Pet Peeves

More than Child-safe.

Manufacturers that make the neck of their stock bottles so small that the desiccant fills the opening, and you can’t get the darn tablets out!

Not So Secure.

Physician electronic medical record software that does not update drop-down drug lists to remove discontinued items. Vicodin 5/500 anyone? And it’s printed on plain white paper in a format that makes it incredibly easy to change out the patient name and to photocopy. Hate to break it to you all ... that “microprint security feature” of yours copies just fine and is still legible.

NPI Numbers, Please!

Having to waste my tech’s time by having him search for a physician’s national provider identifier (NPI) number that I do not already have in my file, when all the physician has to do is write the number on the prescription. All third-party plans are requiring NPIs for reimbursement. This is very inconsiderate of the physician.

If You’re Late, You’ll Have to Wait.

Patients who don’t pick up their medication within the 14-day window. Then they show up—after receiving multiple reminders—and ask why the prescription isn’t ready! Even worse, sometimes the reversal of insurance billing takes a few hours in the system, and we can’t redo the prescription until a day or two have gone by! This leads to a lot of frustration for patients.

What’s bothering you?

Bossy patients, abandoned prescriptions, drive-throughs? Pharmacy Times wants to know. Send your pet peeves to [email protected]. We’ll add them to our ongoing published list. Share your Pet Peeves with Pharmacy Times today!