First off, I would like to say that 85% of the people that come in and drop off and pick up prescriptions are fine and dandy. I appreciate them and look forward to seeing the frequent flyers once a month (or sometimes once a week for some). But there are about 15% of you out there that just amaze me.
I admit, there are times when I can’t understand the crap that your doctor has written on the prescription. Most of the time, I can look at the first letter, the strength, and directions and decipher it. But when I need more help than that, I usually ask the patient “What did you go to the doctor for?” If you tell me I went because I have a cold, my brain works and focuses on antibiotics and cough suppressants There are way too many times when I ask that simple question and the answer I get is “I dunno.” Or “What did the doctor tell you?” And they respond, “Nothing…I dunno.” So your basically telling me that you went to the doctor just to go, he gives you a medicine that you have to ingest that affects your body and possibly changes your internal chemistry and you didn’t bother to say, “Hey Doc, what are you going to give me?” or “How will this help my _____?” No, you come to the pharmacy to fill it and when I tell you it won’t be ready in 5 minutes because I can’t understand what’s written you complain that I don’t know how to do my job. Ugh.
Please carry your insurance cards with you. And no, the card you give to the dentist and the doctor is not always the same card that I need. And for the senior citizens, your Medicare Part B card (red, white, and blue card) is not your prescription insurance. And if your copay is $1 to $15 dollars, don’t complain. Your one of the lucky ones. You may not know this but there are drugs where for 1 bottle the cost is over $4,000. So your $15 copay doesn’t look so bad.
Your insurance doesn’t cover everything. There will be times when a med needs a prior authorization or non-formulary. You would probably say “But the doctor wrote it so it has to be covered.” Well, the reason for it is because that prescription for the brand new brand name medication the doc wrote for has a cheaper cousin that does the same exact job and works equally as well for a fraction of the cost. The only reason that doctor actually wrote for the medication is because he was probably enamored by the blonde pharm sales rep that stopped by his office and gave him some donuts. Trust me, that is the reason why. You may wonder, “Why do I have to use the cheaper ones?” Well, what people don’t realize is that the more generics you use, the lower the cost of healthcare becomes. It’s simple math, if your insurance has to pay out an average of $700 a prescription to a pharmacy, then they have to charge you a higher monthly rate than if they pay pharmacies $10 a prescription.
There are many more stories, but my hands are cramping, so I’m sure there will be a part two.
Feel free to leave your comments!
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