How to deal with very slow Rph calling for transfers?

[jmail]

Hi guys,
There is this very slow Rph, who calls for transfers and keeps re-asking the same info multiple times.
When I say I can fax you the transfer, he refuses, and states the pt needs it now.
when I give it to him verbally one transfer on a simple rx takes about 10 minutes.
He does not want to be put on hold. One time me and one tech were at the pharmacy, we had a line in the drive through and at the counter, tech in the drive through and I am at the counter, and this Rph kept calling for transfers. I put him on hold, he hangs up and calls back. He probably called about 30 times untill my tech was able to answer his call.
Ive been transferring him rxs for more than a year, and he still wants me to spell my name. I spell it once but he wants me to repeat it.
I feel like he is doing it on purpose.
When I call for transfers, I do not need my neighboring pharmacist to spell their names, I recognize their voices, we talk to each other few times a week, why would I need their names spelled? He wants me to spell my name TWICE after a year of doing transfers back and forth.
We do 400-600rx per day, today was my 12 hr shift, 400 rxs. I cant spend 10 min on a transfer.

How would you deal with an Rph who deliberately trying to annoy you?

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[JustFillIt]

Who the hell knows how to fix the problems in a retail pharmacy these days. It’s futile..

In all honesty the guy is under the same pressures as you are and he is likely just making sure he does not make a mistake...

Are you in a state where a technician can transfer? That is what I did when I was the ringleader in the circus known as retail pharmacy.

I will say this - I do whole heartedly support the transfer and readback method to ensure accuracy. In my opinion a readback is essential.. However, I feel like I am a minority in this thinking.

If someone is deliberately trying to annoy you - it is up to you to assert some dominance and make them put a lid on it. I dunno - can’t say I ever dealt with someone “picking on me” in my career..

 

[PharmDminus]

Hi guys,
There is this very slow Rph, who calls for transfers and keeps re-asking the same info multiple times.
When I say I can fax you the transfer, he refuses, and states the pt needs it now.
when I give it to him verbally one transfer on a simple rx takes about 10 minutes.
He does not want to be put on hold. One time me and one tech were at the pharmacy, we had a line in the drive through and at the counter, tech in the drive through and I am at the counter, and this Rph kept calling for transfers. I put him on hold, he hangs up and calls back. He probably called about 30 times untill my tech was able to answer his call.
Ive been transferring him rxs for more than a year, and he still wants me to spell my name. I spell it once but he wants me to repeat it.
I feel like he is doing it on purpose.
When I call for transfers, I do not need my neighboring pharmacist to spell their names, I recognize their voices, we talk to each other few times a week, why would I need their names spelled? He wants me to spell my name TWICE after a year of doing transfers back and forth.
We do 400-600rx per day, today was my 12 hr shift, 400 rxs. I cant spend 10 min on a transfer.

How would you deal with an Rph who deliberately trying to annoy you?

this is really bad. how does this pharmacist have time for this? is he working for an independent or a chain? i would call him out first, and if no improvement then report him to his employer. i am sure his employer would like to know how inefficient he is. plenty of new grads who could take his place for cheaper and do a better job

 

[Sine Cura]

Tell him nicely the first time and then the next time tell him to **** right off. I promise you won't get a board citation and who cares about "collegiality." Respect is a two-way street and he is being disrespectful by being a turd sloth

TBH the only time I really had any beef was with some pharmacist at a rando OOS independent that got upset because I "talked too fast" when giving a copy even though I repeated myself when asked. LOL high and mighty retail pharmacist. Guess some people process information very slowly and suck ass at pattern recognition, like pharmacists that take 2 minutes to check a metformin data entry.

 

[radio frequency]

Why don’t you go meet him in person at his pharmacy and introduce yourself so he can put a face to the name? Maybe write your name down for him or give him a business card. Then the next time he calls, act like old pals...”remember me?! You have my card; you don’t need me to spell my name!”

