CVS endless metrics? How much metrics is too much?

[ancienbon]

How to deal with those never ending metrics? when i thought i got everything under control, more metrics have been added to our plate. It took me a while to get kpm under the control, and to understand all the sos thing. My schedule came. We could use it as tool, but why does it have be a metric? I feel like my schedule is a debacle at best. It tells us to have one tech after 6 pm, and at that time the store is crazy busy. If you dont go by it, you optimization rate will suffer.
Now , it is we care... Qt target 91 or 95 , i don't remember? Ready when promised.... target 88? prescriber call, action note, and waiter expectation--- and the list goes on...
Every day is like riding a roller coaster....

For the good PIC out there how do you deal with all of theses metrics?

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[Old Timer]

You understand them. Up in RI, they are responsible for 7,000 stores. They need these metrics to know what is going on. That's how they determine how you are performing, relative to your peers.

For you, they are indicators. Indicators of your service, indicators of your execution, indicators of your understanding and implementation of the workflow.

Look at MCE and We Care. We Care looks at how many scripts are verified before the promised time. But the MCE looks at how happy the consumer is with the time to fill an rx. If your we care number is low and your MCE score is low, the We Care number is an indicator and if you bump the We Care number up and verify more scripts before the promised time, more people will give you a better number of our MCE. They are just indicators for you so you know where you need to focus your team.

The problem is for middle management, metrics are the be all and end all. And as long as they assume that every store doing X prescriptions is in an identical situation, the metrics will continue to be an unattainable goal, like a dog chasing it's tail.

If you conquered Organic Chemistry and P&T you can conquer the metrics. Find out what the safe numbers are and shoot for safety not the top...... You want to be significantly over the minimum target so one bad month wont put you on the SH** list.

 

[M0df]

I drink a lot of redbull but I don't know if I am considered good PIC.

Maybe OT can have like a week long shadowing internships for us. I am assuming his numbers are in the safe zone. From what I gather the key is to have solid techs with enough interns to make your life easier. The rest is really up to you. It is obvious that it is nearly impossible to have ALL the metrics over targets. Some are easier to fix than others.

 

[doublehh03]

It's impossible to conquer all metrics. What you need to do is consider what are the "main" metrics your sup is looking for. I assume MCE is the #1 metric for the entire company. Aim to beat target on that (use your Wecare as a guide if your MCE is low. I would focus primarily on QT as the main component for your WeCare).

Once you meet your MCE metric, then go to your next focus.

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

To add to doublehh03 point, all metrics pretty much support MCE.

They are all related to each other.

The best way to conquer the metrics is by doing the right thing, and making the right decisions... If you do the right thing, the number will follow.

For example, action note follow thru... calling customers when there are issues are no brainers. You call them and tell them that their is a problem with their script such as early refill or out of stock. They do not waste a trip...., that helps your customer service score, Wecare score, etc. and helps you when you don't have to spend 30 minutes explaining to an angry customer why their script is not ready.

Certain things matter less... for example, voice mail retrieval rate. It would be nice for you to get the voice mail in 15 minutes or less... so it is in the system but its not as important as verifying scripts on time so it is worth less in Wecare work flow. However, by getting the voice mail and entering it into the system, your techs don't have to ask if there was anything called in for a customer, or if a customer is in... you can just expedite the prescription and move it to top of the queue.

and then there are other metrics that support customer service where as long as you understand the system, you can manage it. For example, DOS > TIL.... return 2 by 2 drugs faster, don't order too much expensive brand name drugs..., etc. All of them makes good business sense.

but once again, just do the right thing.

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

and I don't think anyone is looking for a perfect store. It would be nice for the store to be perfect... but the idea is that you are improving, you have a plan and know what you are doing, and you are driving the business. Any RX sup who micros everything doesn't know what they are doing.

However, when they say focus on customer service, and do that by making sure work flow (measured by Wecare) is as efficient as possible, they are only trying to help you help the customer. And Wecare directly impacts satisfied with time to fill... but you can most definitely achieve your customer service if you have the meds in stock, address customers by name, acknowledge them, develop relationships with them, etc.

The idea is to ultimately help the customer, and drive sales....

 

[mikejones123]

"The idea is to ultimately help the customer, and drive sales"

The idea is not to help the customer. The whole point of these metrics is to screw over older pharmacy managers who make too much per hour, and replace them. Their are over 20 bull**** metrics, no one is gonna meet every metric, but if they want to demote someone to a floater they could use one of the metrics as an excuse. If CVS really cared about helping the customer there wouldn't be such a deficiency in technician hours.

 

[FarmD711]

"The idea is to ultimately help the customer, and drive sales"

The idea is not to help the customer. The whole point of these metrics is to screw over older pharmacy managers who make too much per hour, and replace them. Their are over 20 bull**** metrics, no one is gonna meet every metric, but if they want to demote someone to a floater they could use one of the metrics as an excuse. If CVS really cared about helping the customer there wouldn't be such a deficiency in technician hours.

I wish I could be demoted to floater. PICs trying to step down like crazy and not meeting metrics in my district.....it's not allowed. RxSup and DM refuse requests to no longer be PIC. Noone wants to step up and deal with the BS.

 

[Lnsean]

The idea is to ultimately help the customer, and drive sales....

No, that couldn't be farther from the truth. These businesses exist to make money...specifically...to make the most money at the lowest possible cost. Pharmacy is a business. Healthcare, as it stands right now, is a business. That is all.

