"Don't Call Us, We'll Call You"
Dr. Jeffrey Fudin's blog, PainDr, recently hosted an article written by him and and his recent guest poster Dr. Ernest Dole, who spoke out about Walgreens Good Faith Dispensing Policy in, 'Is Walgreens Opiate Policy Deceptive'?
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If you were one of the many legitimate patients who attempted to fill your medications at a Walgreens pharmacy and had a problem of any type, please read this insightful article and leave your experiences on Dr. Fudin's blog or the Drug Topics website, where the article ran on October 15, 2013. It may be easier for you to copy and paste what you wrote if you left a comment on my Walgreens experience. The corporation is taking notice of these complaints across the nation. Someone from a Walgreens Facebook group left a comment on my post asking me to contact them on a general email address or through Facebook. Shortly after I filed a formal complaint with the California State Board of Pharmacy. Leaving a short comment a midst multiple horror stories from patients is not the way a national pharmacy chain should handle business.
A compassionate Pain Management specialist informed me that Walgreens is the top pharmacy that gives them problems filling the patients scripts. This is a large Orthopedic group with multiple offices and established, respected doctors in many specialties. They tell every patient when they leave, to call the doctor's (wonderful) medical assistant directly if they experience any problem filling their medication at any pharmacy. The last time I was in Pain Management, this was never an issue. The pharmacy calls requesting further documentation from the doctor are unnecessary, very time consuming, and may breach the privacy rights of the patient.
How You Can Take Action
Many have written of being denied fills of legitimate pain medications by Walgreens Pharmacy, some refusals--such as mine for the muscle relaxer Carisoprodol--did not include opiate medications. The corporation is losing customers, patients are driving farther, to other pharmacies (albeit inconvenient) that want to be an integral part of our health care. The pharmacy is usually the end-stop for all compliant and very tired patients who are simply trying to complete what the doctor's visit that day began. Along with taking our dollars away, we need to stop and make sure these negative events are documented with the governing board of both pharmacies and the pharmacist.
I filed a complaint with the California State Board of Pharmacy against the pharmacist that denied my prescription, all on the basis of the company's Good Faith Dispensing Policy. I did this online, there is a specific page for this on the Board's site. This takes approximately 20-30 minutes. If you do not have computer access, you may file a complaint by phone.
I was contacted by an investigator from the Board, who is assigned to my case. It has not been long since the online complaint was filed. I was surprised at the quickness of his response. He will investigate (among other things) if the pharmacist acted within his scope of practice. He will investigate if there was harm done to the patient, and if the corporation's GFD was the basis for the action the pharmacist took when he neglected to complete the plan of my treating doctor when he refused to fill the doctor's prescription written for me.
The good pharmacists and other pharmacy employees who are caught in the middle of this corporate debacle, as I noted on Dr. Fudin's blog, are innocent and I feel for them. Not all pharmacists are acting outside the scope of their practice. All pharmacists are, however, aware that they have never been licensed nor trained to perform any prescribing. Prescribing by omission is doing just that.
There are compassionate, conscientious physicians, nurses, dentists, surgeons, etc., etc., and there are those who are not. Compassion does not override professionalism, it lies within it. One can not work with patients, with people that are ill, who are in any state of illness, without having and exhibiting compassion. Illness means the body is not in a state of wellness. The last thing that anyone that is ill needs to deal with is a holdup of their doctor's plan for their treatment, and the stress that stems from being denied their medication.
Please go to your state's Board of Pharmacy site online, and file a complaint. The American Medical Association also wants to hear from you. Those who have been wronged need to stand up and be heard, and more important, take a step towards rectifying the injustices done to innocent patients.
A little compassion can go a long, long way.
Gentle Hugs....and a tolerable pain day.
Dearest Shauna, I'm so sorry to hear about your new problems. I hope they turn out to be something nondangerous that can be fixed easily.
ReplyDeleteI thought the problem was with my own Walgreens (on Magnolia near La Sierra)! I had already decided not to take prescriptions there anymore. It was bad enough they treated me as if I should not be taking the medicine that allows me to be productive. One day I saw them deny medications to an elderly lady who had driven all the way from Moreno Valley after questioning her for several minutes. Another day I saw them deny medication to a veteran who looked as if he was in a lot of pain because he lived in Corona.
I'm really shocked to hear that this new inquisition policy applies to all Walgreens. Thank you for speaking out about this.
Shauna
Dear Shauna,
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing to keep hearing these stories of horrible patient care and the constant denial from Walgreens pharmacy. They are heartbreaking. I suppose it is all about what filters we each view life through; ever since I lived overseas, the meanings of 'close' and 'far' became completely different than what I had previously believed them to be. I don't see how a patient can be denied a medication on the basis of living in a city that is a matter of a few miles away. We are not talking about coming from another state to attempt a medication fill--why would a company that markets themselves on customer convenience demand that the very patients that keep them in business go to another branch of the same store? It makes me tired just thinking about the 2 people you happened to witness being treated like that, as we both know the steps they were then forced to take, just to get their prescription filled. This happens every day, in every state. It is the unseen, the hidden, the faces of those in pain, in any state of illness, who silently suffer--more than they already are. God forbid the patient shows any sign of emotion for they may be pegged as exhibiting drug-seeking behavior.
Thank you my friend for your kind words...you have been here for many years encouraging me, and I am blessed to have you in my life.
Shauna #2 ;)
Hi Shauna,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind comments on my blog. This problem you describe with pharmacies sounds extra-difficult. Doesn't happen in my part of the world, but I can just imagine the anguish it causes. Glad you're speaking out.
And glad to find someone else writing about the anguish of pain, too. Your new pain sounds frightening. I can relate to that feeling of dread. (What dark hole am I going to disappear down, this time?)
I am sure you are doing all the right things to take care of it. I wish you best of luck finding good care and mild results. Better yet, I hope it turns out to be transient, and resolves on its own… tomorrow!
And as to the other things you are feeling -- glad you have your boy there to love you and stand with you. I find it helps to talk to others about this stuff. Both family, friends and professionals. Hugs in this difficult time.
Thank you for sharing your story with others. I Hope everything gets better for you and something gets done. Excellent Blog!
ReplyDeleteI havnt seen any updates in a while on your blog... I hope you are doing well, I have been following your journey for several years, and I feel like I have come to know you and care about your health. Take care Shauna
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