Counseling

Cellphones or maybe I should say smartphones, are taking over our world. People cannot put them down to save their lives, texting while wrecking! How is this going to affect the pharmacy profession?

We are not able to counsel our patients because they are in their phones constantly. My technicians and I ring up patients, and they don't even look at then prescriptions. I have had a few patients call me a day or even a week later, and say, I didn't want this medication. Can I return it? Of course, I have to tell them, no, and to check their prescriptions every time they pick them up. The rebuttal is, I didn't order it. Yes, but your doctor called it in for you. It is usually a lose lose situation.

By the way, I am writing this pharmacy blog from my phone! No, I am not at work. My pharmacy is busy enough to where I  have to come in early and leave a bit (30 minutes) after we close. No time to blog or write about pharmacy.

My philosophy on this smartphone issue is, if you cannot beat them, join them. Maybe we should send our counseling via text, and the patient might receive it or converse by texting back! Who knows, but if that person suffers from not being counseled, it is not my fault. Even though the law may state different. It is just a concept, and we already text, email, or call patients for no refills, problems, and filled prescriptions ready for pick up.

Tell me what you think!

Use the Pharmacy's Systems And Do Not Come in at the Last Minute!

     What is the deal with running out of your medication? Come in early, call ahead, or use the phones' automated system. At my pharmacy, a pharmacy technician can process a refill of your medication. You do not need the pharmacist to look you up in the system to refill your medication. I had one of my old patients come in and say that she read an article about calling in using the automated system instead of calling and asking for the pharmacist. The article said, it wastes about five minutes of the pharmacist's time when I could be doing something else like counseling instead of trying to get her prescription refilled. I wish I knew what the article was, so I could print it off and give it to all of my patients.

     Nobody can ever find their Rx number. I know you have the excuse that you cannot find the prescription number. If you would stick with one pharmacy, then maybe you could learn where it is on the bottle. I understand that some patients forget their bottle, and they are at work. But, I know this is not always the case. Also, driving in the car trying to refill your medication is probably not the smartest thing to do. The patient, then says, that they are in the parking lot and coming in the store. "Can you have it ready?" Heck no, it will not be ready! If no one is waiting already, then it will probably be at least 10 minutes.

     Why do customers and patients wait until the last minute to come to the pharmacy? Almost every night they come in  with five or less minutes left before we close. It always seems to be a new patient that has never been to the pharmacy before. No, I cannot fill your prescription. By the way, this is the same phrase I say to people with their Oxycontin 30mg with a quantity of #180. It will take at least 15 minutes to put you in the system, insert your insurance, enter in your prescription, make sure it goes through your insurance, pull and count the medication, label the bottle, check the prescription, and ring up your Rx. Oh, I almost forgot, they will hand you a drug coupon at the register, and you will have to reprocess the Rx again. Usually, if it is an antibiotic or one of my regulars, I will fill the prescription. There is a reason for 24 hour pharmacies and my pharmacy is not one of them!