Tech fill at Wally world???

[tongiecc]

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So, word on the street from a buddy of mine is that Wally is going full on tech fill/'tech do everything but verify', basically sounds like doing a walgreens "project one" but doing it full scale right away. I'm guessing that not only will this eliminate all overlap RPhs in the short term, but would pave the way for them pushing for remote verify/law changes. Someone please say it ain't so! I'm even afraid that a retail manpower meltdown would eventually affect hospital pay, even though I think it would be more difficult to get rid of us (but not impossible by any stretch). BTW anyone know of any promising career options as a backup plan (not really even kidding on that @ this point). Also, any opinion/inside info to negate my buddy's info would also be welcomed, as I'm not that troubled by it but I still don't like hearing about the continual degradation of pharmacy, and like to know if something I heard isn't actually truth.

 

[Rxnupe]

I am sorry but besides the supermarket pharmacies don't the techs for the most part in the major chains do everything but verify???? Majority of the prescriptions that are typed is done by a tech- the majority of prescriptions that are filled(production) is done by a tech drive thru and ringing up customers is normally done by a tech- answering the phone is largely done by the tech- I don't know any state that allows a tech to legally counsel or to administer flu shots.
So how is this any different than what goes on in the real "retail" world? I have heard that techs for Tom Thumb/Randalls/Safeway are not allowed to actually count and put pills in the bottle- but am I missing something here? What are Wal-Mart techs doing they you wouldn't see at a typical CVS or WAGS?

 

[tongiecc]

Yeah I agree, what I put down doesn't really explain what he said and sounds pretty dumb (techs fill Rxs pretty much everywhere, guess I'm retail-terminologically impaired haHa). The gist of what he was saying was that they were actively going to move to reduce the role of the rph to be that of only the "bare minimum of what's required by law" to make it only one rph per shift (some wallys have 2-4 rphs for high volume situation). This would basically mean all the rph would do is sit in a corner and verify, then counsel when needed. Not going to be a massive labor eliminator to start, but he said the underlying idea was to get remote verify into the store level and get rid of all on site rphs as an endgame.

 

[Rxnupe]

Yeah I agree, what I put down doesn't really explain what he said and sounds pretty dumb (techs fill Rxs pretty much everywhere, guess I'm retail-terminologically impaired haHa). The gist of what he was saying was that they were actively going to move to reduce the role of the rph to be that of only the "bare minimum of what's required by law" to make it only one rph per shift (some wallys have 2-4 rphs for high volume situation). This would basically mean all the rph would do is sit in a corner and verify, then counsel when needed. Not going to be a massive labor eliminator to start, but he said the underlying idea was to get remote verify into the store level and get rid of all on site rphs as an endgame.

I am not trying to flame you but let's take CVS- besides the 8 day pharmacy calls and verification those are really the only 2 things that CVS demands or pays a pharmacist to do and of course counsel- and I believe nationwide CVS only wants pharmacist to retrieve and count C2's, but you still have a large portion of Pharmacist at CVS who do nothing but verify- they won't help answer with the phone- they won't type in rx's- so I have no idea what your friend is talking about because techs for as long as I been a Pharmacist have always done the bulk of the work- there will never be a day where any state board will allow a tech to verify or administer flu shots so I don't see how this in any fashion would reduce the need of pharmacist or overlap because if the techs can't verify how is that improving workflow.
Also, keep in mind that a lot of states have pharmacist to tech ratios where you can only have certain amount of techs per pharmacist- so this would still hinder Wal-Marts idea of reducing overlap for the pharmacist.

 

[tongiecc]

I am not trying to flame you but let's take CVS- besides the 8 day pharmacy calls and verification those are really the only 2 things that CVS demands or pays a pharmacist to do and of course counsel- and I believe nationwide CVS only wants pharmacist to retrieve and count C2's, but you still have a large portion of Pharmacist at CVS who do nothing but verify- they won't help answer with the phone- they won't type in rx's- so I have no idea what your friend is talking about because techs for as long as I been a Pharmacist have always done the bulk of the work- there will never be a day where any boar will allow a tech to verify or administer flu shots so I don't see how this in any fashion would reduce the need of pharmacist or overlap because if the techs can't verify how is that improving workflow.
Also, keep in mind that a lot of states have pharmacist to tech ratios where you can only have certain amount of techs per pharmacist- so this would still hinder Wal-Marts idea of reducing overlap for the pharmacist.

Actually, all are good points, from what you're saying I take that this is basically how CVS must be now (I have no exp with CVS), so basically aside from the apocalyptic removal of the legal requirements of an rph having to be present, this is nothing really new, or more than the typical corporate never ending push for staff reduction. Makes me feel better. Thanks for the quick too BTW!

 

[MountainPharmD]

So, word on the street from a buddy of mine is that Wally is going full on tech fill/'tech do everything but verify', basically sounds like doing a walgreens "project one" but doing it full scale right away. I'm guessing that not only will this eliminate all overlap RPhs in the short term, but would pave the way for them pushing for remote verify/law changes. Someone please say it ain't so! I'm even afraid that a retail manpower meltdown would eventually affect hospital pay, even though I think it would be more difficult to get rid of us (but not impossible by any stretch). BTW anyone know of any promising career options as a backup plan (not really even kidding on that @ this point). Also, any opinion/inside info to negate my buddy's info would also be welcomed, as I'm not that troubled by it but I still don't like hearing about the continual degradation of pharmacy, and like to know if something I heard isn't actually truth.

