How Chaos at Chain Pharmacies Is Putting Patients at Risk

SeaMaiden · ‎03-10-2010

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/how-chaos-at-chain-pharmacies-is-putting-patients-at-risk/...

A long read, but eye opening if you use prescription drugs

Goldengate8361 · ‎01-27-2014

That's why everyone should check their prescriptions themselves before leaving the store. I always do that. I think Amazon's pill pack is going to take away much of the chains business.

Zernia Rose · ‎04-16-2011

Thanks for posting this article. It is quite informative. I noticed many of the situations listed and understand how deadly or incapacitating errors can happen.

millieshops · ‎03-09-2010

@Goldengate8361Is Amazon going to underprice the CVS and Walgreens paks?

Goldengate8361 · ‎01-27-2014

@millieshops don't know. Probably. My bet would be on Amazon.

Abrowneyegirl · ‎03-15-2010

@millieshops wrote:
@Goldengate8361Is Amazon going to underprice the CVS and Walgreens paks?

Amazon is not going to solve the problem of people working at high volume and very high speeds.

That sounds like a healthcare nightmare!!!!

I am sure Amazon will have strict metrics as to how many prescriptions are filled per min. just like everyone else at Amazon. Time is money$$

However, for those who value fast and inexpensive service over health and safety Amazon would be a good option.

I try to use small family-owned pharmacies.

cindyNC · ‎08-01-2019

Not surprised. I had 3 prescriptions I renewed at CVS in November. They needed to contact the doctor for refills.

1 - I called them a week after I requested the refills and the person who answered the phone told me they were not done and it was probably an issue w/my insurance company.

2 - I called the insurance company after we got back from Thanksgiving and they said there was no issue from their end.

3. Checked the doctor's website and they had done the refills - 2 days after my first call to the pharmacy..

4 - Called the pharmacy again, the same staff member checked and realized they had the refill orders but hadn't updated the website. Told me I could pick them up in 2 hours.

5 - Emergency w/car, couldn't get there until the next morning and found out they had not been filled. I explained what had happened, told them I had phoned corporate that morning* before I arrived at the pharmacy and they were filled within 15 minutes.

*Corporate customer service was horrified when I phoned - especially when they found out it was 3 prescriptions and said that being told it was an insurance issue was an unacceptable answer from their employee. They turfed it up the chain to the pharmacy director.

I believe it was one pharmacy staff member who did not know how to work the computer system. So it was about 2 weeks to get my refills.

proudlyfromNJ · ‎05-01-2010

I use the small pharmacy in our grocery store. Fast service, helpful and knowledgeable. No waiting like at CVS.

Anonymous032819 · ‎03-29-2019

@cindyNC wrote:
Not surprised. I had 3 prescriptions I renewed at CVS in November. They needed to contact the doctor for refills.

1 - I called them a week after I requested the refills and the person who answered the phone told me they were not done and it was probably an issue w/my insurance company.

2 - I called the insurance company after we got back from Thanksgiving and they said there was no issue from their end.

3. Checked the doctor's website and they had done the refills - 2 days after my first call to the pharmacy..

4 - Called the pharmacy again, the same staff member checked and realized they had the refill orders but hadn't updated the website. Told me I could pick them up in 2 hours.

5 - Emergency w/car, couldn't get there until the next morning and found out they had not been filled. I explained what had happened, told them I had phoned corporate that morning* before I arrived at the pharmacy and they were filled within 15 minutes.

*Corporate customer service was horrified when I phoned - especially when they found out it was 3 prescriptions and said that being told it was an insurance issue was an unacceptable answer from their employee. They turfed it up the chain to the pharmacy director.

I believe it was one pharmacy staff member who did not know how to work the computer system. So it was about 2 weeks to get my refills.

I have nothing but bad things to say about CVS pharmacy.

Several years ago, maybe 6 or 7 years ago, my dad had a really bad chest cold.

My dad was about 87 at the time.

At this point, he could still drive, so he took himself to his doctor to get looked at.

Meanwhile, I'm at work, and he calls me from home, and asks me if on my way home, if I could pick up his prescription.

I said that I would.

So, after work, I swing by CVS, and go to the pharmacy and get his medicine.

They bring me one item, prescription cough medicine.

I pay, and leave.

My dad had a follow-up appointment with his doctor about 10 days later.

I was in the waiting room, while my dad was in with his doctor.

Next thing I know, she comes storming out yelling at me, "What do you mean he's only been taking ONE medicine?!"

I was like, "What do you mean, 'What do you mean'? They only gave me one."

As it turned out, my father had walking pneumonia, and CVS pharmacy never gave me the other prescription!

So, a call was made to CVS pharmacy, and they told the doctor, "Oh, we showed it to her, but she said that she couldn't afford it, that it was too expensive.

In other words, they flat-out bald-faced LIED to my dad's doctor.

When she told me that CVS had said that, my blood immediately began to boil.

I told the doctor, "That's not true! That never happened! They never gave me the second prescription!"

The doctor said, "Relax. I believe you. I know that you wouldn't leave medicine for your dad behind. This isn't the first time that CVS has done this."

I was so angry that CVS was so cavalier with my dad's health, an elderly person who had walking pneumonia, which could have easily, and quickly gone south, that I wrote the President of CVS pharmacy an angry letter.

