Why Does Walgreens Pharmacy Take So Long?

Pharmacists have greater knowledge about drugs than any other medical professional, including physicians and nurses. According to Ronald Jordan, who serves as the dean of the School of Pharmacy at Chapman University in Orange, California, “Those with the right to prescribe know significantly less about pharmacological therapy than pharmacists,” and it is imperative that customers make use of the information provided by pharmacists.

Find out why generics are available at a lower cost, how far in advance you should contact for a refill, and other information by reading the following.1. Pharmacists working in chain stores are expected to exceed sales objectives. Once a prescription has been called in, a pharmacist at a chain store like CVS, Walgreen’s, or Rite Aid has fifteen minutes to complete the order.

Even McDonald’s, according to one CVS pharmacist who requested anonymity in order to speak freely about their workplace. He states that there are occasions when the patient is required to take 25 drugs all at once. “If we take longer than we are allowed, we get written up and have to meet with the administrators of our district.

1. It is even possible for it to effect bonuses.
2. It is a significant amount of pressure.” 2.
3. It is recommended to fill medicines first thing in the morning.
4. Like physicians, pharmacists, particularly those working in mom-and-pop stores where they don’t have quotas to meet, are less likely to make you wait first thing in the morning.

This is especially true of those working in the retail sector. A pharmacist in Miami named Martin Ochalek says that “once the doctor calls start coming, it slows down everything.” Independent pharmacies are the sole exception to this rule. According to Joey Jimenez, a former pharmacy worker who specialized in compound pharmaceuticals (also known as “made-from-scratch” medicines) at Total Pharmacy Supply, “Any time of day is a good time to phone in a prescription since they need the business.” One other time-saving suggestion is to phone ahead of time to make sure that your prescription is ready to be picked up.3.

Remain patient if it takes more than 15 minutes to complete the task. Because getting the wrong prescription might have catastrophic repercussions, it is in everyone’s best interest to exercise patience. According to Sally Rafie, PharmD, who works as a drug safety consultant at the University of California San Diego Health System, “time demands can lead to prescription mistakes.” “There is a lot more to becoming a pharmacist than just counting pills and putting them in bottles.

To ensure that you receive a prescription that is both safe and effective for you, pharmacists are taking into account a wide range of factors, including allergies, drug interactions, dose, and many more.” MORE: Alternatives to the Top 10 Most Prescribed Drugs That Come From the Natural World 4.

1. The handwriting of medical professionals truly is so poor.
2. Team Responsible for Designing Media Platforms Because it is so poor, in point of fact, it might cause mistakes, which is why pharmacists need to be particularly attentive when they are writing prescriptions.
3. [Citation needed] “It’s remarkable how bad their writing can be at times,” Ochalek says, recalling a time when he got a child’s prescription for amoxicillin that seemed to be three to four times the appropriate amount.

“It’s amazing how horrible their writing can be at times,” Ochalek says. Even if contacting the doctor over the phone can solve any problems, doing so is an additional step that, in most cases, results in the consumer having to wait longer. Jimenez is a supporter of writing scripts on electronic devices.

1. However, he notes that some people have not yet adopted the method since doing so requires further financial investment.
2. MORE: The Lowdown on These 8 Strange Food Trends Inspired by Celebrity Diets 5.
3. Pharmacists do not have the authority to establish pricing.
4. Even with health insurance, the cost of pharmaceuticals cannot be denied to be prohibitive in most cases.

However, in contrast to standard retail establishments, pharmacists do not have the ability to decide how much of a profit margin to add on to the prices of the items they sell. “Customers are not aware of what is going on with the cost of pharmaceuticals these days,” says Jack Porter, a pharmacist in Beverly Hills.