 

[M0df]

I wish I could be demoted to floater. PICs trying to step down like crazy and not meeting metrics in my district.....it's not allowed. RxSup and DM refuse requests to no longer be PIC. Noone wants to step up and deal with the BS.

That is the word on the street. I hear the only option is to go part time and we all know what that means. They have easy option of not giving you any hours or pulling the plug easily.

 

[RX2090]

"The idea is to ultimately help the customer, and drive sales"

The idea is not to help the customer. The whole point of these metrics is to screw over older pharmacy managers who make too much per hour, and replace them. Their are over 20 bull**** metrics, no one is gonna meet every metric, but if they want to demote someone to a floater they could use one of the metrics as an excuse. If CVS really cared about helping the customer there wouldn't be such a deficiency in technician hours.

You're insane if you think this is the case.

You act as if Helena Foulkes sat down in her conference room with The board and company and said "LETS ROLL OUT WECARE----BY DOING SO WE CAN SCREW OVER OLDER PHARMACY MANAGERS!!!!"

Absolutely not. That's your inner insecurity talking. These metrics exist, because like OT said, the people at the top need something to go by to judge how stores are doing. How else can you judge whether or not a store is giving good customer service? If they're actually getting scripts out the door and not giving 3 hour wait times for Zpaks? How else can you judge stores and differentiate stores that order hundreds of bottles of expensive brand name drugs a week vs a store who is responsible and only orders just enough to be in stock so as not to hurt the bottom line?

All you need to do is worry about what you can control. You can control wecare workflow. Just control WeCare, optimize your schedule and I guarantee you DM's will leave you alone. As a matter of fact, if your WeCare is excellent but your myCE low, they CANT write you up. Since the former drives the latter.

But then the part where your mind gets blown- if your WeCare is excellent, 85% of the time your MCE will be excellent as well.

 

[mikejones123]

1. I don't have any insecurity. I am a 28 year old rx manager.

2. I'm just describing what I see. Age discrimination exists at cvs. So many great rx managers have "stepped down" aka demoted to floater over bs metrics. For a company like cvs that does age discrimination so openly they need to find excuses to avoid lawsuits.

3. I don't have any evidence if these metrics were solely CREATED to get rid of people. But I do have evidence that the metrics are the main tool utilized by upper management to get rid of people.

4. Your logic would make sense if all managers were created equally by upper management. But I have seen older managers in stores of excellence being harassed over a bs metric where as younger cheaper managers get the pass.

5. Keep drinking the kool aid and continue to be a cvs cheerleader. One day you will end up looking like a fool, just like rxnupe...haha

 

[Old]

1. I don't have any insecurity. I am a 28 year old rx manager.

2. I'm just describing what I see. Age discrimination exists at cvs. So many great rx managers have "stepped down" aka demoted to floater over bs metrics. For a company like cvs that does age discrimination so openly they need to find excuses to avoid lawsuits.

3. I don't have any evidence if these metrics were solely CREATED to get rid of people. But I do have evidence that the metrics are the main tool utilized by upper management to get rid of people.

4. Your logic would make sense if all managers were created equally by upper management. But I have seen older managers in stores of excellence being harassed over a bs metric where as younger cheaper managers get the pass.

5. Keep drinking the kool aid and continue to be a cvs cheerleader. One day you will end up looking like a fool, just like rxnupe...haha

I agree completely. Had a good friend that was an excellent CVS pharm manager. Local pharm respected buy the community. they kept on him about some silly metrics for years. No raises etc. Cut his tech hours. He finally quit because it was starting to affect his health. Got a job with an independent down the street. last I talked to him they had transferred about 800 rxs from CVS where he worked. CVS was doing about 2600 to 2800 per week and I heard they were at about 1500 to 1600. The techs went with him. New pharm manager is doing far less scripts per week with more tech help than the previous manager had. Some of the DMs and Pharm supps are complete fools. Where did this get them? Idiots.

 

[RX2090]

1. I don't have any insecurity. I am a 28 year old rx manager.

2. I'm just describing what I see. Age discrimination exists at cvs. So many great rx managers have "stepped down" aka demoted to floater over bs metrics. For a company like cvs that does age discrimination so openly they need to find excuses to avoid lawsuits.

3. I don't have any evidence if these metrics were solely CREATED to get rid of people. But I do have evidence that the metrics are the main tool utilized by upper management to get rid of people.

4. Your logic would make sense if all managers were created equally by upper management. But I have seen older managers in stores of excellence being harassed over a bs metric where as younger cheaper managers get the pass.

5. Keep drinking the kool aid and continue to be a cvs cheerleader. One day you will end up looking like a fool, just like rxnupe...haha

I don't get what you're saying. I know of plenty older RX managers who meet the metrics and are left alone. Business metrics are business metrics. They exist in every possible line of work.

I don't understand what your point is to be honest. Are younger managers more likely to meet metrics than older managers? Probably. But when you have older managers who are giving 2 hour wait times, and you have a younger manager who is able to verify Amlodipine in 15 minutes, of course the older manager will get the shaft.

This is how you grow a business. I don't get what you and all the CVS bashers want. What do you want? 40 more tech hours a week? Do 40 x $10.65 x 7500 stores. That's MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a week. You have no business sense whatsoever and you don't understand how a store makes money. All you want to do is come to work and make $120,000 a year and not have to do any work. Sorry buddy, that's not how the world works. Here's a mind**** for you, you actually have to do work when you go to work.

