Today I went to the pharmacy with three very simple questions:
1. Why has the new
prescription for my diabetes test strips not been filled?
2. Why has my
brimodine eye drops from my ophthalmologist not been refilled?
3. What would be the
cost if I had a prescription for a B12 injection filled at the pharmacy, rather
than having the shot at the doctor office?
First, a little
background, it has been exactly four weeks since my visit to my diabetes nurse practitioner
and she requested a refill for new test strips.
Two weeks pass and I have no notice from the pharmacy that my test
strips were available for pick up. I
called the nurse practitioner’s office and asked why the prescription had not
been refilled. I was told that my
medical plan does not now cover the brand for my old strip test machine and that
I would need a new test machine and new test strips (another brand, that is). Remember,
I had to call the doctor’s office to learn what was going on—no one had notified
me of anything. I went to the pharmacy
and turned in all my Medicare and supplemental cards and they processed by prescription
and handed me my brand new test machine. Ah, but it would take a few days to
process the prescription for the test strips.
Now, today, one week later I stop by the pharmacy ask my first
questions: “Why has my new prescription
for my diabetes test strips been filled?”
Answer: oh, it looks like they have denied the prescription because it
is too soon to refill it. Too soon to
refill! It’s never been filled to begin
with! The pharmacist looked at said, you
are right, it has never been filled.”I was told that they will have to call “them”
and get back with me. So now I still
have a brand new test strip machine with no test strips and of course no
routine checking of my blood. I await
the call. (Note—two hours later I checked online and the prescription for the
test strips are now ready for pickup. I
guess if I hadn’t gone by the pharmacy and asked about the prescription, it
would have just laid there until infinity.
Second, I noted on line that the prescription for the refill
of my brimondine eye drops was waiting doctor approval as there were no
refills. Strange in that I just received a new refill prescription for this eye
drop last month. So I asked my second question, “Why has my brimodine eye drops
from my ophthalmologist not been refilled?” I asked them to check my prescription. Oh yes, they had the prescription from last
month but it had No Refills. What! I’ve
been on this drug for25 years and there shouldn’t be a problem with it. Then I was told that they had contacted the
doctor’s office and they had refused to refill it and that I was to call the
doctor myself if I wanted a refill.
(Later, I called the doctor’s office and they promptly sent in a new prescription
for the eye drops. I asked the nurse if
there was a new policy and that I had to
call them every time I needed a refill.
Oh no, she said, the pharmacy can call direct and they will gladly refill
the request from the pharmacy. Okay
somebody is not telling me the truth, here.
Thirdly, I had just left the doctor’s office where I had
received my first B12 shot that I would be receiving once a month over the next
six month. I can have the shot at the
Doctors office or pick up the medicine at my pharmacy and give the injection to
myself. So I asked my third question “What
would be the cost if I had a prescription for a B12 injection filled at the
pharmacy, rather than having the shot at the doctor office?” Oh no, the pharmacist said, we can’t give you
that information. You will have to have
the doctor send us a prescription for the B12, and we will fill it and then
tell you what the cost will be. Of
course, she added, if you don’t like the cost you can deny the prescription and
go back to your doctor’s office for the injection. Exasperation Time!
And so I leave the pharmacy with none of my prescriptions
filled and feeling like I was on a medical-go-round. Oh, but there was a good price on coffee in
the drug store that I ended up buying so the visit to the drug store was not a
complete loss.
