So why is CVS system so inefficient?

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aznkukuboi

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So, I've done rotations at Walgreens, Target (PDX), independents, and have worked for both Rite Aid and CVS. CVS is known to be the "best" pharmacy through sheer volume and number of stores, but their system is ridiculously inefficient to a point that it slows me down a good 25% compared to working at another chain.

Here are some examples:

1. Not windows based. I hate not being able to use a mouse. You can say that people can be faster with keyboard, but an employee with a 40 wpm vs my 70+ is going to struggle in QT like no other. In a windows based system, doing a daw-9 and medically necessary for Medical takes 3 seconds vs 20+ key strokes on the keyboard.
2. DROPPED IMAGES. I mean come on, this should NOT happen at all. I had a dropped image for a C2 that was put on hold a month ago and that took a long time to find.
3. Throwable exception: I'm not going to have to elaborate on this.
4. Pulling a control medication from another CVS counts as a transfer. This isn't the fact at other chains because it's considered a "live" system.
5. Not being able to fax a doctor for a refill if the pt never filled at your store before. And not being able to fax the doctor for a prescription not covered. I hate manually faxing.
6. Not being able to search for a drug on pt's profile. The patient says he got ventolin sometime 6 months ago, but this guy has 50+ pages and I haven't a clue where to look because it's so easy to accidentally skip it when you enter down.
7. Mouse twitching like no other when you are actually forced to use it. (IE: radar)
8. Profile information being purged after 2 years. At Rite Aid you can literally go down and see scripts from 10 years ago no problem.
9. The "schedule" option is a hindrance because I don't want to fill a load of controls 2 hours after opening. I have other things to worry about.
10. Does not have a system to fax transfers. We are forced to give over phone or manually print screen and fax. This makes things terribly slow.
11. Only able to open two profiles, and sometimes it backs out of it and you are required to ask for DOB again because of what happened.
12. Scripts going into QP and bypassing QT. This is dangerous and should not happen. You'll notice this happen when you send an electronic refill request and it goes directly into QP when they send it back. The hard copy will have your initials and no secondary initials because no one typed it. I've had one come thru as "one orally daily oral per day" on the label. I was pretty ticked.

Good things about the CVS system:

1. Faxes go into QT. This is amazing and saves paper.
2. Our verification screen is very clean and precise, except for those with 15+ dur's.

So, last Saturday/Sunday, I work with 3 technicians and I barely get 200+ scripts. My friend down the street at Rite Aid does 300 scripts with 2 technicians, AND he verifies slower than me. I wish the "best" pharmacy in the world could at least improve their system. I would be able to do a LOT more scripts/hr and have more time to actually do things that matter, such as flu shots/pcq/etc which we all dread. Just fixing 1 or 2 of my list will actually shave 15-30 minutes a day of my shift.

Sorry about the rant, but it's just frustrating sometimes when you go from a better system to worse.

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You should send this whole list to your software engineers. Bring it up the chain. Tell your boss, the computer system suck ass. See if they can switch to a better system.
 
You should send this whole list to your software engineers. Bring it up the chain. Tell your boss, the computer system suck ass. See if they can switch to a better system.
It's all built in-house. They aren't switching.

Back in the day when they made RX2000 there were a lot of problems with the system. It was a mess for about 6 months while they fixed it. Then by month 8 or so it was a solid system. Many years later they rolled out RxConnect. All my coworkers complained. I told them not to worry. Bug fixes would come. I'd seen it before. I was wrong. They simultaneously fixed bugs and introduced features. Those features brought more bugs. The software engineering philosophy has changed. They don't seem to believe in a finished product anymore. That is the problem. The list above just expresses symptoms of it.
 
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This has been well established on here. They have the worst IT department in the United States. It blows my mind how bad it is. Whoever is in charge of corporate IT probably has pictures of Merlo in a hotel room with a dead hooker. That's the only possible explanation. Those useless asshats can fail miserably at everything and nothing ever happens to them. In fact, it's best not to complain. Let's be honest -- every time they try to "improve" something, they **** 5 other things up that makes it worse in the end.