I'll say it a fourth time. WHAT DO YOU CVS BASHERS EXPECT? Imagine you are the CEO of a chain with 7500 stores. You would be doing the same exact thing. You would be using these tools to measure service and would be controlling payroll. I'm sorry you're all angry because the chain measures how long it takes you to verify a prescription. If they didn't, people like would probably say "come back in 8 hours for that tamiflu!!!!!"

If you don't like CVS or retail chains, then get out. That's $120,000 being paid to a loser like yourself who doesn't deserve it and doesn't come to work giving good patient service. But don't come online and bitch and moan about how "unfair" work life is. You make a lot of money. Shut up and do your job. There are thousands and thousands of people who would kill to make the money you're making.

But alas, you just want to come to work, stand in one spot, spend 30 minutes verifying a Zpak and not have to do anything else. LOL!

 

[zelman]

I don't get what you're saying. I know of plenty older RX managers who meet the metrics and are left alone. Business metrics are business metrics. They exist in every possible line of work.

I don't understand what your point is to be honest. Are younger managers more likely to meet metrics than older managers? Probably. But when you have older managers who are giving 2 hour wait times, and you have a younger manager who is able to verify Amlodipine in 15 minutes, of course the older manager will get the shaft.

This is how you grow a business. I don't get what you and all the CVS bashers want. What do you want? 40 more tech hours a week? Do 40 x $10.65 x 7500 stores. That's MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a week. You have no business sense whatsoever and you don't understand how a store makes money. All you want to do is come to work and make $120,000 a year and not have to do any work. Sorry buddy, that's not how the world works. Here's a mind**** for you, you actually have to do work when you go to work.

I'll say it a fourth time. WHAT DO YOU CVS BASHERS EXPECT? Imagine you are the CEO of a chain with 7500 stores. You would be doing the same exact thing. You would be using these tools to measure service and would be controlling payroll. I'm sorry you're all angry because the chain measures how long it takes you to verify a prescription. If they didn't, people like would probably say "come back in 8 hours for that tamiflu!!!!!"

If you don't like CVS or retail chains, then get out. That's $120,000 being paid to a loser like yourself who doesn't deserve it and doesn't come to work giving good patient service. But don't come online and bitch and moan about how "unfair" work life is. You make a lot of money. Shut up and do your job. There are thousands and thousands of people who would kill to make the money you're making.

But alas, you just want to come to work, stand in one spot, spend 30 minutes verifying a Zpak and not have to do anything else. LOL!

Wanting 40 more tech hours per week is a far cry from NOT wanting 40 hours less. There are plenty of crybabies on Internet forums, but there are also legit concerns around here.

 

[SClENCE]

I don't mind metrics and I completely understand the need for them, but the middle management takes it WAY too far. Middle management is much more concerned with managing numbers than the actual store and it's employees.

As far as tech hours go... I believe in the short term (1-5 years) the method that CVS is using is advantageous... but as a long term business strategy running stores on bare bones is terrible business sense. Ultimately the success of a business is based on people. Who are those people? Techs making $8 an hour to deal with customers that are angry that their script isn't ready. Unhappy customer, unhappy employee, not such a great business plan. Not to mention the pharmacist being forced to come in early/stay after just to keep workflow at a manageable level.

As much as I hate CVS is still like it. Or maybe as much as I like CVS I still hate it. Haven't really decided yet...

 

[mikejones123]

I don't get what you're saying. I know of plenty older RX managers who meet the metrics and are left alone. Business metrics are business metrics. They exist in every possible line of work.

I don't understand what your point is to be honest. Are younger managers more likely to meet metrics than older managers? Probably. But when you have older managers who are giving 2 hour wait times, and you have a younger manager who is able to verify Amlodipine in 15 minutes, of course the older manager will get the shaft.

This is how you grow a business. I don't get what you and all the CVS bashers want. What do you want? 40 more tech hours a week? Do 40 x $10.65 x 7500 stores. That's MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a week. You have no business sense whatsoever and you don't understand how a store makes money. All you want to do is come to work and make $120,000 a year and not have to do any work. Sorry buddy, that's not how the world works. Here's a mind**** for you, you actually have to do work when you go to work.

I'll say it a fourth time. WHAT DO YOU CVS BASHERS EXPECT? Imagine you are the CEO of a chain with 7500 stores. You would be doing the same exact thing. You would be using these tools to measure service and would be controlling payroll. I'm sorry you're all angry because the chain measures how long it takes you to verify a prescription. If they didn't, people like would probably say "come back in 8 hours for that tamiflu!!!!!"

If you don't like CVS or retail chains, then get out. That's $120,000 being paid to a loser like yourself who doesn't deserve it and doesn't come to work giving good patient service. But don't come online and bitch and moan about how "unfair" work life is. You make a lot of money. Shut up and do your job. There are thousands and thousands of people who would kill to make the money you're making.

But alas, you just want to come to work, stand in one spot, spend 30 minutes verifying a Zpak and not have to do anything else. LOL!

Wow, I feel like i'm replying to a 10 year old.

1. Stay on topic. Where did I say in any of my comments that I don't want to work??? I simply pointed out that metrics are not used to increase customer service like you claim but are mainly used to cut cost and make cvs more money.

