Quote:
Originally Posted by Zankou
I still fail to understand why it takes so goddamn long. It's just baffling. And it's not just for the narcs that should be hard to clear. Even for the most mundane stuff, the pharmacists act like they are encased in amber.
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In a pharmacist's defense, there are a lot of steps and a lot that can go wrong when filling a prescription. First of all, there are often people that have dropped off ahead of you. Most of the time if there is a problem with their Rx, it is going to make your Rx take longer. Also keep in mind the pharmacist has to check every Rx. If they get tied up on the phone or with a customer, that means that no Rxs are being checked. Many times there are problems reading the handwriting on the Rx (I've seen some that doesn't even resemble English), problems with the dosing and/or directions (often NPs/PAs are retards and have no clue how to prescribe medications at all), which necessitates a call the the MD office, and we almost never get an answer right then. We are either told they will have to call us back or, most of the time, we don't even get to explain the situation to a live person; we get directed straight to voicemail. Once the Rx is entered, the claim is submitted to the insurance company for authorization; many problems can arise here. It could be too soon to refill the medication, it could be not covered, we could need new insurance information like a new ID number, etc. Sometimes this requires a call to the insurance company, taking even longer to fill the Rx. Assuming it makes it through the insurance process OK, the Rx is acually counted, filled, and labeled. This takes the least amount of time unless it is a medication that has to be compounded. Lastly, it is verified by the pharmacist. Your Rx is checked against your other Rxs for potential interactions as well as verification that the correct medication is in the bottle. This is not exactly something you want them to be rushing through. Medication errors hospitalize and kill thousands upon thousands each year, often because a pharmacist is rushed due to being busy. There is a question we like to ask pushy, impatient customers - do you want it fast, or do you want it right? Your choice.