Just accept it. This is your life now. Your computer isn't a tool to help you work efficiently at CVS. No, no. It's an object in the road you will need to navigate around to succeed in spite of.
 
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This has been well established on here. They have the worst IT department in the United States. It blows my mind how bad it is. Whoever is in charge of corporate IT probably has pictures of Merlo in a hotel room with a dead hooker. That's the only possible explanation. Those useless asshats can fail miserably at everything and nothing ever happens to them. In fact, it's best not to complain. Let's be honest -- every time they try to "improve" something, they **** 5 other things up that makes it worse in the end.

Just accept it. This is your life now. Your computer isn't a tool to help you work efficiently at CVS. No, no. It's an object in the road you will need to navigate around to succeed in spite of.

The system was built by Harvard/Duke grads that have absolutely zero idea what's involved in a pharmacy. You would think the with the CEO being a former pharmacist, that he would know to hire pharmacists to do these kinds of stuff.
 
I'm amazed that from a huge pharmacy that's all about script volume and speed that CVS doesn't invest in faster software. Speaking from a pickup standpoint, it takes way too long to pull up a patient to complete a transaction compared to Walgreens their competitor.
 
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I use Walmart's system and I think it's pretty good.


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The system was built by Harvard/Duke grads that have absolutely zero idea what's involved in a pharmacy. You would think the with the CEO being a former pharmacist, that he would know to hire pharmacists to do these kinds of stuff.

Harvard and Duke grads? Well that explains that. Maybe they can go after Carnegie and Berkley grads that might actually know how to code next time.
 
Harvard and Duke grads? Well that explains that. Maybe they can go after Carnegie and Berkley grads that might actually know how to code next time.

What does it mean when it says "Pre-edit exception", you press "E", and then you press enter and scan credentials again? What's the purpose of this/why does it happen? Just to waste time?

When about "Hard copy checks"? I always press "use previous image" but wtf is this? What is prompting this? I think techs press scan on accident and boom your image has just vanished.
 
This has been well established on here. They have the worst IT department in the United States. It blows my mind how bad it is. Whoever is in charge of corporate IT probably has pictures of Merlo in a hotel room with a dead hooker. That's the only possible explanation. Those useless asshats can fail miserably at everything and nothing ever happens to them. In fact, it's best not to complain. Let's be honest -- every time they try to "improve" something, they **** 5 other things up that makes it worse in the end.

Just accept it. This is your life now. Your computer isn't a tool to help you work efficiently at CVS. No, no. It's an object in the road you will need to navigate around to succeed in spite of.

Drinking with the Woonsocket staff after ASAP (Automation in Pharmacy) and NCPDP, I'm surprised that those guys/gals managed to program that system barely functionally until I heard their secret: (omitted), which isn't as funny as dead hookers as much as laundering money so that they could all the HP and Perot Systems guys and gals in the room couldn't stop laughing. No, RxConnect is not quite an in-house system, it's actually part of NetSmart's suite of "solutions" after Rx2000's staff were laid off when CVS merged with CareMark (those Southerner executives laid off every one of the old Rx2000 staff). The kernel of the program is from the NetSmart MAR, but it's fairly customized to deal with being the sole source thing. If you happen to decompile the C code, you'll easily see where those sections correspond to interfaces that don't actually exist in CVS, but do in a real EHR. IMHO, the fact that CVS hasn't figured out (or intends to act on) that those vestigial open interfaces are hackable is a license for someone to abuse those open doors to e-script themselves into a fortune and CVS into regulatory crisis with DEA. Some Russian, someday will figure this out.

To my knowledge of the chains, only Walgreens continues to insist on maintaining their own system (still quite recognizable from the 1990s Intercom standard), but we'll see since those Italians took over. Everyone else pretty much buys or builds their own GUI over someone else's (Walmart's is a GUI overlay of PDX). I'm personally a fan of both Connexus (Walmart's) and Walgreen's Intercom Plus, mainly due to liability concerns (if your system is the cause of major mishaps, well, you don't want to own the liability for it). In places where the system sucks, they always had to have more staff because it just wasn't possible to process scripts any faster than PDX could.
 