2. I think you are really pathetic for thinking verifying prescriptions really fast is a special skill. I could train a monkey to verify prescriptions fast. Most pharmacists I know can verify prescriptions fast. You aren't anything special.

3. Metrics are manipulated by upper management to save money not to increase customer service. Age discrimination does exists. I have worked for CVS for the last 10 years and in my district I have NEVER seen a pharmacist have a retirement party or anything. Isn't that amazing that over a 10 year span a huge company like cvs hasn't had any pharmacists retire in my district. Why? Because cvs uses metrics to find a bull**** excuse to get rid of people before they get anywhere near retirement age. This will happen to the both of us in the future.

4. I truly feel sorry for corporate sheep like you. Your supervisor will take advantage of your childish perception. Cvs supervisors love brainless corporate puppets like you. "Hey mr. supervisor , look at me I can verify fast, please cut my tech hours again so I can increase my customer service."

 

[oldstock]

Wow, I feel like i'm replying to a 10 year old.

1. Stay on topic. Where did I say in any of my comments that I don't want to work??? I simply pointed out that metrics are not used to increase customer service like you claim but are mainly used to cut cost and make cvs more money.

2. I think you are really pathetic for thinking verifying prescriptions really fast is a special skill. I could train a monkey to verify prescriptions fast. Most pharmacists I know can verify prescriptions fast. You aren't anything special.

3. Metrics are manipulated by upper management to save money not to increase customer service. Age discrimination does exists. I have worked for CVS for the last 10 years and in my district I have NEVER seen a pharmacist have a retirement party or anything. Isn't that amazing that over a 10 year span a huge company like cvs hasn't had any pharmacists retire in my district. Why? Because cvs uses metrics to find a bull**** excuse to get rid of people before they get anywhere near retirement age. This will happen to the both of us in the future.

4. I truly feel sorry for corporate sheep like you. Your supervisor will take advantage of your childish perception. Cvs supervisors love brainless corporate puppets like you. "Hey mr. supervisor , look at me I can verify fast, please cut my tech hours again so I can increase my customer service."

there are always people like that everywhere...

I do not know about Walgreen but I used to work for CVS as a tech when I was in undergrad. I saw a lot of dirty tactics CVS used to exploit employees from cashiers to pharmacists. Not at all surprised to hear pharmacists / tech complaints and age discrimination at CVS.

 

[The Cutest Ponytail]

The Heisenberg Principle says you can't simultaneously measure the momentum and position of a particle precisely.

Likewise CVS metrics can't measure performance without interfering to a certain degree with performance. The very act of observing has an effect on the observed. Having too many metrics to be met distract from the core duty of filling a prescription pursuant to a state's Pharmacy Practice Act. Plus humans are wily monkeys that will game any system hence defeating the purpose of the metrics. For example, I know of a case in which a particular pharmacy always gets great customer surveys--off the chart results! How? Why the rx manager caters to all the junkies. Fills every friggin control to their hearts' desire. Also, there's another case of a pharmacy scanning labels as being verified as soon as they are printed. Sure the ready KPIs looked great, but you had rx's with a ready status that really weren't thereby totally defeating the purpose of any workflow management.

 

[Sparda29]

I don't get what you're saying. I know of plenty older RX managers who meet the metrics and are left alone. Business metrics are business metrics. They exist in every possible line of work.

I don't understand what your point is to be honest. Are younger managers more likely to meet metrics than older managers? Probably. But when you have older managers who are giving 2 hour wait times, and you have a younger manager who is able to verify Amlodipine in 15 minutes, of course the older manager will get the shaft.

This is how you grow a business. I don't get what you and all the CVS bashers want. What do you want? 40 more tech hours a week? Do 40 x $10.65 x 7500 stores. That's MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a week. You have no business sense whatsoever and you don't understand how a store makes money. All you want to do is come to work and make $120,000 a year and not have to do any work. Sorry buddy, that's not how the world works. Here's a mind**** for you, you actually have to do work when you go to work.

I'll say it a fourth time. WHAT DO YOU CVS BASHERS EXPECT? Imagine you are the CEO of a chain with 7500 stores. You would be doing the same exact thing. You would be using these tools to measure service and would be controlling payroll. I'm sorry you're all angry because the chain measures how long it takes you to verify a prescription. If they didn't, people like would probably say "come back in 8 hours for that tamiflu!!!!!"

If you don't like CVS or retail chains, then get out. That's $120,000 being paid to a loser like yourself who doesn't deserve it and doesn't come to work giving good patient service. But don't come online and bitch and moan about how "unfair" work life is. You make a lot of money. Shut up and do your job. There are thousands and thousands of people who would kill to make the money you're making.

But alas, you just want to come to work, stand in one spot, spend 30 minutes verifying a Zpak and not have to do anything else. LOL!

LOL, keep sucking that CVS peen.

I personally like coming to the independents where I work, working a couple of days at the slow store (20-100 scripts/day) and a couple of days at the fast store (400+/day) and getting to wear a t-shirt/jeans to work while surfing the web, watching Netflix.

 

[trailerpark]

Just don't be an rx manager, done! No more metrics.

 

[FarmD711]

Just don't be an rx manager, done! No more metrics.