Tell him honestly when you guys are really backed up; promise you’ll call back, and do it immediately when you have a chance. Is the patient waiting on a medication that isn’t critical? Well, transfers aren’t immediate. He needs to set appropriate patient expectations too.

All the other read back stuff is critical because it can lead to errors, and some people just write slowly. But maybe try to make a friend and he might be easier to deal with.

 

[rxkrafted]

If this isn't your first rodeo with him and he continues to take that long and realizes how long it takes, i'd straight up tell him that i will fax him the info because i'm too busy to waste more than 10 mins on the phone with him. Then i would ask him for his supervisors number or make a complaint. Sounds like he is a slow pharmacist working in a slow pharmacy because no way he would be able to last that long if it was your typical retail high volume pharmacy.

 

[radio frequency]

Who the hell knows how to fix the problems in a retail pharmacy these days. It’s futile..

In all honesty the guy is under the same pressures as you are and he is likely just making sure he does not make a mistake...

Are you in a state where a technician can transfer? That is what I did when I was the ringleader in the circus known as retail pharmacy.

I will say this - I do whole heartedly support the transfer and readback method to ensure accuracy. In my opinion a readback is essential.. However, I feel like I am a minority in this thinking.

If someone is deliberately trying to annoy you - it is up to you to assert some dominance and make them put a lid on it.

Who the hell knows how to fix the problems in a retail pharmacy these days. It’s futile..

In all honesty the guy is under the same pressures as you are and he is likely just making sure he does not make a mistake...

Are you in a state where a technician can transfer? That is what I did when I was the ringleader in the circus known as retail pharmacy.

I will say this - I do whole heartedly support the transfer and readback method to ensure accuracy. In my opinion a readback is essential.. However, I feel like I am a minority in this thinking.

If someone is deliberately trying to annoy you - it is up to you to assert some dominance and make them put a lid on it. I dunno - can’t say I ever dealt with someone “picking on me” in my career..

The readback method can save your license if it wasn’t your mistake. It’s critical, in my opinion. I’ve seen discipline of a colleague for a transfer error that they thought wasn’t theirs. I always try to be sure the other pharmacist on my line has all the info needed in case there is an actual issue.

Quoted you two times by mistake and I’m too annoyed with my phone to delete it.

 

[RxPreceptor]

Not sure why yous guys can't just send faxes; don't dilly-dally/hold off, fax ASAP/while on phone with said RPh. Pretty much every RPh I transfer with prefers faxes (other than mail order places or technology snafus)

Yeah, I like the idea of going in and personally saying hello....nothing creepy/stalker like, just hand them a business card, social distance shake hand gesture LOL. Maybe a functional autistic person

 

[sadface]

Not sure why yous guys can't just send faxes; don't dilly-dally/hold off, fax ASAP/while on phone with said RPh. Pretty much every RPh I transfer with prefers faxes (other than mail order places or technology snafus)

Faxing seems superior but my state doesn’t allow it legally 😔.

 

[footfairy]

It's not up to him if you fax the RX or do it verbally. As far as I know your only obligation is to transfer the prescription in a reasonable amount of time.

So get all the information your system requires for a fax the next time he's not working, and just fax him the script and hang up.

Faxing even eliminates the need to do a read back since all the information is there in writing.

 

[wagrxm2000]

Sounds like faxing is allowed in your state, so fax it.

Faxing literally takes a minute to receive.

 

[owlegrad]

I am with the others here. I would straight refuse to spell my name. Just be honest and straight with him. “I don’t have 10 minutes to do a transfer and I am not going to waste time confirming the non-clinical information.” Frankly I would probably insist that if transfers are going to take more than 1 minute I will read you the script ONE TIME (no read back if it is going to take more than 1 minute) and then fax it so you can confirm the information as many times as you like.