Very good post OP. You forgot to add with the new update all scripts to be put on hold have to be verified. Now the tech at pick will see " A Qv status " and will tell you to verify it while it is not a true Qv. If you are working at a store similar to mine where you put at least 80 scripts on hold every day, it is a pain in the neck , and also you wont see when you have a voice mail as the new scripts to put on hold come first in the Q. Very stupid
 
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I love how corp's solution to the losing rx images was to send out a stupid workaround of how to get the escript data that sometimes works instead of actually fixing it. As I have been saying for so long, Larry is the king of pump and dump, he will empire build like there is no tomorrow and gtfo before the shtf.
 
Oh has anyone else come across the problem of a patient's name file somehow getting corrupted and there is no way to search for it on the local server so instead you have to do a central search. If you retype in their name under F1 this will fix the problem.

Also, I also wonder if anyone else has come across the really strange thing now where inactivated insurances completely disappear under F1, but if you get to it via F4 you can find them.
 
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They simultaneously fixed bugs and introduced features. Those features brought more bugs. The software engineering philosophy has changed. They don't seem to believe in a finished product anymore. That is the problem. The list above just expresses symptoms of it.

It's job security. Write a complicated system that nobody from the outside would be able to come in and easily understand, then puts lots of bugs in that system, that way you will be needed to fix the bugs and guaranteed a job. As you fix the bugs, introduce new ones to ensure that you will always have a job.
 
What does it mean when it says "Pre-edit exception", you press "E", and then you press enter and scan credentials again? What's the purpose of this/why does it happen? Just to waste time?

When about "Hard copy checks"? I always press "use previous image" but wtf is this? What is prompting this? I think techs press scan on accident and boom your image has just vanished.
Pre-edit exceptions means when the prescription auto-processed a popup occurred. It may be something like "verify neo/poly/HC ear drop suspension vs. solution" where you hit ENTER and don't realize it even popped up, or something like a isotretinoin REMS "please enter RMA" prompt.

If you don't see a popup, I think it's probably a state-specific module doing something odd in the background. Check and you'll probably notice it's going through Medicaid or HDAP or something.

Using "use previous image" means there are multiple prescriptions on the last scanned page and you don't want to scan it again. It doesn't mean "use the image previously associated with this prescription".
 
Oh has anyone else come across the problem of a patient's name file somehow getting corrupted and there is no way to search for it on the local server so instead you have to do a central search. If you retype in their name under F1 this will fix the problem.

Also, I also wonder if anyone else has come across the really strange thing now where inactivated insurances completely disappear under F1, but if you get to it via F4 you can find them.

This happened to me today. A pt that normally fills at a diff CVS came to my store. I did central search and filled her script, then at pickup nothing shows up.

I do a search on rxconnect, nothing comes up, only when I did central search. This is the 3rd time this happened to me, first two times I put script on hold, then redo it and it works. This time that wasn't working.

Pt was a rude ass MF from the start, before this issue. So you can see this situation was not pretty... She was going crazy, yelling several negative remarks (toward me). I didn't know about the F1 trick and finally had to just make a whole new profile, add insurance info, and retype the script.


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It's not really "in house". They outsource to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) out of India. Google it combined with CVS.
 
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This happened to me today. A pt that normally fills at a diff CVS came to my store. I did central search and filled her script, then at pickup nothing shows up.

I called the help desk on this one. Apparently it's a very well known bug. It's caused by the local server not saving the patient as local patient. The way they had me fix it was to open the central profile, change the address to something else...save (this makes it get saved to the local disk)...go back in...change the address back...save. Then it works. The one time this happened to me, it did work.

Also, how can OP write all that and not even TOUCH the ridiculous and useless offline mode. They expect you to service customers with a system that won't allow you to get the prices of drugs. That's got to be the most infuriating and useless part of the whole shebang.
 
