Walgreens STARS events

[pharm00123]

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I am a new grad and I am so afraid of getting a stars event (any wrong external event is reported in STARS). I am just wondering how many stars events I can get before they fire me. I am placed at a very busy 24 hour store and its so stressful. I come home everyday and cannot even sleep at night because I am thinking about what could have gone wrong or what mistake I may have made that day. Does anyone else in retail feel like this (especially if you are a new pharmacist)?

 

[CynicalIntern]

You're going to make a STARS report. You're probably going to make like three in your first month. Most new grads do. And then your DM is going to call you into his office and sit you down and tell you to slow the hell down and it will be your get out of jail free card.

The true answer depends on your district and your saturation. I'm currently in my position because the previous pharmacy manager had 10 STARS events in the past year, and was put on a one week suspension and removed from the store (not fired). But if your DM hired a million pharmacists and everyone is clawing for hours, you may not have that leniancy.

 

[Tom Applewood]

Ditto, above. STARS will happen, and aren't something to stress over. LEARN from them. Decrease your trend over time, and don't increase your errors, obvoiusly. I would have on average 1-2 per month, but the serious ones the DM will worry about are the type 1 STARS reports, involving wrong patient, wrong drug. Those are serious. Don't get more than 2 per year.

 

[PharmDstudent]

Force your techs to write the patient's DOB on each and every prescription. I had several scripts today, while working at a store that I usually don't work at, that didn't have the DOB on there, and it was quite unnerving.

Do not back down as this can and will save your ass over and over again. The doctor's handwriting might be ****, but your techs won't be so reckless, and even if they are, you can always ask them that very second what they wrote on the hard copy.

 

[fxok425]

I just have a STAR today. I bagged one pt's drug (the one should be returned to stock) into another's. That pt found out and returned it to store. I felt bad the whole day. I was just licensed late August.

 

[EML9255]

How do I know if I've gotten any stars events?

 

[EML9255]

also, a woman came to pick up her rx and had gave the tech her insurance to put on file. The tech updated the payment and printed a new leaflet.

The rx had to be verified again and the pharm I was working w just scanned it and did the right pt/product check (he did not have to f4). It was Ciprodex.

The woman came back in the store 10 min later and was asking why the directions said to use in her ear when her doctor was suppose to call in an eye drop for her. So we look back in the computer and there was a msc exception on it to call md to verify what product he wanted. The hard copy had OD written on it. But then obv Ciprodex is for the ear.


How did it get sold when it still had a msc exception on it? All the rph had to do was the product check. I would have done the same thing. Is this a Stars event?

 

[Estrace]

No, it's not a Stars event because you dispensed what the doctor prescribed. The doctor is to be blamed in this case. If it was already in ready status, it can still be sold after updating the insurance. That's why I don't really like MSC on something I want to call the doctor on. I prefer not to scan a Rx in until it's been verified and good to go. If I question a script during review, I call on it immediately. If no one picks up and I have to leave a message, I have the techs fetch the hardcopy and I delete it until I can speak to someone in the doctor's office. If the pharmacist had done that, the lady would have been more understanding and also provide the information that it's supposed to be eye drop and not ear drop.My partner on the other hand puts MSC on everything.

 

[PharFromNormal]

No, it's not a Stars event because you dispensed what the doctor prescribed. The doctor is to be blamed in this case. If it was already in ready status, it can still be sold after updating the insurance. That's why I don't really like MSC on something I want to call the doctor on. I prefer not to scan a Rx in until it's been verified and good to go. If I question a script during review, I call on it immediately. If no one picks up and I have to leave a message, I have the techs fetch the hardcopy and I delete it until I can speak to someone in the doctor's office. If the pharmacist had done that, the lady would have been more understanding and also provide the information that it's supposed to be eye drop and not ear drop.My partner on the other hand puts MSC on everything.

Not really sure how the STARS system works or what MSC is but a pharmacist dispensing ciprodex intended to go in the eye is also liable if serious harm occurs. If a doctor prescribes something it is your job to verify the order is safe and correct - that is the core function of a pharmacist. Yes the doctor may share some liability in prescribing the wrong thing but the pharmacist is also liable in dispensing a product with an unsafe application.

 

[EML9255]

Not really sure how the STARS system works or what MSC is but a pharmacist dispensing ciprodex intended to go in the eye is also liable if serious harm occurs. If a doctor prescribes something it is your job to verify the order is safe and correct - that is the core function of a pharmacist. Yes the doctor may share some liability in prescribing the wrong thing but the pharmacist is also liable in dispensing a product with an unsafe application.

That's the thing. I saw the directions on the label afterwards and it did say ear. After it ran through the insurance he had to get it back into ready status so it could be sold to the pt so he just did the final verify where you aren't looking at the hard copy just right drug/pt. I just thought that at wags when something had a msc exception on it it would never go into ready status. Just say verified or something If it was checked

 

[Wheresmyaricept]

also, a woman came to pick up her rx and had gave the tech her insurance to put on file. The tech updated the payment and printed a new leaflet.