 

[Sine Cura]

Arizona (update to ARS in 2019), Nevada and California allow transfers by fax anyway

 

[RxPreceptor]

I am with the others here. I would straight refuse to spell my name. Just be honest and straight with him. “I don’t have 10 minutes to do a transfer and I am not going to waste time confirming the non-clinical information.” Frankly I would probably insist that if transfers are going to take more than 1 minute I will read you the script ONE TIME (no read back if it is going to take more than 1 minute) and then fax it so you can confirm the information as many times as you like.

Ok dude, like how the hell am I suppose to know there is a silent 'E' in "Owle"? Are you trying to make me look stupid!!!!??!@#!>!>LMFAO

 

[panicatthepharmacy]

When I say I can fax you the transfer, he refuses, and states the pt needs it now.

I don't give a **** whether the patient is waiting or not. Tell him "I'll fax it to you ASAP" and hang up.

 

[lord999]

There is no state that requires a transfer. When I actively practiced, unless it was a scheduled, I just faxed for a new from the prescriber and not play the telephone game. I’d just refuse if fax wasn’t an option.

 

[Sine Cura]

I don't think the concept of prescription info transfer even exists in most parts of the world. Only in (North?) America because "convenience"

It's kinda nuts that a prescription in one EU country will be honored in another EU country.

 

[mentos]

Omg no wonder pharmacists are considered door mats. Tell him to f*ck off and fax the damn thing.

 

[zelman]

There is no state that requires a transfer. When I actively practiced, unless it was a scheduled, I just faxed for a new from the prescriber and not play the telephone game. I’d just refuse if fax wasn’t an option.

I believe TX does require transfers within 4 hours of common open hours, but they are the only one IIRC.

 

[zelman]

Call his voicemail on a second phone line and once you hear the beep talk into both phones and give the transfer at whatever speed you find appropriate. When he asks you to repeat yourself, tell him it’s on his voicemail and hang up.

 

[Farmgurl20]

Sounds like faxing is allowed in your state, so fax it.

Faxing literally takes a minute to receive.

I don’t know why but my manager didn’t like getting it faxed. He would always make me call every pharmacy. This is when I was intern and grad intern. Also, at one of rotation I was asked to do 5 transfer becuase dumb Kaiser wouldn’t fax it.

 

[Farmgurl20]

Lol my PM always made us call for transfer or have us stay on phone to do transfer. I couldn’t believe at this day in age we had to be on phone to do verbal where this could be done by fax.

 

[Sine Cura]

Lol my PM always made us call for transfer or have us stay on phone to do transfer. I couldn’t believe at this day in age we had to be on phone to do verbal where this could be done by fax.

You either had a dip**** PM (because in California you can fax and calling Kaiser for a transfer takes forever if the pharmacy tech just shunts you off to the call center) or he wanted to give you busywork.

 

[stevephhs016]

Guy's a douche pain and simple. Call him out. I would purposely keep him on hold, and let him keep calling then. Also, if I do that transfer, I'm only repeating once if it seems like you had a hard time hearing. And not for everything.

 

[RxPreceptor]

I don’t know why but my manager didn’t like getting it faxed. He would always make me call every pharmacy. This is when I was intern and grad intern. Also, at one of rotation I was asked to do 5 transfer becuase dumb Kaiser wouldn’t fax it.

Probably wanted you to get experience in listening/understanding verbal orders...can be a bit tough at first, especially when there is so much variance in how someone pronounces a drug name (let alone biases in saying brand names vs generic....generic names are apparently too intimidating for many "older" people to pronounce)

 

[M0df]

I will take the other side for fun.

I'm not saying I don't believe that transferring pharmacist is slow or not trying to get on your nerves... BUT there is a lot of exaggerations in original post!

Why are you guys picking up the phone 30 times.... or counting how many times it rings. I thought the rule was that if you are busy enough, you don't bother with the phone!

Call him for a transfer and give him some of that medicine! If he doesn't get it, keep putting him on hold or let it ring.