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McPharmacy-This is hilarious
Started by minette
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There was a Medicaid customer who dropped off Malathion prescriptions for all of her five children, all of them also on Medicaid. Our pharmacy did not did not stock that many bottles so we order for her products to arrive the next day. Meanwhile, we submitted the claims to the regional medicaid office in order for her medications to be free (for her, not for taxpayers). The next day, all the Malathion bottles arrived. However, for whatever reasons only two of her five children's claims were approved. When the mother called and learned about this, she was F R I G G I N pissed. First, she blasted my tech who answered her call for half hour, then she demanded to speak to a pharmacist. When I got on the phone, she blasted me for another 30 minutes, telling us how we were not doing our job, how horribly her poor babies were suffering, how we were lying to her because the Medicaid office had already sent her proof that all the meds were covered. She demanded that we surrendered the five bottles of Malathion right away, free of charge. For every minute I tried to reason with her, she spent 10 minutes yelling at me. Because of her, our workflow got piled up, and dozens of other civilized customers who had been patiently waiting for their orders had their orders delayed.
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Are you guys kidding me? YOU WORK IN RETAIL! Despite what you want to believe, customers view you just like they view the subway sandwich artist and the guy at Dick's sporting goods ringing up your mountain bike. This is why pharmacists get NO RESPECT from the retail community because you're like the guy working at a sewage plant complaining of the smell...you asked for it.
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I wouldn't go as far to say people ask for it, but it's the nature of the beast in retail
So my question is why on earth would you stay on the phone with her for 30 minutes?
What d'you expect me to do? Hang up on her so she could complain to the corporate? I told her several times that this issue was beyond pharmacy's power and that we really have to wait for the Medicaid office to approve to her drugs. But no matter how hard I tried to reason with her, she would not let me hang up the phone until it was met her original demand that she get her medication right away and she get them free.
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I was going to ask the same question.
Yes. I would state the facts and then calmly tell the patient I would call her when I had more information. I would never stay on the phone for half an hour just to be verbally abused. It's pointless.
Newbie pharmacist. Don't be afraid to hang up on her. Explain the situation to whichever corporate mouthpiece calls you. Ignore them. Move on. Maybe she will go to a different pharmacy next time.
Agree with above. Staying on the phone doesn't prevent her from complaining to corporate anyway, and besides that it is a waste of time. Don't stay on the phone just to be abused.
I had done similarly thing to another unreasonable customer before, it was not even as extreme as hanging up on a customer. The customer was also being unreasonable on the phone, blaming us for things beyond our control, and threatening to transfer his meds away. All I did was agree to let him transfer his meds away if he really wanted to. Surely, he was mad that I did not beg him to stay with our pharmacy, and he complained to the upper level. The DM visited me the next day, and I was grilled and written up for not doing my job to retain customers. That written warning continues to stay with me.
Yes, if it were me when I was a newbie RPh, I would have hang up on this self-entitled welfare queen. But years of experiences in retail, unpaid loans, and the awareness that dozens of desperate new grads are ready to take over my position taught me to act better...as if my DM is always observing me from behind.
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Customers are always going to blame you for things beyond your control. Learn to check your ego at the door and show some empathy- It goes a lot farther than simply telling the patient what you can't do.
Also, would you act any differently if this were a well-off brat complaining about the copay on his/her brand Zoloft?
Also, would you act any differently if this were a well-off brat complaining about the copay on his/her brand Zoloft?
You sound like someone in pharmacy school with little real world experience. It's not about ego at all. There are customers who cost you more than they are worth. You are running a business. If you are wasting time getting yelled at you are not helping the 5 other patients who need and appreciate your help.
I would advise the OP to just bide your time at this chain until you can find a better place to work. It sounds like CVS or WAGS. They are taking pharmacy to new lows.
LOL...I wonder if it's possible to ever work with a medicaid patient that isn't a complete pain in the ass. Have yet to meet one who isn't.
So if your DM was standing behind you, you would just stay on the phone getting abused while your other patients were waiting on you? Do you think this is your DM's expectation? I would hate my job if I thought for a second that was the expectation.
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You sound like someone who assumes.
I see plenty of new grads and techs who would rather argue with a customer for 10 minutes to make their point rather than take the measures to diffuse the situation and solve the problem. Spending 30 minutes on the phone being yelled at isn't achieving the later.
I don't tolerate customers yelling at me. I guess I'm fortunate to have managers who back their employees.
Rock on brother!
Seriously. All you have to do is say the magic words "let me call the insurance company to find out what's going on". Even if you already know the answer. It's like an instant shut up button 90% of the time. It gives you a reason to get off the phone. Call them back in 20 minutes and tell them that it isn't covered and that they have further questions to contact the insurance because the insurance can't give the pharmacy any more information until they speak to the member first (white lie but it's your second escape route).
Obviously it's not always easy to do this, especially in high volume stores or stores with little tech help. Let the person know will call as soon as you can and will get back to them. Give them an estimate of an hour or 2 if it's busy.
If they don't accept that and it needs a PA, explain that the doctor needs to contact the insurance to do an authorization on the medication and until that gets done, the insurance won't cover it. Tell them you have already contacted the office and given them the information they need to complete the PA and now it's between the doctor's office and the insurance company (third escape).
If they're still insistent on the issue, tell them they are more than welcome to pay the cash price for it and avoid the insurance issue altogether (this is what usually gets Medicaid patients off my back because god forbid they spend a dollar of their own money in addition to them risking losing their benefits if they do that). If they don't want to pay the astronomical fee for the drug, then they'll have to wait.
Don't waste time arguing with people about insurance and explaining what you can and can't do. Just offer to attempt to fix the problem and the conversation goes a lot smoother. Even if you can't get it fixed, it shifts the fault (in their mind) away from you because you at least made an attempt to help.
Remember, most people that come to a pharmacy are usually sick, or have a loved one that is sick. These people are tired of doctor visits and waiting and they just want to go home. As a result they have short tempers. Don't take it personal. If you throw some compassion in like "sorry to keep you waiting" or "hopefully we can get this resolved soon so you can get better" they'll appreciate you. Even if you really don't mean it and wish they would die in a fiery car accident because they turned your waiting room into an episode of Jerry Springer 🙂
Very good post here. That is what i always do. Will tell them that i will call the insurance to see what it is going one, even though i aleady know what is going one. It works most of the time
Hah, I've used that insurance line before. Tell them that you're gonna call the insurance but don't actually call them. Just relay whatever it says on the computer and tell the customer you can't help them until they contact insurance themselves.
If it is a kid I usually say something like, "All I care about is making sure your child gets the medication he/she need. Unfortunately your insurance <whatever>. I can <whatever>". As long as they know you are on their side the conversation usually goes smoothly. Sometimes I say, "I need your help, please call your insurance to <whatever>." The point is I let them know I am on their side but something with the insurance has to happen for them to pay.
Bad ways to explain stuff:
"I can't fill that until xx" <--Not true, the insurance just won't pay for it until xx
"Your insurance requires a prior authorization." <---How many people are going to know what that means?
"I can't do anything, it's your insurance" <--OK that one is sorta true, but you need to phrase it better than that!
Bad ways to explain stuff:
"I can't fill that until xx" <--Not true, the insurance just won't pay for it until xx
"Your insurance requires a prior authorization." <---How many people are going to know what that means?
"I can't do anything, it's your insurance" <--OK that one is sorta true, but you need to phrase it better than that!