I've tried that. Apparently I suck enough to get yelled at but don't suck enough to be demoted

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

No, that couldn't be farther from the truth. These businesses exist to make money...specifically...to make the most money at the lowest possible cost. Pharmacy is a business. Healthcare, as it stands right now, is a business. That is all.

I don't doubt it at all... and don't think other wise.

Still...., business is business. I would challenge the lowest possible cost thinking... more like the most efficient cost....

The problem is that they don't think about a lot of the crap that we have to do other wise, and a lot of us don't remember that we are in a business.

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

The Heisenberg Principle says you can't simultaneously measure the momentum and position of a particle precisely.

Likewise CVS metrics can't measure performance without interfering to a certain degree with performance. The very act of observing has an effect on the observed. Having too many metrics to be met distract from the core duty of filling a prescription pursuant to a state's Pharmacy Practice Act. Plus humans are wily monkeys that will game any system hence defeating the purpose of the metrics. For example, I know of a case in which a particular pharmacy always gets great customer surveys--off the chart results! How? Why the rx manager caters to all the junkies. Fills every friggin control to their hearts' desire. Also, there's another case of a pharmacy scanning labels as being verified as soon as they are printed. Sure the ready KPIs looked great, but you had rx's with a ready status that really weren't thereby totally defeating the purpose of any workflow management.

Idiots....

A lot of these people are just making more work for themselves.

The time spent looking for scripts that are ready but not in waiting bin.... can be spend preparing scripts to be verified...

and I cant imagine what happens if there is a mistake...

 

[RX2090]

I'm telling you from experience, when you follow WeCare workflow, your life becomes exponentially easier. The metrics become easy to meet.

And control and narcotic scripts aren't counted in the script count and they don't get surveys. So any RX manager who caters to junkies is an absolute ******. CVS has made the decision not to incentivize controlled substances in any fashion. THERE IS NO BENEFIT in filling Narcs for patients or sucking up to them WHATSOEVER.

To the guy who says he watches Netflix all day in an independent, you're getting me all wrong; I envy you. I'm sure 90% of RPhs do as well. But we all can't be you. We are stuck with the cards we are dealt. Most RPhs can't even find jobs nowadays.

If you're in a chain, and you're taking the $$$ handed to you ($120,000+) for that matter, then shut the **** up, follow workflow and do what you have to do. It's when pharmacists start making their own rules when things go awry. Then everyone blames CVS

 

[MountainPharmD]

I'm telling you from experience, when you follow WeCare workflow, your life becomes exponentially easier. The metrics become easy to meet.

And control and narcotic scripts aren't counted in the script count and they don't get surveys. So any RX manager who caters to junkies is an absolute ******. CVS has made the decision not to incentivize controlled substances in any fashion. THERE IS NO BENEFIT in filling Narcs for patients or sucking up to them WHATSOEVER.

To the guy who says he watches Netflix all day in an independent, you're getting me all wrong; I envy you. I'm sure 90% of RPhs do as well. But we all can't be you. We are stuck with the cards we are dealt. Most RPhs can't even find jobs nowadays.

If you're in a chain, and you're taking the $$$ handed to you ($120,000+) for that matter, then shut the **** up, follow workflow and do what you have to do. It's when pharmacists start making their own rules when things go awry. Then everyone blames CVS

Another brain washed young fool. We've seen a few fall around here. You sound just like a guy I know on here who used to talk the same way. It took a few years but he saw the light and so will you someday. You've probably been a pharmacist for about 6 months. Wait until its been 6 years...running around like a chicken with your head cut off get real old by then. For now you keep drinking the Kool-Aid and following the WeCare (about profits above all else) work flow.

 

[VP_Pharm2004]

I'm telling you from experience, when you follow WeCare workflow, your life becomes exponentially easier. The metrics become easy to meet.

You don't say?! How the hell is a 24-hr store supposed to manage this when their allocated tech hours need to be spread out from 7 am to 11 pm? We don't even have enough damn tech hours to man each freaking station. Most of the time, you'll have the pharmacist running back and forth from QP to QV to pick-up to consults to phone calls. WeCare **** only works if you have enough manpower or your store operates on shorter hours. CVS Lovers need to STFU about WeCare and workflow already.

 

[MountainPharmD]

Where's RxNupe? Is this the guy that took your place?

 

[RX2090]

Another brain washed young fool. We've seen a few fall around here. You sound just like a guy I know on here who used to talk the same way. It took a few years but he saw the light and so will you someday. You've probably been a pharmacist for about 6 months. Wait until its been 6 years...running around like a chicken with your head cut off get real old by then. For now you keep drinking the Kool-Aid and following the WeCare (about profits above all else) work flow.

The alternative is bitching and botching and bitching but working for the company anyway.

The day that I get sick of working for this company is the day I leave for good and never look back.

People Who complain about their job and don't do what they're told, but end up staying ANYWAY and collect the paycheck are poisonous people with no testicular fortitude and too scared to do anything about it. They probably kiss their superiors asses all day and then come on here at night and bitch.

You hate it so much, leave. But don't make threads complaining and saying "ZZZZOMMGGG METRICS R TOO MUCH!!!"

 

[VP_Pharm2004]

I have a feeling that Aznfarmerboi and Rx2090 is the same person. Reminds me of this crazy CVS lover we have in our district. Works a lot of hours off the clock to get stuff done.

