a responsible member of society (did I mention her drug plan is social assistance?) and I am uncomfortable giving out a drug which is very likely being diverted.

Client goes to see doctor. Doctor decides client can have the pills early, but back on the 1 day at a time schedule.

And the client wonders why.

Nice Try. No Cigar!

Woman comes in and asks for a repeat on her clonazepam. Which her doctor will only let her haveon a weekly basis. (you can guess why) She watched me carefully count her pills-twice, put them in a vial and give them to her.

The next day she came in and said I had shorted her 6 tabs. I pulled out the hardcopy of the prescription where I had written "double counted" and pointed out that I counted them twice.

"Oh yeah" she said,"I remember watching you do that."

Buh bye

Sure I'll Break the Law just for you

Got a call the other day. From the "clinic co-ordinator" at the local hospital. Seems we filled a prescription with a generic drug when the doctor requested brand. I immediately put her on hold, got out the rx we had filled and checked.

Nope, no "no substitution" ont his rx. Hmmm, I held it up to the light. There WAS, however a preprinted phrase under the sticker with the patient name and address...yup. says "no substitution"

However, law in my region states that"no substitution must be handwritten on the prescription. Preprinted prescription forms or boxes that are checed off do not constitute a valid no substitution request"

Besides, the ass that signed the rx put a sticker over the preprinting anyway, so anyone with half a brain would figure it's not to apply to the rx, right?

I picked up the phone and smugly told the "clinic co-ordinator" the above facts. She tried to argue with me. I cut her off and said it doesn't matter what you want, this is the way it is.

What a way to start the day.