“These days,” he continues, “there is a lot going on with the pricing of drugs.” “I would love for people to be aware that a cream that used to cost $10 may now cost $150, and I would love for people to be conscious of.” 6. You shouldn’t and can’t always purchase a generic version of a medication. To begin, a brief introduction to generics: They are “similar to a brand-name medicine in dosage form, safety, strength, mode of administration, quality, performance characteristics, and intended use,” as stated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

So why are they sold at a lower price? Once a medicine with a brand name is released into the market, it will maintain its patent for about twenty years, during which time no other pharmaceutical business will be able to produce or sell the drug. Once it does, though, businesses are free to produce it without incurring the costs of first creating it from the ground up.

1. It is important to keep in mind that not every medication has a generic equivalent, and even when one does, a pharmacist might not always advocate using it.
2. According to Porter, “I don’t substitute some medications that treat seizures because the generic dissolves at a different pace.” This is one example of an instance in which the dissolution rates of generic and brand name pharmaceuticals are different.

“On the generic, there is a possibility that they will still experience an episode of epilepsy. I wouldn’t put myself in that position.” 7. Do not put off ordering refills of your medication until you are completely out of it. Team Responsible for Designing Media Platforms We are all aware that doctors lead hectic lives; yet, it is their availability that determines whether or not you will be able to have a prescription refilled.

• For this reason, it is essential that you give your pharmacy a few days’ head start before you expect them to have them in stock.
• According to Porter, “Doctors do not always call back soon, and it is not certain that you will be able to acquire a refill on the same day.” As a general guideline, you should inform the pharmacist when you have five or six tablets remaining in your supply.

“This is especially true for pharmaceuticals that require ongoing maintenance, such as those for blood pressure. When taking medication, skipping a dose or waiting an excessive amount of time between doses might have negative consequences “adds Jimenez.

MORE: Why You Should Never Combine Supplements and Medication Together 8. If you are not picking up a prescription at the pharmacy, do not utilize the checkout counter there. We have all experienced it in the past: You only need a few items for your bathroom, but the queue to check out is winding its way across the aisles.

However, you should fight the urge to pay for it at the drugstore. “Pharmacists are eager to help, but it distracts them from the vital work they’re doing, which can lead to accidental errors,” says Rafie. “While pharmacists are happy to help, it distracts them from the work they’re doing.” “And do not inquire with the pharmacist on the location of the toilets, diapers, or batteries!” 9.

Develop a rapport with the pharmacist who handles your prescriptions. Team Responsible for Designing Media Platforms You probably don’t change physicians every month, and you shouldn’t feel free to do so when it comes to your pharmacy either. According to Jordan, “Patients are better served by developing a relationship with their pharmacist, just as they would be with any other healthcare professional.” It is always nice to know the person on the other end of the phone line, and they are eager to spend more time with you.

If you remain with one location, you will not only receive more individualized care, but it will also be more convenient for you. Rafie states that “it’s a lot of extra work for the pharmacy to continually transferring the prescription,” and he goes on to argue that “there’s no way each pharmacy can have all the information they need on file to make sure a drug is safe for you.” 10.

1. Be familiar with the definition of “as instructed.” It’s possible that you’ve seen a physician write “as indicated” on a prescription before.
2. This lets the pharmacist know that the patient’s physician has previously gone through the appropriate dosage and administration of the drug with them.
3. While the directions for how to take certain medications are crystal clear, others can be administered in a variety of ways.

“I have customers who walk in with prescriptions and ask, ‘why am I taking this?’ ” According to Porter. “When you obtain the prescription, it is crucial to look at it and leave the doctor with some comprehension of what it is, particularly if it says ‘as advised.'” 11.

Make sure you ask the appropriate questions, even though a reputable pharmacist should be able to provide you with the answers to many of them on their own. These questions should include when to take the medication, whether or not to take it with food, what the potential side effects are, and whether or not it needs to be refrigerated.

According to Porter, a patient should be able to leave a pharmacy feeling secure that they know what steps to take next. If they aren’t, then they need to make sure they ask a lot more questions. The final result is that the consumer will be the one to bear the burden of the repercussions.