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When the names don't show up when you search at the pickup computer there is a way manually enter the barcode of the leaflet much like manually entering a upc. This bypasses the name search/dob entry screens. Good option if you want to get them out of there asap and not have to go back to a workstation and fumble around in F1
 
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Pre-edit exceptions means when the prescription auto-processed a popup occurred. It may be something like "verify neo/poly/HC ear drop suspension vs. solution" where you hit ENTER and don't realize it even popped up, or something like a isotretinoin REMS "please enter RMA" prompt.

If you don't see a popup, I think it's probably a state-specific module doing something odd in the background. Check and you'll probably notice it's going through Medicaid or HDAP or something.

Using "use previous image" means there are multiple prescriptions on the last scanned page and you don't want to scan it again. It doesn't mean "use the image previously associated with this prescription".

"Use previous image" would make sense if I had just typed another script for the same patient... but someone will call in 1 refill and it drops into QT as "Hard copy checks". I forget all of the options that it lets you select from but I know "use previous image" is one of them. Maybe that's not what I have been choosing otherwise I would have been yelled at by now. Actually now that I think about it "continue without edit" sounds right. I was thinking that this is for Medicare part B scripts and CVS wants you to double check the hard copy for ICD-10 and all of the other requirements but this makes no sense seeing as it's for a refill...

Both "hard copy checks" and "pre-edit exception" happen what seem like dozens of times a day wasting time.

Oh and now that I think about it there also another check... something like "COB Check" not sure the exact name. But the computer thinks you should be billing a secondary or something. I always just choose "W" which is "continue without edit". Is this something I should actually be calling the patient about/running an EC for? If I actually did this I'd not only waste an hour a day but would probably confuse and piss off customers if I called them because God knows they will have no idea what their coverage is.
 
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Oh and now that I think about it there also another check... something like "COB Check" not sure the exact name. But the computer thinks you should be billing a secondary or something. I always just choose "W" which is "continue without edit". Is this something I should actually be calling the patient about/running an EC for? If I actually did this I'd not only waste an hour a day but would probably confuse and piss off customers if I called them because God knows they will have no idea what their coverage is.
That typically means they had a Medicare part d plan entered as Medicare wrap coverage some time before anyone cared if the right plan was entered (only BIN had to match) or the Medicare system thinks they have wrap coverage that wasn't billed. If you have a part B ID number on file and want to be thorough, you could do a Medicare eligibility check, but I wouldn't go any further than that.
 
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That typically means they had a Medicare part d plan entered as Medicare wrap coverage some time before anyone cared if the right plan was entered (only BIN had to match) or the Medicare system thinks they have wrap coverage that wasn't billed. If you have a part B ID number on file and want to be thorough, you could do a Medicare eligibility check, but I wouldn't go any further than that.

Am I supposed to change it? Does it matter if I just leave it lol
 
Am I supposed to change it? Does it matter if I just leave it lol
You're probably supposed to bill all available third parties. But this message is so rarely accurate, it may not really matter what you do.
 
If this is California, you shouldn't have filled brand Risperdal because reimbursement is fixed regardless of brand versus generic (in other words eat a huge loss by dispensing brand).
 
search for Linet Medicare and enter SS# and letter A or B for ID.


Anyone knows how to resolve this issue? For Medicaid, I have the TAR number and patient requests Brand Name Risperdal....it used to go be paid for....now since August, it blocked me from billing the brand name Risperdal. I called the helpdesk and they don't know how to resolve it. They want me to get a new hardcopy with DAW-1..... help.
Your first paragraph isn't really a question.

Your second paragraph is state-specific, but we don't know which state you're talking about.
 
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search for Linet Medicare and enter SS# and letter A or B for ID.


Anyone knows how to resolve this issue? For Medicaid, I have the TAR number and patient requests Brand Name Risperdal....it used to go be paid for....now since August, it blocked me from billing the brand name Risperdal. I called the helpdesk and they don't know how to resolve it. They want me to get a new hardcopy with DAW-1..... help.

You have to go to A for additional info, put patient requested brand in the DAW, process, CVS will block it, then you put it on hold, then reprocess it again I think and it will go through. It's a glitch.

