Seriously?!

So this happened to me the other day. It was just a regular day and the pharmacy, people coming in, thousands of phone calls, my stomach growling, you know, the usual. Then the most unusual character comes up to the consultation area.

I call him unusual because he was dressed in shorts, tshirt, and flip flops. It’s still winter and he looks like he’s ready for the beach. He’s got a plastic bag in his one hand and reaches out his other to shake mine. I shake because I don’t want to leave him hanging and we begin our conversation.

Customer: “I was wondering if you could help me with something and ask you a question”

Me: “Sure, ask me two if you’d like”

Customer: “My girl took a pregnancy test and I was wondering if you could tell me about it”

Me: “Tell you something about it, well, what it does is read the hormone levels in her urine and lets her know if she’s pregnant”

C: “No, I know all that”
Then he reaches into the bag he was carrying and pulls out the freaking stick. He then tries to hand it to me.
C: “Does this mean she’s pregnant”

After taking a step back out of disgust, I look and tell him that yes, she is pregnant. I chose my words wisely, and didn’t say congratulations because judging by the look on his face, he definitely was not expecting this.

So he leaves and during some down time, I remembered he shook my hand and handles the test with the same one. After throwing up in my mouth a little, I quickly pump about half the hand sanitzer in my hand and proceed to clean.

Seriously?! Some people just don’t have proper brain function.

When calling in a prescription...

To all the doctors, nurses, dentists, PAs, or whoever calls in a prescription to a pharmacy:  please follow these guidelines and your relationship with your pharmacist will be much better.

First complaint I always hear from all of my fellow pharmers is that people need to slow down!  I’m not sure if you realize this, but the words that are coming out of your mouth need to be written down and all I have is a pen and paper.  Don’t start rambling without any pauses because I can’t keep up.

Spell out the name of the patient and doctor and give us the DOB.  That last name might be common place in your place of origin but I don’t always know where that silent H goes.  And you might be the only Dr. Patel in your neighborhood, but my computer says there are over 500 of you, so please specify with your first name, DEA number, or NPI.  And lastly, little old Maria Rodriguez from Main Street may be your only Maria Rodriguez that goes to your office, but I have 18 different Maria’s in my system, so give me the patient’s DOB.

Please give me quantity and directions.  You guys might be able to get away without giving insurance companies exact details on what you do, but if you prescribe Coumadin #100 with direction as “Use as directed” I’m going to tell you to please give me the EXACT directions.  Because if I get audited, that money I just made off the prescription is going to be taken right back.  Same goes for insulin, prednisone, etc.

Please don’t call the prescription in and tell the patient that the pharmacist will have it ready in 10 minutes.  You are not at my store and you don’t know my current workload.  And also don’t give a price to people when you clearly don’t know how much it cost.

It’s also frustrating how many of prescribers are not familiar with the laws of guidelines that entail prescriptions.  No you cannot phone in a CII, you can only phone in a 3 day supply and must mail the prescription immediately or you will be reported to the DEA.  No you cannot give more than a 6 month supply of any controlled medication.  And no I cannot make an exception for you, it’s my license on the line. 

I don’t think I’m asking for anything that’s not close to common sense.  But, all in all, if you are nice and personable to me, you will get the same in return and maybe I will overlook the mistakes you make and not get as frustrated.