It would never fly in the real world, but in my own imaginary pharmacy paradise, I would have every customer who fills a prescription do so only after agreeing to the terms of my pharmacy contract.
Here are some points I would include on this contract (in no particular order because I didn't feel like putting enough thought into this to make it look like an official document)...
In order to make your experience at our pharmacy as pleasant and beneficial as possible, we ask all our customers to abide by certain terms. These terms are designed to help ensure customer safety and privacy, as well as to help the pharmacy abide by federal and state dispensing laws.
1) Customers will be asked their names, date of births, and addresses every single time they drop off a prescription. Even if you've been going to the pharmacy for 20 years, we will still ask this information and require that you give it to us at the time of prescription dropoff. This is done to help ensure the accurate filling and dispensing of prescriptions. If you have a problem with giving out this information at prescription drop-off, find another pharmacy.
2) In the event that you run out of medication and have no refills remaining on your prescription, we can only give out a 72 hour supply of medication. This only applies to long term, necessary medication. That means we will not spot you a couple viagra without a prescription, nor will we give out an entire pack of birth control without approval from a prescriber. This means that CUSTOMERS are responsible for keeping track of refills on their prescriptions. If in the event you run out of refills and wait until you're out of pills before asking us to get approval from a doctor, we reserve the right to tell you "it's your own damn fault."
3) Prescriptions for controlled substances will be allowed to be refilled no more than 2 days before the customer runs out of medication. We will not fill a prescription for Vicodin, valium, xanax, or any other control earlier than this even if the insurance company allows it. Any exception must be verified and approved by the patient's prescriber before dispensing. If the office has already closed or if it's a weekend, the pharmacy will have to wait until the next day the office is open before dispensing.
4) In the even that a customer runs out of refills, the pharmacy can call or fax the prescriber requesting more refills. However, customers must keep in mind that the pharmacy is doing this out of courtesy to the customer, and is in no way responsible if the doctor takes a long time to approve the request or if the doctor decides to deny the request. Ultimately, it's the patient's responsibility to make sure his/her request for a prescription renewal gets approved by the prescriber.
5) There will be absolutely no talking on the cell phone while waiting in line at the pharmacy counter. Any customer talking on a cell phone will not be waited on until he/she hangs up the phone.
6) If you're copay is higher than you expected, it is not the pharmacy's responsibility to call your insurance company and figure out the reason. We may do this as a courtesy in certain situations. However, ultimately it is the customer's responsibility to contact the insuranace company in regards to questions about copays or NDC not covered rejections. The pharmacists have a good deal of knowledge about the general workings of pharmacy insurance companies. However, they do not know the specifics on every single plan that's out there.
In choosing to fill a prescription at this pharmacy, you have agreed to abide by the terms spelled out in this contract. Any complaints or grievances filed by customers who have violated any of the aforementioned terms will be ignored, ridiculed, or (in severe cases) result in the customer being denied future pharmacy services.
Sign Name Here____________________________________________________
(*** I think I'll add more terms as I think of them. Feel free to make suggestions. Together we can come up with the ideal pharmacy contract)
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4 comments:
I love it!!
"customers must keep in mind that the pharmacy is doing this out of courtesy to the customer"
Ive actually said this to a customer, after she said to me "I thought it was YOU PEOPLE'S job to call and get refills!?"
"Umm no that is a courtsey, ma'am."
You should also add:
7. You shoud refrain from using fowl language and verbally abusing the pharmacy staff. If you do so we reserve the right to deny service.
8. Please respect the pharmacist's professional judgement. If you disagree with a decision we have made even after we have explained our resasoning you should not complain to non-pharmacy personel or stand in front of the pharmacy counter and harass us for extended lengths of time. If harassment continues you will be asked to leave or escorted out by the authorities.
I know a dentist who has his patietns sign an agreement that they would not lose any controlled-drug medication he might prescribe, and if they did, he would not replace it with a new prescription. Also, doctors these days have patients sign a statement saying they agree with a certain financial arrangement. I think your contract idea is more than reasonable. It certainly is overdue in our profession.
you should add that we will process your prescription once, if fails, you call your insurance company and if resolved we will process again. If not resolved, you will pay full cash price and we can reprocess when all issues resolved. We are not in business to cover the ass of the people who are trying to force us out of business.
7. You shoud refrain from using fowl language and verbally abusing the pharmacy staff. If you do so we reserve the right to deny service.
Hey UNPCRPH - I do this anyway. Someone gives me any kinds of hell, not only do I deny them service - I ban them from my store. I also call all the other nearby pharmacies and let them know that the person is a pain in the ass...
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