Or just tell them they don't need brand name
 
Did it work for you this month? I got this issue this month.....never had this issue before. When I put Daw-2 or DAW-6 or DAW-7, it asked me to put in the TAR or SAR number. I put it in and it still won't let me process it. WTF.

I have no idea what a TAR or SAR number is... but after you put the DAW and TAR/SAR number in and it blocks it try putting it directly on hold and then reprocessing it again I think it might fix it.

But does the rejection actually say **CVS** or is it an insurance reject?
 
It may not be chain-specific (I don't work for CVS) as it appears the FFS processor no longer accepts any DAW other than 1 for brand and if there is no TAR for brand, only if brand is required for dispensing (these days it would be just Abilify and Singular 10 mg brand)

IMO you shouldn't even do a TAR for brand if generic is available because you won't get reimbursed accordingly.
 
I can't wait for something like star ratings for Medicaid. I'd nope the **** out
 
I can't wait for something like star ratings for Medicaid. I'd nope the **** out

Medicaid sucks. CVS system makes us waste more time trying to process medicaid scripts with all of its additional information crap.
 
The system was built by Harvard/Duke grads that have absolutely zero idea what's involved in a pharmacy. You would think the with the CEO being a former pharmacist, that he would know to hire pharmacists to do these kinds of stuff.
Just like medical electronic records. Must be nice to be ivory tower
 
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Medicaid sucks. CVS system makes us waste more time trying to process medicaid scripts with all of its additional information crap.

In my state medicaid covers almost anything and everything which makes my job easier but probably isn't how it should be, lol. Medicare B on the other hand... what a nightmare. All the bullsit forms, extra steps, diag codes, having to literally document their brand of nebulizer? What the hell? Of course they have a nebulizer what the hell else do they think they are doing with the neb solution? And why is it my job to document all of this in the first place for Medicare? My employer is losing money as a whole with med B as it is and now I also have to do their paperwork for them too just for the privilege of losing money? What a joke
 
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If Medicaid there only covers the brand name, use a DAW 9 and it should go through. If you're getting a CVS rejection, fill up the prior auth field with all zeros plus '9994' at the end and reprocess. I read on here that's the override code for the CVS-specific rejections that ask you to change the brand to a generic.
 
So I come in to my shift at 3PM at a relatively slow store. Computers are going at a rate of about 1 page loaded per 30 seconds (I timed it). The main internet connection was down and they were using a backup. Which I guess was what they use to transmit credit card data or something. If you go into QT to try to type new RXs, you get to the end of the order entry and right after it asks for your credentials to go to the Rx scan screen..."Throwable Exception Has Occured." So you couldn't clear the queue. You could (very slowly) type in manually. It literally took about 5 minutes to go from loading the patient profile to complete billing and scanning.

So there is no practical way to do order entry. Readyfills still sitting there from the AM. I can do like 20 scripts an hour in between the phone calls...of which I'm switching screens and checking 2 Rxs simultaneously as each screen loads a different Rx. It managed to actually be more useless than offline mode. At least offline mode was sort of zippy. Sure, you had to pull drug prices out of your ass, but at least you didn't have time to do your taxes in between the verification screens loading. Help desk knew about it. Nobody seemed to be in any rush to actually fix it. Thankfully there was a Target down the street I could send them all to.

This IT department. Lord.
 
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Pre-edit exceptions means when the prescription auto-processed a popup occurred.

I think this comes up when the patient has a forced profile note as well. I suppose the logic is if it is forced someone has to read it. Of course no one does and the note itself is pointless too and it just wastes time.
 
So I come in to my shift at 3PM at a relatively slow store. Computers are going at a rate of about 1 page loaded per 30 seconds (I timed it). The main internet connection was down and they were using a backup. Which I guess was what they use to transmit credit card data or something. If you go into QT to try to type new RXs, you get to the end of the order entry and right after it asks for your credentials to go to the Rx scan screen..."Throwable Exception Has Occured." So you couldn't clear the queue. You could (very slowly) type in manually. It literally took about 5 minutes to go from loading the patient profile to complete billing and scanning.