Uhhhh.... Hate to break it to you but every pharmacy I have worked at in the last 8 years with three different companies has been this way. Nothing new here. Its been years ago that almost all retail chains moved to having techs do as much as posible.

 

[txpharmguy]

I've saying this for years. With most major chains having some type of virtual rx imaging (ie, scanned in hardcopies), the pharmacist has to do the upfront data review (checking script for accuracy and DUR). In theory, when a label prints out to be filled, it should be "clean". The tech fills it and sends it down to RPh for product review (comparing objects in vial with wht screen says should be in there). With WAG Well Experience stores, the tech who fills the rx takes a picture of vial contents, label, etc, and it is placed in bins. The RPh virtually verifies the product remotely (from a desk out front). Mail order has been doing something like this for years. It's only a matter of time where a tech-check-tech happens in retail for PRODUCT review. Keep in mind, RPh is still doing up front data review, counseling, and all legal requirements as required by one's board of pharmacy. Hospital pharmacy is already going to tech-check-tech for cart fills in Texas. To be honest, it doesn't take an RPh to verify the contents (ie, what's in bottle, NDC check, etc) of a filled rx. A good, experienced tech should be more than sufficient to handle this aspect of the filling process

 

[awval999]

I've saying this for years. With most major chains having some type of virtual rx imaging (ie, scanned in hardcopies), the pharmacist has to do the upfront data review (checking script for accuracy and DUR). In theory, when a label prints out to be filled, it should be "clean". The tech fills it and sends it down to RPh for product review (comparing objects in vial with wht screen says should be in there). With WAG Well Experience stores, the tech who fills the rx takes a picture of vial contents, label, etc, and it is placed in bins. The RPh virtually verifies the product remotely (from a desk out front). Mail order has been doing something like this for years. It's only a matter of time where a tech-check-tech happens in retail for PRODUCT review. Keep in mind, RPh is still doing up front data review, counseling, and all legal requirements as required by one's board of pharmacy. Hospital pharmacy is already going to tech-check-tech for cart fills in Texas. To be honest, it doesn't take an RPh to verify the contents (ie, what's in bottle, NDC check, etc) of a filled rx. A good, experienced tech should be more than sufficient to handle this aspect of the filling process

Totally agree. But of course our profession cannot handle the cut of 1/3 of total retail jobs but that's what's gonna happen. Still much easier to pay four technicians at $12.50 an hour than one pharmacist at $50. We will have one pharmacist per store, and that is it. That is the end game.

 

[GreyFox2002]

I still don't understand the big deal. The law requires that a pharmacist must be present at the pharmacy whenever it is open for business (aka in the building that houses the pharmacy). You can have technicians check pills in the bottles all you want....you can have pharmacists doing data entry/DUR on a computer at home in their underwear in bed half in the bag off of cheap vodka. You can take pictures of what's in the bottle and send it out to some pharmacist sitting in the middle of a store at a desk looking like a goofball. The law states that a pharmacist must be physically present in the site that houses the pharmacy, and until that law changes, there is no need to get rid of you. If that law were to change (it's not), the public will be in uproar when people start to get MAIMED by prescription drug errors. Old people freak out enough whenever they realize that the people wearing the white coats at CVS who count the pills aren't actually pharmacists too. Imagine if there was no RPh at all. There must be a LICENSEE to shoulder LIABILITY.

There is the justification for why you are there. Your job exists because someone needs to be sued/punished/blamed when a mistake occurs. Once you have unlicensed individuals performing these tasks with substantially less responsibility/liability, the game changes for the worse.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

I think this is much ado about nothing. I'm working right now and my techs are doing everything but verify and counsel. If it gets busy I pick up the phone. It's like this here everyday...

 

[MountainPharmD]

I think this is much ado about nothing. I'm working right now and my techs are doing everything but verify and counsel. If it gets busy I pick up the phone. It's like this here everyday...

Yep, it’s been this way for years. Does any one seriously think it is a good use of a companies resources and money to pay a 100k plus a year pharmacist to count pills? Probably makes sense to have a $14 an hour tech to do it.

 

[Stoichiometry]

Well geez my understanding is that Walmart is rolling out a new system that requires the pharmacists to document electronically counseling (or not) with ALL patients which to me sounds like it might create more jobs. The pharmacists are swamped as it is just verifying some days.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

Yep, it's been this way for years. Does any one seriously think it is a good use of a companies resources and money to pay a 100k plus a year pharmacist to count pills? Probably makes sense to have a $14 an hour tech to do it.

I know I have it good, but I don't have to count, label, type, run scripts, do insurance or run the register. The techs listen to all voicemails and transcribe them. I just have to listen to the saved messages and verify/sign off. My techs also go get food for me everyday I work there. I love it!!!!

[/bragging]

 

[txpharmguy]

Well geez my understanding is that Walmart is rolling out a new system that requires the pharmacists to document electronically counseling (or not) with ALL patients which to me sounds like it might create more jobs. The pharmacists are swamped as it is just verifying some days.

WAG already does this with "new" and "copy" rxs. New being a new hardcopy (whether it's new to therapy or not) and copy being a script rolled over from another rx (including competitor transfers, too). Guess what? No added RPhs....just gotta get it done. Most folks deny counseling, but tedious nonetheless