 

[ancienbon]

You don't say?! How the hell is a 24-hr store supposed to manage this when their allocated tech hours need to be spread out from 7 am to 11 pm? We don't even have enough damn tech hours to man each freaking station. Most of the time, you'll have the pharmacist running back and forth from QP to QV to pick-up to consults to phone calls. WeCare **** only works if you have enough manpower or your store operates on shorter hours. CVS Lovers need to STFU about WeCare and workflow already.

I don't think i could say it better. In theory we care will work if we have enough help , but we dont have enough tech hours. Do not forget not all stores have super techs. My store opens for 13 hrs, and does some week over 2400 ,with one best tech, and an average tech, and others techs that dont know what is going . So every day i feel like i am riding a a roller coaster-such as space mountain in orlando.
It is crazy and not safe. It is a matter of time before a terrible mistake is made.... And we dont have enough tech help. my schedules gives us only 164 to 176 hrs. for that volume, we should have overlap but we dont.
yes, it is crazy out there. we all know that.
I think some of the people who defend cvs must be DM somewhere

 

[RX2090]

You don't say?! How the hell is a 24-hr store supposed to manage this when their allocated tech hours need to be spread out from 7 am to 11 pm? We don't even have enough damn tech hours to man each freaking station. Most of the time, you'll have the pharmacist running back and forth from QP to QV to pick-up to consults to phone calls. WeCare **** only works if you have enough manpower or your store operates on shorter hours. CVS Lovers need to STFU about WeCare and workflow already.

I've been a PIC in 3 24 hour stores, including the one I'm in now. I'm not a new grad. I've been working for this company for 9 years. I'm not entitled like some
Of you guys are.

Here's a solution: GET OFF YOUR ASS AND WORK.

God forbid you have to do drop off and verify from the same work station. What do you mean run from QP to QV? Cvs uses the same formula for every single store. Demand is calculated from scripts, phone calls, register transactions amongst many other things. If I'm getting the demand I need, then am do you.

What do you expect, in all honesty? To have 2 cashiers just standing there to look pretty at all times, 1 drop off guy at all times, and a production guy at all times? So you can sit there at QV and verify and watch Netflix? It doesn't work that way. Realistically, depending on how many scripts you do, you only need a certain number of techs to do the job. Yes, you will probably be doing a few things at once, but that's how life is. Most of you guys want to just sit at QV, and do NOTHING BUT consult and verify and take doctor calls. That's not how this business works. You have to multitask. If you triage your time, and delegate properly, you will be fine.

But again, this notion that the company "shorts" tech hours is just asinine. I don't get it. I've been around region managers and am great great friends with one of them. The company generates demand based on how busy you are. They don't automatically decide to short you to make money. That's not how it works. If you're doing the scripts, you'll get the help. You won't get the kind of help where you can sit back relax and chit chat all day, but you'll get the help you need.

And about WeCare, you guys need to just trust it and follow it at all times. MySchedule is based on WeCare. It expects you to print 3 at a time. Why? Because it's safer that way. When you stack baskets to the ceiling and try to get the entire QP done at once, OF COURSE YOURE GOING TO BE OVERWHELMED AND THINK YOU Don't HAVE ENOUGH HELP! Just take care of your customers, don't stress and work efficiently.

There's no kool aid here. You have 3 options when you work for a chain like CVS. You either do what they tell you and make your life easier, you rebel and bitch on message boards all night but stay and collect the paycheck, or you LEAVE and work somewhere else. The people who leave I respect, because they did something about their problem. It's the people in this thread who bitch about metrics who piss me off because they bitch, but they stick around to collect the paycheck anyway.

Implementing Business metrics is how a business grows. Without them, you would have complacent employees who don't give a **** and do whatever they want to do. It's how you hold people accountable. It's how you MEASURE how well a store is doing versus their peers. They're never going away. Either read the toolkits, learn how to make it work, or SHUT THE **** UP and leave this "god forsaken company" as some of you like to call it.

 

[doublehh03]

I've been a PIC in 3 24 hour stores, including the one I'm in now. I'm not a new grad. I've been working for this company for 9 years. I'm not entitled like some
Of you guys are.

Here's a solution: GET OFF YOUR ASS AND WORK.

God forbid you have to do drop off and verify from the same work station. What do you mean run from QP to QV? Cvs uses the same formula for every single store. Demand is calculated from scripts, phone calls, register transactions amongst many other things. If I'm getting the demand I need, then am do you.

What do you expect, in all honesty? To have 2 cashiers just standing there to look pretty at all times, 1 drop off guy at all times, and a production guy at all times? So you can sit there at QV and verify and watch Netflix? It doesn't work that way. Realistically, depending on how many scripts you do, you only need a certain number of techs to do the job. Yes, you will probably be doing a few things at once, but that's how life is. Most of you guys want to just sit at QV, and do NOTHING BUT consult and verify and take doctor calls. That's not how this business works. You have to multitask. If you triage your time, and delegate properly, you will be fine.

But again, this notion that the company "shorts" tech hours is just asinine. I don't get it. I've been around region managers and am great great friends with one of them. The company generates demand based on how busy you are. They don't automatically decide to short you to make money. That's not how it works. If you're doing the scripts, you'll get the help. You won't get the kind of help where you can sit back relax and chit chat all day, but you'll get the help you need.

