That's Not How It Works - Never Has

ME: Are we doing another PSA series? 

MICE ELF: I hope not. 

CP: Just a refresher course. 

ME & MICE ELF: Oh dear. What is it?

CP: <clears throat> ahem. Let it be known that today, I am announcing, again, for those who may be caught unawares, the following about the Patient-Prescriber-Pharmacist Healthcare Triangle:

Doctors and all Prescribers, it is not necessary for the pharmacy to contact you or your office to request refills or any prescriptions for our patients. 

ME: But. . . 

CP: You do not need to hear from the pharmacy to send a new prescription. 

Do not tell your patients it is our responsibility; it is not. 

MICE ELF: But. . . 

CP: You say you didn't receive our request? You. Don't. Need. It. 

You are fully capable of submitting a new Rx without our intervention. 

ME & MICE ELF: But why do they keep telling people that?

CP: <shrugs> I have no idea. They'll reject the refill request anyway before submitting a new Rx in its place which causes more work than me being able to match the Rx's together and fill the new one. 

ME: But what about the ones who claim it's "their policy"?

CP: My policy is to not accept this as reality. Will I send a request? Yes. Once. After that, if you have had your office on the line and they insist they need to hear from me, politely explain how this is a lie. Here's how it has always worked: Patient becomes unwell, goes to their provider. Provider performs magical dances and spells and diagnoses a problem that the medication I govern can treat. Said provider then provides a prescription indicating which of these you need and which I am to dispense. Prescription arrives at my pharmacy, whether by land, sea, or air and, after performing my due diligence, it is filled properly, patient retrieves it and, presumably, begins to get better. No steps are to be skipped. At the end of the initial treatment, their provider will indicate if they need more. If none indicated, treatment is complete and you shall go on your merry way. However, a follow up visit may also be indicated. Notice how none of this involves the pharmacy?

ME: Yeah, not the initial visit, the follow up visit, the diagnosis, whether the patient still needs it. 

MICE ELF: Yeah, we really don't need to be tracking down the refills of all thousand of our patients. 

CP: When they have only their own to worry about. Last week, a patient called and reminded us of his provider's "policy" and I reminded him of mine. It had been 11 days since we first contacted the office. I went back and pulled the successful confirmations, all four of them, circled them, and sent them along with yet another request; a request which also contained the following note, written with "Dr. Zoffis Sharpie", that said: If it is your policy to have the pharmacy request refills, then do not ignore and stop telling your patients you didn't receive them. As you can clearly see, we faxed this successfully four times. I shall remind you of this one more time: YOU. DO. NOT. NEED. THE. PHARMACY. TO. REQUEST. REFILLS. Stop telling patients this when you have them on the phone."

ME: Did it work?

CP: Three days later we received the refills. 

MICE ELF: Unbelievable. 

CP: From now on, I tell patients I will send it once. Here endeth my obligation. If your office can't figure out a way to refill your prescription without my intervention, then again, even WITH my intervention, there is nothing for me to do. But I have way too many patients to play this game. Find a new Dr. Zoffis or track it down yourself. 

ME and MICE ELF: Amen.