No One Called Me...

It think it's proper courtesy to discuss the inclusion of someone in your plans with that particular someone. This is especially true if you are going to promote a relationship between parties where both must be active, willing participants. Instead, I am left with the feeling of "he doesn't love me. he only used me to get what he wanted. he never calls. he never writes..."
Of what do I speak? Simple. I was in a doctor's office a short while ago. While leisurely perusing the journals and other media they had to offer, I noticed the television in the room. It was promoting all the fine services this particular office had to offer. One of them came as a great shock to me. It read:
"Please contact your pharmacy when you need a refill. We have teamed up with them to fill your prescriptions electronically."
Really? YOU did all that? First, I don't remember being invited to the team meeting. I don't recall getting a jersey or uniform. (I guess that makes me the ball girl?) I guess on this "team" I'm not a star player. I can't get my own direct hotline number to contact anyone else on the team if there is an issue with these electronic prescriptions you keep sending me. We can't send back an electronic prescription to our teammates in the offices. That would be spectacular. And if YOU are sending them electronically to ME, why are the patients instructed to contact ME for a refill? It doesn't say anything about "they have teamed up with us to send in your refill requests and we promise to reply to them in 24-48 hours". That would be less one-sided.
Thanks to this message, the onus for the entire patient-doctor-pharmacy prescription triangle rests squarely on the pharmacist. The doctor is blatantly forcing us to shoulder the blame for all refill issues. Read it again "please contact your pharmacy...". It means quit calling the doctor's office. If it doesn't get requested? Pharmacist's fault. If it doesn't get returned to the pharmacy? Pharmacist's fault. Call and pester your pharmacist. Even though "we teamed up with them", call the pharmacist who will have to leave a message just like everyone else.