And about WeCare, you guys need to just trust it and follow it at all times. MySchedule is based on WeCare. It expects you to print 3 at a time. Why? Because it's safer that way. When you stack baskets to the ceiling and try to get the entire QP done at once, OF COURSE YOURE GOING TO BE OVERWHELMED AND THINK YOU Don't HAVE ENOUGH HELP! Just take care of your customers, don't stress and work efficiently.

There's no kool aid here. You have 3 options when you work for a chain like CVS. You either do what they tell you and make your life easier, you rebel and bitch on message boards all night but stay and collect the paycheck, or you LEAVE and work somewhere else. The people who leave I respect, because they did something about their problem. It's the people in this thread who bitch about metrics who piss me off because they bitch, but they stick around to collect the paycheck anyway.

Implementing Business metrics is how a business grows. Without them, you would have complacent employees who don't give a **** and do whatever they want to do. It's how you hold people accountable. It's how you MEASURE how well a store is doing versus their peers. They're never going away. Either read the toolkits, learn how to make it work, or SHUT THE **** UP and leave this "god forsaken company" as some of you like to call it.

MySchedule sucks. It is completely inaccurate. That's where the complaints are coming from. It doesn't take into account tasks that requires manpower (load and waiting bin for instance). It doesn't take into account doing C2s (which corporate keeps telling you it does). If myschedule generates the hours to meet the expected demand (11 tech hours = 1 script + tasks), then a lot less people will complain. A lot of sups still don't know enough about it and yet they're all harping about optimization and stuff like that. That's the main issue with CVS right now. And now due to the change in hours starting 3/1, there is a lot of RPH hours cut with less overlap (and for stores in my district cuts in tech hours too). So the hours from demand for many stores aren't enough to meet demand.

I will be transferring to a 24 hour store 3/1 (when the new schedule templates are rolling out). Check this out: we will have 120 rph hours TOTAL (not counting overnight) and 240 tech hours (for a store that is expected to do 37-3900 script per week. That's the same hours (minus overnight) that I used to have at my old store that did 27-2900 per week (from 8am-9pm).

A lot of people complaining just to complain are annoying. But these cuts are legitimate complaints that CVS hopefully will take a look at. And hopefully they will look into MySchedule and try to fix it b/c it's utter crap.

 

[RX2090]

Starting 3/1 it will give you MORE hours, not less. Your RPH hours won't increase, because those go off of the green sheets. But "pharmacist activity" generates hours that you can quite frankly use with techs. I'd rather have techs anyway. As long as the registers are manned and there's people at drop off, nobody can really complain anymore.

 

[doublehh03]

Starting 3/1 it will give you MORE hours, not less. Your RPH hours won't increase, because those go off of the green sheets. But "pharmacist activity" generates hours that you can quite frankly use with techs. I'd rather have techs anyway. As long as the registers are manned and there's people at drop off, nobody can really complain anymore.

Sorry I got the corporate template and my district is getting LESS rph hours. Losing the 5 hours from 9-10pm was expected. But an additional 5 hours are cut from mid-week (cutting overlap). We also lost 5-7 tech hours (it was promised we gained an additional tech hour per rph hour lost during the announcement). I don't think it's district or region specific b/c my friend who works at another 24 hour store will have hours cut starting 3/1 too.

Trust me, ask your sup for that template.

 

[SpartanLaser]

I am quitting cvs for an independent. Never felt so happy in my life

 

[M0df]

Rx2090, if you have been with CVS for 9 years, you have seen deteriorating work conditions first hand. It is no secret that the company is trying to capitalize on the current market saturation. We all know that. That is the main reason for my bitching. I compare my situation to others across the profession and it doesn't hurt to let a little steam out on the message boards. Some of us are actively looking for feedback and solutions. The support system at district and store level is limited at best. So why not get ideas from people who either tried and failed or continue to succeed.

If you are happy with what you have and where you work, I applaud you. It is hard to keep reading your posts after you question work ethic and call people lazy.

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

Myschedule sucks....

I believe in Wecare, Readyfill, Text messaging..., but I am telling you...Myschedule is the most ******ed thing ever.

The hour cuts at my store are insane... and my store has always been a top performer (top 10 percent in the company) in Wecare workflow in the chain though we are a 24 hour store doing over 4k volume.

I don't know anyone who agrees with it....

and the thing that irks me is that the company came off one of our best years ever. There is no justification in cutting Rph and tech hours when we can capitalize on it and grow the business.

At this point, I am still going to do the best of my ability... but if I lose scripts, I lose it.

I can not run 4k+ volume 24 hour store on 270 tech hours. It is simply not possible with the work load that is asked of us while giving "5" in service.

 

[doublehh03]

I can not run 4k+ volume 24 hour store on 270 tech hours. It is simply not possible with the work load that is asked of us while giving "5" in service.

Don't run it on 270 tech hours. Running your store well and taking care of your customers are your number one priority.

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

Don't run it on 270 tech hours. Running your store well and taking care of your customers are your number one priority.

I do other wise but corporate mandate from my region is that we get in trouble if we are not following Myschedule demand...

As you are aware, myschedule is a load of ****. It scheduled one Monday 25 tech hours when we do > 700 scripts on Mondays. I said **** that.

I think right now, Myschedule averages the last 5 weeks... which is dumb because what about the snow days, the holidays, etc...

They said it will be better in March but I don't believe it one bit.

once the eyes are off, I am going to go over like crazy including RVC hours. I need at least 350 tech hours... and can do well with that.

