Pharmacist takes a stand for profession/patients
- Thread starter Argentium
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great article. too bad it isnt in any major headlines lol.
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This is a good article for all the pre-pharms and pharmacy students to read. You know the ones always spouting off about changing your circumstances if you don't like them or life is 10% what happens to and 90% how you react to it. Here is a pharmacist doing the right thing and look what happened. It will take more than one pharmacist standing up it will take all of our collective voices. I still do not think that will be enough.
Change will not come from within the profession. Change will come about when the public demands change. Most of the major regulations governing pharmacy came about due to public outrage. Right now we live in a fast food McDonalds society where how fast will it be done is the only concern.
I do applaud him for his efforts. Its too bad some of his collegues did not stand up with him.
Change will not come from within the profession. Change will come about when the public demands change. Most of the major regulations governing pharmacy came about due to public outrage. Right now we live in a fast food McDonalds society where how fast will it be done is the only concern.
I do applaud him for his efforts. Its too bad some of his collegues did not stand up with him.
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Totally agree, I personally can't stand how utterly impatient and easily angered people are/get in our society. Everything is now now now hurry hurry hurry. No I can't wait 38 seconds for "that" because I'm in this huge important hurry to go nowhere!
People do not exercise tolerance, patience and empathy nearly as much as they should. You see it on the roads when you drive, in line at the grocery store, bank, pharmacy, etc etc etc. Yet, people are more than willing to wait 2 hours in line at Disney for a 3 minute ride...go figure
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why doesnt everyone forward this article over to CNN, foxnews, msn, drudge report, etc and get it picked up. the more people that email those news outlets, the more likely they are to pick it up.
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Exactly. It's not impossible to do this type of work in mail order. It's totally different than hospital or retail. Sounds like this guy was just a bad employee.
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Very likely, but nobody knows for sure. Seems to me that this man is going through an awful lot of trouble and headaches to prove his point/case. I tend to side with the underdog (just my nature), so I am more inclined to believe his case. I am pretty skeptical when it comes to big business, whether it be Pharma, Oil, Banking, etc. We all know how big corporations love to squeeze the maximum amount of work out of their employees, as well as cut corners and costs...in the name of bigger corporate bonuses and impressing wall street.
So, it's not unlikely that Medco was pushing the limits morally and ethically regarding a reasonable workload for a pharmacist in one hour. We also know how gray the line of accountability and checks/balances is regarding regulators of the industry and the industry itself, in general. For his case to be dismissed based on lack of merit, could just be the "big boys" watching out for themselves. I'm not saying a massive conspiracy or cover up is at work here, it doesn't take much effort from those in power/with power to squash one man's voice or discredit him for that matter.
Given all the trouble he's going through to prove is point, I hope he's being honest and sincere with his claims.
If they're asking 55 scripts/hour/pharmacist, there are going to be lots of errors. Even for a "fast" pharmacist that's a high output.
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65 seconds a script?
That's ridiculous.
If the public only knew how dismal the quality control was from this pharmacy...
My store averages 180/day. I think I'm making more now on an intern salary than as an rph on your business model. Quiet before CVS hears you!
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Excellent point.
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I left a job where it was 45-60 scripts/hour, and I was afraid I would kill somebody. It was also a tense place where they took a hard line on customer behaviour, something I thought I'd like after 12 years at "the customer is always right even if they're total psychos" Shoppers Drug Mart. But the constant screaming fights between the techs and the customers only ramped up the stress.
One of the current inmates at the jail was a customer at this pharmacy. He's up on charges of robbery, assault, fraud. Anyhow, he stopped going to this pharmacy, he says, because they "behaved badly."
One of the current inmates at the jail was a customer at this pharmacy. He's up on charges of robbery, assault, fraud. Anyhow, he stopped going to this pharmacy, he says, because they "behaved badly."
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The old link seemed to have expired. Is there a new link to this article you posted?
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Now why was this thread necro'd? I'm curious how it ended, did the pharmacist starve to death?
I imagine Medco was not at all happy about the letter he sent to the state, but did they fire all of the pharmacists who signed it, or just Bhat? If it was just him, then I can see what the case was dismissed.
Also, it sounds like he is just doing computer review, 65 scripts/per hour sounds reasonable if that is the only thing the person is doing (no typing, no product review, no interruptions from patients, etc.)
I imagine Medco was not at all happy about the letter he sent to the state, but did they fire all of the pharmacists who signed it, or just Bhat? If it was just him, then I can see what the case was dismissed.
Also, it sounds like he is just doing computer review, 65 scripts/per hour sounds reasonable if that is the only thing the person is doing (no typing, no product review, no interruptions from patients, etc.)
Do you have to call the doctor for clarification or when a mistake/interaction is found or do you hit a button and send it to someone else? What about fixing typing errors? One or two doctor calls can ruin that 65 scripts/hr quota. You are more likely to look the other way if you are pressured to verify a large amount of scripts per hour. If he doesn't have to call MD or fix any mistakes personally, then that number is reasonably.
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That's a good question. I've never worked mail-order, so I don't know for sure. It sounds like he does have to call to clarify...does the system allow him to continue verifying RX's while he is on hold with the dr's office? I don't think fixing typing errors should take very long, or even the actual talking to the right person at the office, but if he can't do anything else while he is on hold with the office, that would definitely slow things down.
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How does remote verification or mail order verification work if you have "trivial" errors, e.g., fluticasone "dispense 1 spray," Breo "30 blister," "amoxicillin tabs," Basaglar 9 mL etc.
I never call on those and annotate that the prescriber "authorized" correct pack size or dosage form because they hired a bunch of idiots to do order entry.
I never call on those and annotate that the prescriber "authorized" correct pack size or dosage form because they hired a bunch of idiots to do order entry.
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