So there is no practical way to do order entry. Readyfills still sitting there from the AM. I can do like 20 scripts an hour in between the phone calls...of which I'm switching screens and checking 2 Rxs simultaneously as each screen loads a different Rx. It managed to actually be more useless than offline mode. At least offline mode was sort of zippy. Sure, you had to pull drug prices out of your ass, but at least you didn't have time to do your taxes in between the verification screens loading. Help desk knew about it. Nobody seemed to be in any rush to actually fix it. Thankfully there was a Target down the street I could send them all to.

This IT department. Lord.
I have actually told them they needed to put me into offline mode after 48 hours of satellite connection. They didn't do it, but I did get to talk to someone in a department where they know what is actually happening. They were able to give real updates instead of "well, the note says a tech was on site an hour ago" (on site being at some Verizon location God-knows-where).
 
It's just a waste of time calling them.... 50 other stores have already bugged them about it and they already know they are incompetent
 
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So I come in to my shift at 3PM at a relatively slow store. Computers are going at a rate of about 1 page loaded per 30 seconds (I timed it). The main internet connection was down and they were using a backup. Which I guess was what they use to transmit credit card data or something. If you go into QT to try to type new RXs, you get to the end of the order entry and right after it asks for your credentials to go to the Rx scan screen..."Throwable Exception Has Occured." So you couldn't clear the queue. You could (very slowly) type in manually. It literally took about 5 minutes to go from loading the patient profile to complete billing and scanning.

So there is no practical way to do order entry. Readyfills still sitting there from the AM. I can do like 20 scripts an hour in between the phone calls...of which I'm switching screens and checking 2 Rxs simultaneously as each screen loads a different Rx. It managed to actually be more useless than offline mode. At least offline mode was sort of zippy. Sure, you had to pull drug prices out of your ass, but at least you didn't have time to do your taxes in between the verification screens loading. Help desk knew about it. Nobody seemed to be in any rush to actually fix it. Thankfully there was a Target down the street I could send them all to.

This IT department. Lord.

I had this happen at my store...but for almost a solid week...of pure agony & hell. Thoughts & glances at the fentanyl safe each day to put an end to the misery. This lag glitch always seems to happen at 4:04am for about 1 minute...anyone else's store do this?
 
I had this happen at my store...but for almost a solid week...of pure agony & hell. Thoughts & glances at the fentanyl safe each day to put an end to the misery. This lag glitch always seems to happen at 4:04am for about 1 minute...anyone else's store do this?

What happens almost daily for me is not a network problem but rather an individual computer will start running EXTREMELY slow and I have to restart it. I'm pretty sure my cell phone is running a heavier OS and has more processing power.

For a company worth over 100 billion dollars you would think they would fix some of the glaring bugs and gaps in functionality with the software too. All they have to do is ask the store level employees for feedback. I could come up with a list of a dozen things pretty quick that would make my day so much smoother/more efficient. It seems like they are more focused on the consumer side of things (improving the app, sending picture of insurance card into the QT, sending transfer request into the QT, etc.). They are all cool I guess but nobody really utilizes this anyways. Even with the app, readyfill, and online refills I answer the phone to process a script every 5 minutes all day long. And what's with some of the glaring gaps in functionality? Can't even generate an electronic fax/transfers?
 
I think it's funny that we don't even have Notepad so that we can type notes to leave for coworkers, make signs with large font, use for fax messages, etc. Every time I manually fax someone they have to deal with the horrible ordeal of trying to decipher my handwriting. Walgreens has this. What's the deal?
 
I think it's funny that we don't even have Notepad so that we can type notes to leave for coworkers, make signs with large font, use for fax messages, etc. Every time I manually fax someone they have to deal with the horrible ordeal of trying to decipher my handwriting. Walgreens has this. What's the deal?
I just email myself the note and print that.
 
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I just email myself the note and print that.

I have seen other people do that also, it just seems like that would be a pita.
 
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The input experience at CVS is horrible and dropped images is indefensible, and WTF @ offline mode, but some of the things you mentioned exist at Walmart. Scheduling (10:00 AM for future fill); cannot transfer controls multiple times within Walmart; can't fax a new script request for a new patient automatically; Rx info dumped after 2 years; can't open a second window even to multitask.