PS.... this is coming from a 24 hour store with 80% optimization and top 10 in Wecare...

 

[SpartanLaser]

I thought cutting hours is the last resort of an unprofitable company, not a company that has nearly doubled its stock price in 2 years

 

[RX2090]

Myschedule sucks....

I believe in Wecare, Readyfill, Text messaging..., but I am telling you...Myschedule is the most ******ed thing ever.

The hour cuts at my store are insane... and my store has always been a top performer (top 10 percent in the company) in Wecare workflow in the chain though we are a 24 hour store doing over 4k volume.

I don't know anyone who agrees with it....

and the thing that irks me is that the company came off one of our best years ever. There is no justification in cutting Rph and tech hours when we can capitalize on it and grow the business.

At this point, I am still going to do the best of my ability... but if I lose scripts, I lose it.

I can not run 4k+ volume 24 hour store on 270 tech hours. It is simply not possible with the work load that is asked of us while giving "5" in service.

This sounds so much like my old store. How many RPH hours do you have, out of curiosity? Last year I ran on 340 tech hours a week and was #5 in my region in all the metrics. This year that PIC is telling me mySchedule is asking them to work with 280 tech hours. Which is in****ingsane, because you just can't do that. At the bare minimum you need about 330 in a store like that.

I get what you're saying about the 25 hours on a Monday. It told me in my current store to schedule 37 on a Monday non holiday. LOL I said **** that and scheduled 60 hours. Lo and behold, we did 800 and it was necessary.

I explained that to my RXSup and he completely understood. I think right now mySchedule has a lot of glitches and it's not 100% accurate. The best thing to do is to optimize your schedule, but add shifts where you think you'll need it.

I agree with everything else about cvs. We DONT have too many metrics. I think in some instances we don't have enough, to be honest. But myschedule just complicates things at some points. You can't hold people accountable for not making NSPU calls when the pharmacist was at drop off and production all day with one tech on a busy day.

 

[owlegrad]

I agree with everything else about cvs. We DONT have too many metrics. I think in some instances we don't have enough, to be honest.

What metrics would you add?

 

[RX2090]

What metrics would you add?

Individual medication scanning bypass metrics, for one. We get an entire store bypass rate, but you never know who is the one that is actually doing it. You tell the whole team not to bypass meds or bypass DOB's at the register, and yet it keeps happening and you don't know who's doing it.

They've started to narrow things down with myImpact, but I want it to get more detailed so you know who exactly is causing good service, and who isn't.

When you're an RX manager like me, and your entire store for one month let's say gets a bad service score, there's no way of knowing who exactly is causing it. One bad month is an aberration, but let's say you get bad service scores for 5 months Ina row. Every store has good employees and bad employees. There needs to be a better system in order for us to differentiate that. The Rx manager isn't there 100% of the time and it would help greatly to see who's doing what. You can reward top performers this way and also hold bottom performers accountable:

 

[owlegrad]

Individual medication scanning bypass metrics, for one. We get an entire store bypass rate, but you never know who is the one that is actually doing it. You tell the whole team not to bypass meds or bypass DOB's at the register, and yet it keeps happening and you don't know who's doing it.

They've started to narrow things down with myImpact, but I want it to get more detailed so you know who exactly is causing good service, and who isn't.

When you're an RX manager like me, and your entire store for one month let's say gets a bad service score, there's no way of knowing who exactly is causing it. One bad month is an aberration, but let's say you get bad service scores for 5 months Ina row. Every store has good employees and bad employees. There needs to be a better system in order for us to differentiate that. The Rx manager isn't there 100% of the time and it would help greatly to see who's doing what. You can reward top performers this way and also hold bottom performers accountable:

You CAN run an individual bypass rate report. So yes, you can know who is dragging down your store and hold them accountable. I am not at the store to look it up but it is under M1: quality assurance reports I think.

And do you really not know who is providing good service vs who is providing bad service? I do wish MyImpact used who was signed into the register that rang the person out rather than who was scheduled to work though.

 

[M0df]

All I know is my rankings improved relative to overall stores in the chain, while my MCE scores still suck. Either we learned to adapt better or other stores got the same shaft I did last year in tech hours lost. Meeting script target only helps with the bonus, not my sanity and tech hours.

 

[Aznfarmerboi]

All I know is my rankings improved relative to overall stores in the chain, while my MCE scores still suck. Either we learned to adapt better or other stores got the same shaft I did last year in tech hours lost. Meeting script target only helps with the bonus, not my sanity and tech hours.

The problem is up until a month ago, a lot of the supervisors would let you get away with things as long as your MCE or Scripts was good.

The problem is when you don't make your scripts/ MCE and get stuck in the losers lose part... they will then take away help from your store, give you less resources..., and start nitpicking over little things to improve your MCE/ scripts.

 

[ChalupaBatman86]

Many of the RM's, especially the pharmacist RM's, fought for you guys on MySchedule but they lost. They are going to keep pushing you until you break. Anybody listen to the last quarterly earnings call? Significant improvement on labor costs but they are going to keep pushing for more.

 

[SpartanLaser]

RM are little guys, nothing more than middle management. Larry Merlo can give em the finger for all he cares

 

[ancienbon]

Does anyone have front manager bugging them over hours?
We usually go over my demand and rx supervisor dont mind. But front manager always send random emails to dm about us going over hours.