CVS transfer notation

[FoamD]

Does anyone who's worked at CVS Pharmacy understand the notations for a prescription transfer? My preceptor explained it to me, but I am still confused.

If you're calling the other pharmacy for information regarding a prescription transfer to your pharmacy and the pharmacist at the other store tells you the patient has 1 refill coming to you, then you write "1+0" under # of refills on the prescription pad. What does the "0" denote? ..And how many prescriptions total would they get filled? Would it be two? Since the transfer counts as 1 and the patient has 1 more refill?

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[All4MyDaughter]

It means they are transferring only one fill to you.

1 (today's fill) + 0 future fills

So you would enter:

Gorillacillin 1000 g
Take 1 tab PO QID
#120
No refills


1 + 1 means you can fill it today and then one more time

In this case you'd enter:

Gorillacillin 1000 g
Take 1 tab PO QID
#120
1 refill

and so on...

 

[FoamD]

Thanks for clarifying that. That was really helpful.

 

[PharmDstudent]

It's much easier just to find out how many pills they have left on the prescription, then break it down to refills from there. With 90 day scripts and the like, patients aren't filling exactly what the script says (as often anymore), so the number of refills may be not be exactly right.

 

[FoamD]

So...

If I am calling another pharmacy for a transcription transfer to my own pharmacy, and the pharmacist says 3 refills left, then on the prescription transfer pad I should write:

1+3

That means 1 fill today and 3 future fills...

But if the receptionist calls in from the doctors office (a phone prescription), and says the patient has 3 refills, then on the prescription pad I should just write:

3

I should not use the X+Y notation on phone-prescriptions. and they're getting 4 fills total. 1 fill today plus 3 future fills.

Am I off the mark?

I am not talking about inputting the number of refills on the computer. This is filling out the prescription paper slip (part of prescription pad) that gets sent to drop off where the techs will type it into the computer.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

No, if the transferring pharmacist tells you that there are three fills, you will put 1 + 2. You will be using one fill at the time of the transfer and there will be 2 refills.

 

[owlegrad]

I recommend when you read back the transfer that you read back exactly what you wrote. So in your example you might say, "So that's three refills, 1+2". That gives the transferring pharmacist the chance to correct any misunderstandings.

 

[FoamD]

So in your example you might say, "So that's three refills, 1+2".

OK, so in the example you've given there is three refills. 3 = 1+2, which means 1 is a refill, and 2 are both refills. That makes three refills.

That's got me confused with this example.

1 + 1 means you can fill it today and then one more time

In this case you'd enter:

Gorillacillin 1000 g
Take 1 tab PO QID
#120
1 refill

In this example, there is 1 refill. But 1 is not equal to 1 + 1.

So, in owelgrad's example, there is no descrimination between fills (fill today) and refills (future fills). They are all refills. In (X + Y) notation, X and Y are both refills. But in All4mydaughter's example, fills and refills are discriminated. In (X+Y) notation, X may be a fill and Y may be a refill.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

At the old pharmacy, the prescription has three refills remaining. The patient can get this particular med three more times, whether that is at the old pharmacy or your store. Keep this in mind. The pharmacist is transferring you three fills. You are creating a new RX with three total fills. The fill you will do today plus two refills.

 

[owlegrad]

You are making this more confusing than it is. One refill means 1+0. 3 refills means 1+2. I do not see a descripensy between what I said and what A4MD said.

What about this is confusing you? You are transferring refills. Everything that is sent to you is a refill. When they say 2 refills they mean exactly that - you can refill it twice. That would be 1+1. Perhaps it would help to remember that no one will ever transfer a prescription with 0 refills - that would mean that it cannot be refilled. Does that help?

And always read it back!

 

[PharmDstudent]

Honestly, it's bad terminology. But it's traditional. They should say the total number of refills remaining and not break it down like that... but that's just how they say it.

To make it easy on yourself, just add those numbers together to get the number of refills remaining. So... if they say 1+2, then add 1+2 to get 3, and then give the person 3 refills remaining.

 

[Ackj]

Another example of NY strict, but sometimes simplifying laws: you can only transfer one refill at a time.

 

[FoamD]

I do not see a descripensy between what I said and what A4MD said.

You don't?

When they say 2 refills they mean exactly that - you can refill it twice. That would be 1+1.