According to Jordan, “If patients stop taking their prescription before they should or don’t utilize them as recommended, they may wind up in the emergency department or be forced to take extra, more expensive drugs as a result.” [Citation needed] Even though your medical record should already have information about your allergies, you should still bring it up if the pharmacist doesn’t inquire about them (though he or she should).

According to Porter, “The ultimate obligation” is with the patient in informing the pharmacist of any relevant information.12. Never purchase medication on the internet. Even though the price of some prescription medications is slightly lower, you should not give in to the temptation of buying them online just because you can have them with a few mouse clicks.

(With one notable exception, such as taking birth control tablets on a consistent basis without experiencing any adverse effects, this rule does not apply.) According to Jordan, the most significant issue is that people end up misusing drugs or failing to recognize their adverse effects, despite the fact that there is a potential for financial gain.

It is in your best interest to work through a pharmacy, where you will be able to receive personalized medical guidance. MORE: The Doctor Who Helped Save This Man’s Life Didn’t Even Know Him. The brave new world of virtual medicine is waiting for you to explore it.

Why does it take so long to get my prescription filled?

Author: Omudhome Ogbru, Pharm.D., a medical professional Dr. Jay Marks serves as the article’s medical editor. Even while most individuals have been inside a pharmacy at some point in their lives, relatively few are aware of the wide variety of services that pharmacists may render.

What takes place behind the glass divider that divides the pharmacy? What causes the filling of a prescription to take such a lengthy time? This piece highlights the role that community pharmacists play in the delivery of healthcare and offers tips on how to make the most of each trip to the pharmacy.

The primary responsibility of the community pharmacist is to ensure that prescriptions are filled correctly and that patients have access to sufficient information to make appropriate and secure use of drugs. Before a patient may leave the pharmacy with a drug, the pharmacist has to make sure that the patient gets the proper medication, the appropriate dosage, and the usage instructions.

1. The pharmacist will also provide information about how the drug works and its potential side effects.
2. The pharmacist will also check to make sure that there are no contraindications to the medication (medical reasons for a patient to avoid taking the medication) and that there are no potentially harmful interactions with other medications the patient may be taking, foods the patient may be eating, or diseases the patient may have.

This is accomplished by the pharmacist conducting an accurate transcription of the doctor’s prescription, conducting an interview with the patient, providing the patient with counseling, and making use of his or her knowledge of the condition that is being treated as well as the effects of the prescribed drug.

• Because the pharmacist is typically the last healthcare practitioner to interact with patients before patients get their drugs, they serve as the last check and balance in a system meant to guarantee that pharmaceuticals are administered in a manner that is both safe and effective.
• In the event that the pharmacist has reason to suspect that there is an issue with the prescription, he or she will contact the doctor who prescribed the medication in order to have the prescription reviewed.

For instance, the wrong medicine or dose might have been administered, or the pharmacist might have discovered that there is another medication that is either safer or more effective than the one that was recommended. Pharmacists’ primary responsibility is to ensure that patients leave the pharmacy with the correct medicine; however, they also give information on medications to other medical experts and the general public.

They provide assistance to medical professionals in the process of selecting appropriate medications, educate patients on proper over-the-counter treatments, and advise the general public on preventative therapy. Certain neighborhood pharmacies provide services for the monitoring of patients’ cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels.

In addition to that, they could provide weight loss and smoking cessation programs. The work that pharmacists conduct appears to be easily explained by this explanation. The question then is why the process of filling a prescription takes so long. There are a lot of factors to consider.

• One of the primary reasons for this is that pharmacies are usually quite busy yet have a shortage of workers. It takes time and people to perform all of the processes necessary to fill a prescription, including counseling patients and contacting physicians if there is a query regarding the prescription. Those steps include filling the prescription, counseling patients, and calling in the prescription.
• There is also some responsibility on the part of insurance firms. If the insurance company first decides not to pay the patient for their medical expenses, it may take anything from a few hours to over 24 hours for the patient to gain authorization from their insurance company or a fresh prescription from their physician. The resolution of concerns pertaining to insurance, the clarification of the prescription with the attending physician, and the acquisition of refill authorization take up a significant amount of a pharmacist’s working day.
• Last but not least, pharmacy is one of the most heavily regulated professions
• as a result, the checks and balances that have been set up to ensure the safety of the general public are labor-intensive and frequently lead to inefficiency. There are regulations governing everything, from the height of the counter top in the drugstore to the information that should be included on the label of a prescription.

