Stay In Your Lane

<checking out at Dr. Zoffis, eavesdropping>

Nurse On Phone: Ok. Well I can check the price for you. It looks like it will be $26.42 if you use Wag's or $28.93 if you visit Chronic Vaginal Secretions. No. There's a coupon from their website. Yes. Ok. I'll send it there and you can tell the pharmacist it should be that price. 

CP: Excuse me. I couldn't help overhearing <since you talk really loud and we are inches apart>. How does that work exactly?

NOP: What?

CP: When you give them a price?

NOP: Oh, I look it up on the website. 

CP: Right. But where do you put the coupon info?

NOP: I don't know. I just click this box and hit "send". 

CP: Do you do this for most prescriptions?

NOP: Yes. I look them up on GoodRx. 

CP: That's a problem. 

NOP: <doe-eyes go dark, blinks> How so?

CP: Well, those coupons typically end up in the middle of the directions or just below. They appear on so many prescriptions that they become background noise we just ignore; they're not part of the actual prescription so we don't even look at them. No wonder patients get mad at us when they tell us "my doctor said it would be $xx". 

NOP: <shrugs> Oh. I just click this and send it. 

CP: Yes. That's the problem. Please don't quote prices to patients. You don't work in my pharmacy and those prices often don't reflect what we see. Second, my pharmacy doesn't take GoodRx, even though prices for my pharmacy are on their website. 

NOP: Why?

CP: Who knows. I can put anything I want on MY website. It doesn't have to be real. They can do the same. Also, if you insist on giving prices to patients AND you spoke with this patient and gave her a price, please put a note, either directly in the sig, or the "prescriber notes" section telling the pharmacy "Patient was quoted a price with GoodRx and opted to use that in lieu of her insurance". This way, I will more likely see the note, run her insurance, then run the coupon or my discount card to compare prices. But please stop telling patients "you will pay this". 

NOP: <stares blankly>

CP: Or I will instruct all your patients that I changed their appointment times and, that Dr. Zoffis said if you arrive before 10am, say 8-10am, you don't need an appointment, you can just walk right in and be seen and your copay is half during these premium hours.