Ok, so 1+1 = 2 refills

1 + 1 means you can fill it today and then one more time
In this case you'd enter:
1 refill

Ok, so 1+1 = 1 refill

1+1 = 2 refills vs. 1+1 = 1 refill. That was my confusion.

Everything that is sent to you is a refill.

I see.

At the old pharmacy, the prescription has three refills remaining. The patient can get this particular med three more times, whether that is at the old pharmacy or your store. Keep this in mind. The pharmacist is transferring you three fills. You are creating a new RX with three total fills. The fill you will do today plus two refills.

So, I should write 1+2 the next time the pharmacist tells me there's 3 refills on a prescription transfer. Because all 3 are refills with one filling today and 2 filling in the future.

To make it easy on yourself, just add those numbers together to get the number of refills remaining. So... if they say 1+2, then add 1+2 to get 3, and then give the person 3 refills remaining.

Thanks for the tip.

 

[taken2]

At the old pharmacy, the prescription has three refills remaining. The patient can get this particular med three more times, whether that is at the old pharmacy or your store. Keep this in mind. The pharmacist is transferring you three fills. You are creating a new RX with three total fills. The fill you will do today plus two refills.

This is the best way to remember it.

 

[Ackj]

1+1 = 2 refills vs. 1+1 = 1 refill. That was my confusion.

1+1 = 2 refills, but you write "1 refill" on the rx, hence the "1+1" You are filling one today, which is acting as a new rx for you. That new rx has one more refill. However, the one you are treating as the new rx is actually a refill for the patient, since it is being transferred from another store. 1 transfer rx + 1 refill on that transfer = 2 fills at your store, which are both refills, but when you hand them the bottle, it says "1 refill"

 

[Sparda29]

Another example of NY strict, but sometimes simplifying laws: you can only transfer one refill at a time.

I love this about NY.

 

[FoamD]

1+1 = 2 refills, but you write "1 refill" on the rx, hence the "1+1" You are filling one today, which is acting as a new rx for you. That new rx has one more refill. However, the one you are treating as the new rx is actually a refill for the patient, since it is being transferred from another store. 1 transfer rx + 1 refill on that transfer = 2 fills at your store, which are both refills, but when you hand them the bottle, it says "1 refill"

Gotcha.

 

[owlegrad]

Another example of NY strict, but sometimes simplifying laws: you can only transfer one refill at a time.

I love this about NY.

Fast question for you NY people. Sometimes when I call for transfers (NY to FL) they give me all the refills and other times they tell me they can only transfer 1 refill. They only ever accept one refill when they are asking for the transfer of course.

So, if you are in NY and you are transferring out to another state, are you allowed to transfer everything?

Unrelated to that question, when you are transferring instate do you "keep" the extra refills or are they lost? For that one I am just curious.

 

[R xxx]

How does it work if you can only transfer 1 refill? Do you inactivate the old prescription? Rewrite it with one less refill? If the rest of the refills are lost, then it makes sense as it will force them to stop transferring back and forth.

 

[Sparda29]

Fast question for you NY people. Sometimes when I call for transfers (NY to FL) they give me all the refills and other times they tell me they can only transfer 1 refill. They only ever accept one refill when they are asking for the transfer of course.

So, if you are in NY and you are transferring out to another state, are you allowed to transfer everything?

Unrelated to that question, when you are transferring instate do you "keep" the extra refills or are they lost? For that one I am just curious.

Transferring into NY or out of NY I tell them the same thing. If I'm transferring to Florida, I tell them it's 1+0 and the remaining fills must stay at this pharmacy.

If I'm transferring one from Florida, then I tell them I can only take 1 fill and to put the rest of them on hold in their store.

 

[owlegrad]

Transferring into NY or out of NY I tell them the same thing. If I'm transferring to Florida, I tell them it's 1+0 and the remaining fills must stay at this pharmacy.

If I'm transferring one from Florida, then I tell them I can only take 1 fill and to put the rest of them on hold in their store.

Was that you yesterday?

Of course if that is the law, that is the law. Does anything stop someone from calling each month for the next fill? I am just confused how it works. 😕

 

[SuperDuperSuper]

Foam, think of it in terms of tangible objects, buddy.

Patient is only allowed to get 4 more apples refills at store A.
They transfer his remaining apples to you at store B.
You write 4 refills of one apple remaining.
That's 1 apple (NOW) + 3 later.


You cannot simply create an extra refill out of thin air because you're transferring a prescription. 4 apples at store A is still only 4 apples at store B.