Some Pharmacy Changes Are Coming

Are you ready? Pharmacy changes are about to take place. We, pharmacists, are going to be able to counsel everyone! All these 30 second phone wait, 15 minute guarantees, auto refills, select decline to counsel, and other metrics will fall by the wayside. Filling as many scripts as possible with as little help as possible will gradually fade away. We have to counsel and take our time to fill prescriptions correctly. The profession of doctor of pharmacy is about to change.

We are going to do what we were taught in our colleges and schools of pharmacy. Counsel patients about their medications to increase compliance and have great clinical outcomes. We will even be able to tell patients not to drink milk with their antibiotics. Sometimes I feel like I do not even have time for that. Who is ready for restroom breaks? I cannot tell you how many times I have held my bowel movements and urine until there was a pause. If I go to the restroom, patients will complain because their prescription will take longer to fill. Thus, when they do the survey, they will say their Rx was not filled within their time limit.

Some pharmacies close for lunch. All pharmacies should close for lunch! I heard that patients complain that they had to wait 30 minutes to get their prescription filled because the pharmacy was closed. The patients said the pharmacy should never close for lunch for emergencies. I know they waited at the doctors office for an hour. I guess drive thru's make it seem like it should be fast food. I want my prescription now, just slap a label on it. What if the prescription is Coumadin? You will die if you take too much or take it with aspirin! People just do not care. By the way, I cannot wait to counsel. Pharmacy is about to change!