The rx had to be verified again and the pharm I was working w just scanned it and did the right pt/product check (he did not have to f4). It was Ciprodex.

The woman came back in the store 10 min later and was asking why the directions said to use in her ear when her doctor was suppose to call in an eye drop for her. So we look back in the computer and there was a msc exception on it to call md to verify what product he wanted. The hard copy had OD written on it. But then obv Ciprodex is for the ear.


How did it get sold when it still had a msc exception on it? All the rph had to do was the product check. I would have done the same thing. Is this a Stars event?

Storenet--tools--stars.

And yes, things that have been product reviewed can be sold. The only way to prevent things being sold once they have been product reviewed is to put a consultation requirement on the rx while doing data review.

 

[EML9255]

Hah didnt realize i posted in this thread last year

Ive been a pharmacist for a year plus now so have accumulated some star events across the way (nothing too serious)

But today we had a patient drop off a script and the rx had (im changing the names) M. Evan Smith, it was a handwritten rx. The tech asked for name and date of birth of pt and guy told him its for his son Mike Smith DOB 3-4-2005 (bday tech wrote on rx). We fill the rx and sell it. Dads comes back an hour later and is like im sorry i told you this rx was for my son when i dropped it off earlier but i wasnt thinking, it was for my wife Michelle Smith DOB 2-3-77

I created a STAR since technicaly it was first originally sold for the wrong pt---am I going to get in any trouble for this? My tech verified at least 3 times it was for Mike when the dad dropped it off (double checked and input and verified again when he picked up). The second name that was on the script was not clearly male or female and easily looked like a hyphenated name

There was nothing about the med that would flag me it wouldnt be for a kid or anything, it was actually ODT zofran

 

[BidingMyTime]

eh, this is why you never believe what patients tell you. The correct procedure is to ask the guy who the prescription is for, then tell the guy that since the doctor did not write out the full name on the prescription you will have to call the doctor to verify. Seriously, what kind of doctor just puts the first initial of a name on a prescription? It also points out the importance of verify first middle and last name of a patients, since the doctor will apparently scribble anything on the prescription, and the person bringing in the prescription has no idea who the prescription is supposed to be for.

 

[wagrxm2000]

You won't get in trouble since it wasnt given to the wrong patient which is all that really matters.

 

[EML9255]

yeah in the future i will be more vigilant about these types of things. My rxm said something similar happened to her at her old store where the father dropped off an rx for his son (they had the same name) but gave his DOB when he dropped it off, not his sons

 

[notwesteast]

I am a tech and I am looking for pointers on my typing. Specifically from Pharmacists who see typing errors at Walgreens. What mistakes are made the most and how can I lower my DRE percentage. I am finding that I get wrong prescriber a lot when I know i'm choosing on NPI and wrong day supply for medicaid or part d. Its frustrating. I float to other stores for hours and it never fails I get a few. Please help.

 

[a student]

I am a tech and I am looking for pointers on my typing. Specifically from Pharmacists who see typing errors at Walgreens. What mistakes are made the most and how can I lower my DRE percentage. I am finding that I get wrong prescriber a lot when I know i'm choosing on NPI and wrong day supply for medicaid or part d. Its frustrating. I float to other stores for hours and it never fails I get a few. Please help.

It's hard when you're floating because different pharmacists are anal about different things. I've noticed that some pharmacists really care about having the correct office number while some don't. And when e-scripts come in, they might have the right doctor but the wrong phone number prefilled. I think you get a "wrong prescriber" for submitting it with the wrong phone number. Also sometimes a prescriber would sign a prescription pad with a different prescriber name on it. So you gotta read the signature and put in the person who wrote it.

 

[a student]

I am a tech and I am looking for pointers on my typing. Specifically from Pharmacists who see typing errors at Walgreens. What mistakes are made the most and how can I lower my DRE percentage. I am finding that I get wrong prescriber a lot when I know i'm choosing on NPI and wrong day supply for medicaid or part d. Its frustrating. I float to other stores for hours and it never fails I get a few. Please help.

Also sometimes the pharmacist expects you to type up a prescription as written but would use their clinical judgement to change the day supply for things like narcotics for pediatrics. I don't really know how to avoid a dre in a case like that.

 

[notwesteast]

Also sometimes the pharmacist expects you to type up a prescription as written but would use their clinical judgement to change the day supply for things like narcotics for pediatrics. I don't really know how to avoid a dre in a case like that.

I'll keep both in mind.

 

[lrlester]

Ditto, above. STARS will happen, and aren't something to stress over. LEARN from them. Decrease your trend over time, and don't increase your errors, obvoiusly. I would have on average 1-2 per month, but the serious ones the DM will worry about are the type 1 STARS reports, involving wrong patient, wrong drug. Those are serious. Don't get more than 2 per year.

How do you know what the type of stars report different events are classified as?