I named the store by address and by store number, and told him how they had flat out lied to my dad's doctor, and what had really happened.

I told him that you do not mess with pneumonia in the elderly, because it can kill them very easily, and very quickly.

I also told him that if anything had happened to my dad, that he would've been looking at the business end of a lawsuit.

I sent the letter by registered mail.

Of course, I never heard anything back.

No letter of "I'm sorry. That was unacceptable. We're looking in to it, and people will be held accountable for their actions. Thank-you for bringing this to my attention", because that would be admitting guilt.

But a few weeks later, I was walking by the same CVS, and on the front window, was a job posting for a pharmacy tech.

Maybe my letter did have consequences after all.

But both my dad and I pulled our prescriptions from CVS faster than you can say "Spit", and I will never use them again, and I told the president of CVS pharmacy that, too.

They have forever broken my trust in them.

I flat-out refuse to use them ever again, and I haven't.

Oh, I was 100% full on "Mama Bear" when it came to protecting my dad.

Try to "mess" with him, and you were going to have to deal with me, because that **** wasn't going to fly!

The Sky looks different when you have someone you love up there.

haddon9 · ‎03-09-2010

@Anonymous032819 wrote:
@cindyNC wrote:
Not surprised. I had 3 prescriptions I renewed at CVS in November. They needed to contact the doctor for refills.

1 - I called them a week after I requested the refills and the person who answered the phone told me they were not done and it was probably an issue w/my insurance company.

2 - I called the insurance company after we got back from Thanksgiving and they said there was no issue from their end.

3. Checked the doctor's website and they had done the refills - 2 days after my first call to the pharmacy..

4 - Called the pharmacy again, the same staff member checked and realized they had the refill orders but hadn't updated the website. Told me I could pick them up in 2 hours.

5 - Emergency w/car, couldn't get there until the next morning and found out they had not been filled. I explained what had happened, told them I had phoned corporate that morning* before I arrived at the pharmacy and they were filled within 15 minutes.

*Corporate customer service was horrified when I phoned - especially when they found out it was 3 prescriptions and said that being told it was an insurance issue was an unacceptable answer from their employee. They turfed it up the chain to the pharmacy director.

I believe it was one pharmacy staff member who did not know how to work the computer system. So it was about 2 weeks to get my refills.

I have nothing but bad things to say about CVS pharmacy.

Several years ago, maybe 6 or 7 years ago, my dad had a really bad chest cold.

My dad was about 87 at the time.

At this point, he could still drive, so he took himself to his doctor to get looked at.

Meanwhile, I'm at work, and he calls me from home, and asks me if on my way home, if I could pick up his prescription.

I said that I would.

So, after work, I swing by CVS, and go to the pharmacy and get his medicine.

They bring me one item, prescription cough medicine.

I pay, and leave.

My dad had a follow-up appointment with his doctor about 10 days later.

I was in the waiting room, while my dad was in with his doctor.

Next thing I know, she comes storming out yelling at me, "What do you mean he's only been taking ONE medicine?!"

I was like, "What do you mean, 'What do you mean'? They only gave me one."

As it turned out, my father had walking pneumonia, and CVS pharmacy never gave me the other prescription!

So, a call was made to CVS pharmacy, and they told the doctor, "Oh, we showed it to her, but she said that she couldn't afford it, that it was too expensive.

In other words, they flat-out bald-faced LIED to my dad's doctor.

When she told me that CVS had said that, my blood immediately began to boil.

I told the doctor, "That's not true! That never happened! They never gave me the second prescription!"

The doctor said, "Relax. I believe you. I know that you wouldn't leave medicine for your dad behind. This isn't the first time that CVS has done this."

I was so angry that CVS was so cavalier with my dad's health, an elderly person who had walking pneumonia, which could have easily, and quickly gone south, that I wrote the President of CVS pharmacy an angry letter.

I named the store by address and by store number, and told him how they had flat out lied to my dad's doctor, and what had really happened.

I told him that you do not mess with pneumonia in the elderly, because it can kill them very easily, and very quickly.

I also told him that if anything had happened to my dad, that he would've been looking at the business end of a lawsuit.

I sent the letter by registered mail.

Of course, I never heard anything back.

No letter of "I'm sorry. That was unacceptable. We're looking in to it, and people will be held accountable for their actions. Thank-you for bringing this to my attention", because that would be admitting guilt.

But a few weeks later, I was walking by the same CVS, and on the front window, was a job posting for a pharmacy tech.

Maybe my letter did have consequences after all.

But both my dad and I pulled our prescriptions from CVS faster than you can say "Spit", and I will never use them again, and I told the president of CVS pharmacy that, too.

They have forever broken my trust in them.

I flat-out refuse to use them ever again, and I haven't.

Oh, I was 100% full on "Mama Bear" when it came to protecting my dad.

Try to "mess" with him, and you were going to have to deal with me, because that **** wasn't going to fly!

I've also have been having a problem with CVS. I've been trying to get my prescription for Losartin filled and too often lately they either don't have it (out of stock) or it's back ordered. This has been an ongoing issue over the last year.

So when I went to a doctor's visit a week ago I mentioned this to him and he told me that he didn't like CVS but preferred RiteAide. He even called in my RX in right there while I was in the room with him and spoke to the pharmacist to be sure that it was in stock.