The Worst Pharmacy Experience of My Life
I went to the local pharmacy today (at 2:45PM) to get my flu shot. It was actually wonderful. The pharmacist was kind and I had very little wait time. The vaccine didn’t hurt and I was in and out in no time. However, my short 15-minute wait was an eye-opening experience. The pharmacy was incredibly short staffed and the consequences of that were quite evident.
I was told they are four days behind on filling prescriptions. That is dangerous and unacceptable.
The line was 17 people deep all of whom were forced to stand the entire time.
The wait time was over 30 minutes.
The customers were visibly angry and were taking out their frustrations on the pharmacy staff. The pharmacy staff seemed apathetic probably defeated from the constant barrage of abuse from customers.
There was absolutely no shred of privacy. I can now easily identify the man filling the prescription to treat his hemorrhoids and the lady getting her prescriptions for her pain and anxiety as the names of their prescriptions were shouted aloud for all to hear.
I overheard the gentleman who was suffering from hemorrhoids say that he “waited on hold for an hour this morning” before eventually hanging up.
One young man was told that the charge would be $144 for his blood pressure medicine. He was asked if that was “okay?” He questioned why the cost had dramatically increased since last month. “Oh, let me see what it will cost through GoodRx without using your insurance” he was told. “There we go, $36. Is that more of what you were expecting?” He agreed and paid the money. Why wasn’t the $100 discount offered from the beginning?
As it turns out, that same prescription is $5 for a 3-month supply through our office. Over the course of the year, that would be a savings of $412 over the GoodRx price and $1,708 with his insurance cost.
An elderly gentleman asked the high-school aged kid taking and processing payments about his prescription for Xarelto. “Now what is this prescription for,” he asked. “I’m not really sure,” he was told. End of conversation. WOW.
Xarelto is a potent blood thinner. This medication could literally be a life or death medication both via necessity and via potential side effects. When patients can’t get the time of day to ask the pharmacist questions about their medications, we have serious problems.
I was deeply troubled by my short 15-minute experience at the local pharmacy today.
How are we different?
No waiting on hold or in line. Prescriptions are available immediately for pick up and we often provide a supply to last several months.
Michelle (our pharmacy staff, hehe) is literally always friendly and helpful. I’ve worked side-by-side with her for over 3 years now and literally have never seen her grumpy. She is always thoughtful, deeply caring, empathetic and helpful.
Patient privacy is always valued.
Dr. Opperman is always immediately available to answer any questions about prescriptions.
We obtain medications at wholesale pricing and pass those prices on to our patients. We’ve had numerous patients pay for the cost of their membership through savings from our pharmacy alone.
Patient-centered.
Service-oriented.
Cost-conscious.
Simple.