Personally I think I work a lot slower at Walmart because its inefficiencies add up 1000-cuts style + forced counseling, but then again I don't have to verify 500 rx a day.
 
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The input experience at CVS is horrible and dropped images is indefensible, and WTF @ offline mode, but some of the things you mentioned exist at Walmart. Scheduling (10:00 AM for future fill); cannot transfer controls multiple times within Walmart; can't fax a new script request for a new patient automatically; Rx info dumped after 2 years; can't open a second window even to multitask.

Personally I think I work a lot slower at Walmart because its inefficiencies add up 1000-cuts style + forced counseling, but then again I don't have to verify 500 rx a day.

At least at Wal-mart you have what seems like twice as many techs and an extra pharmacist for what I preceive as similar volume. At least that's what it looks like when I walk into my Walmart and count 8 people back there... of course there's probably a lot more waiters who are shopping where at CVS they stand there and stare at you until it's done.
 
At least at Wal-mart you have what seems like twice as many techs and an extra pharmacist for what I preceive as similar volume. At least that's what it looks like when I walk into my Walmart and count 8 people back there... of course there's probably a lot more waiters who are shopping where at CVS they stand there and stare at you until it's done.
Yeah. But having worked at both, I'd say that CVS is more understaffed than Walmart is overstaffed.
 
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When I was on rotation I scheduled rotations with CVS, Walgreens, Walmart and a local grocery chain. I couldn't wait for my CVS rotation to end. The work flow and computer system made me want to scream. I was totally shocked about the dropped images and manually faxing. After 4 weeks I wanted to just scream. I would get nauseous flipping through so many screens to just say yes your prescription is ready and the copay is $7.40.

I try to be patient when I call for transfers at CVS bc I know the pharmacists and techs are abused. Every time, I call CVS the music plays forever and I can't help but think of that movie, "1408" where the reporter is stuck in a haunted hotel room with the creepy music. "It's only just begun."
 
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I would get nauseous flipping through so many screens to just say yes your prescription is ready and the copay is $7.40.

Huh?

You do know all you had to do was type in "S' in the main profile screen to get a list of what is "waiting bin", in process (and the queue that it is in), along with whats sold, right? And right next to it it gives you the copayment amount.

So I don't really understand what you mean when you say you have to flip through so many pages.
 
I'm at this stage of sleep cycle where its almost lapped itself and I can't sleep.

So I'm at this pharmacy today. 24 hr store. They do 7-7 there. Which seems weird to me, but whatever. As you all know, I'm a night person. I had to drag my ass out of bed at 5:30AM...get on the road by 6AM...to get there by 7AM. I was starting to go at about 1PM. Yawning uncontrollably by 3PM. By 5PM, I was in a state of delirium. At one point, all the techs are busy and I hear "Lane One." So I lumber over. There there I am...probably a very disheveled looking expression...slide open the door...I look at the woman in the car and I actually say to her, while she's sitting in the drive thru..."Thanks for calling CVS, we have flu shots available, this is the pharmacist speaking how can I help you?" Gave her the entire phone answering spiel. Awkward.

While we're complaining in this thread...can we change the damned voice some day? Having to hear that thing say "One pharmacy call" or "Lane One" over and over and over and over makes us all want to rip the god damned phone out of the wall and chuck it out the drive through.

I'm going to write a short story where I kidnap the upper management of CVS and lock them in a room. And they have to listen to that voice say "1 pharmacy call." over and over again.

I wonder if Merlo's phone says "1 CEO call" when it rings.

I wonder who's voice that is. Is it completely synth? Is there an actual guy whose voice sounds that ridiculous? I have a mental image of him. I always picture this short little dude...like 5'2"...really skinny...wearing a wizard outfit...hat and all...sitting in the corner of a CVS at a podium...announcing every call and drive-up as it happens. Emotionless, mechanical expression on his face. A tormenting gaze.

I need sleep.
 
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