Keep Your Doctor Out Of It

CPP: I miss the days when people trusted us. 

CP: I miss the days when people did their own jobs and didn't tell other people how I do mine. 

CPP: Oooh. What happened?

CP: Offices. Overstepping, as usual. Tired of "it'll be ready when you get there?". Had enough of "your pharmacy has to call us for your refills?" Let's try "phorget what your pharmacy told you, we know better. 

CPP: I pheel there is a story to illustrate this. 

CP: But of course. 

CPP: Don't call me a butt. 

 

CP: Hello. We received your new prescription for Novolog pens. 

She Thinks U Couldn't Know: What's my copay?

CP: Since this is a preferred item on your insurance's formulary, you have a zero copay. 

STUCK: So it's no charge?

CP: That is what zero means. Does it mean something different where you come from?

STUCK: Just making sure I don't have to pay. 

<fast forward to the next day>

STUCK: Did my doctor call in another prescription?

CP: Yes. For Humalog. But we still have the Novolog from yesterday. Why?

STUCK: Well the office called me this morning and said you couldn't fill my prescription and that my Novolog is no longer on formulary and that I have to switch to something else. 

CP: But I spoke with your yesterday. I filled the prescription and told you your copay was zero.

STUCK: Then why did my office call to tell me it wasn't covered? 

CP: As I do not work in their office, I cannot answer that question. Since I am the philler of the prescriptions and I, for the purpose of this discussion, spoke directly with your insurance who assured me there is no copay and this is the preferred medication, I would trust me over the office; the office that writes the prescriptions and knows naught of what I do here. Mayhap it would behoove you to ring them directly and ask them the same query? 

STUCK: I don't want to change from what has been working. 

CP: And you needn't. 

<Later that day>

CP: Did you phind out why your office is messing with your prescriptions? Or where they are receiving their information? 

STUCK: No. They just said it's no longer covered and I have to switch. 

CP: But I'm the pharmacist; I phill the prescriptions; I bill the insurance; I tell the office if something is not covered and initiate the message to the office alerting them to the requirement of a prior auth. None of these things happened. Your insurance covered the medication at no copay. 

STUCK: Can I still get my Novolog. 

CP: You poor poor dear. They really confused you, didn't they?

STUCK: Yes. 

CP: Phind a new doctor, one who leaves the hard stuff to the professionals. 

#TrustYourPharmacist