Now that I’ve thrown some light on what pharmacists perform, here are some recommendations on how to get the most out of your trip to the pharmacy while also minimizing the amount of time you spend there.

1. Before you leave the doctor’s office, check to see that the prescription includes the drug’s full name, the dose, the amount (including the number of refills), and the instructions for how to use the medication. Knowing the reason the medicine was recommended to you is another important consideration. In addition to this, the prescription has to be signed by the attending physician or a representative of the attending physician. Find out from the doctor who prescribed the medication whether or not your health insurance will cover the cost of the medication. If it is not covered and you do not want to pay cash or spend a long time at the pharmacy while the pharmacist calls your doctor, ask your doctor to prescribe a similar drug that is covered by your insurance plan. In the event that it is not covered and you do not want to pay cash or spend a long time at the pharmacy while the pharmacist calls your doctor. The majority of medical professionals keep a record of the medications that are covered by their patients’ insurance.
2. Make sure that the information about your insurance is correct and up to date before you go to the pharmacy. If you provide the insurance company with a date of birth or social security number that does not match the information kept by the insurance company, you run the risk of having your coverage denied and of experiencing an unnecessary delay in accessing your medicine.
3. You should request that the physician phone or fax in your prescription along with details on when you will be picking up the medication. In addition, it is a smart move to phone ahead and inquire as to whether or not the prescription has been prepared. You won’t have to wait as long for the prescription to be filled because of this, which will save you a lot of time.
4. Try to avoid going to the drugstore at busy times. The busiest times of day for most pharmacies are often after lunch and after regular work hours
5. however, the peak hours might vary from one drugstore to the next.
6. Inform the pharmacist of any drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, as well as any supplements, that you are currently using. Make it a point to set aside a little bit of time to talk about your prescriptions with the pharmacist. Even though it is one of the most helpful services that pharmacists can give, just a small percentage of customers take use of this no-cost option.
7. If it is at all feasible, you should fill all of your medicines at the same pharmacy. That way, the pharmacists there will be familiar with your whole medication profile and will be able to identify any potential drug interactions or instances of duplication treatment.
8. When you go to get your medicine refilled, check to see whether you still have any refills remaining. On the label of your drug, it will often mention how many refills are permitted. In the event that there are no more refills available, you should call the office of your physician in advance to obtain authorization for a refill. You should give your prescription refill request a call a few hours before you go to the pharmacy so that they can prepare your medicine for you when you get there.
9. Consider utilizing the automatic refill or mail order options that are given by the majority of pharmacies for any drugs that you are required to take on a regular basis. After your pills have run out, some automatic refill providers may even contact your physician to request authorization for further refills. Request a supply that will last you for 90 days instead of just 30 days if it is available.
10. Create a rapport with the pharmacist who handles your prescriptions.
11. Spend the time that you must wait for your drugs researching about preventative therapy and the medications that you will be taking. You should get your blood pressure checked, as well as your weight, your glucose levels, and your cholesterol, as well as any other information that might help enhance the way your disease is managed.

A trip to the pharmacy doesn’t have to be a stressful or unpleasant experience if you just take the time to prepare ahead of time. Take it easy and try to put things in perspective if you end up waiting longer than expected to get your prescription filled, which might happen for any number of unanticipated reasons.

Why does it take pharmacists so long to fill prescriptions?

To prepare your prescription, there is far more involved than just calculating out the pills, drawing out a label, and affixing it to a container. Your prescription, the dose, and the directions are all evaluated by your pharmacist to ensure that they are appropriate for you.

• In order to identify any potential issues, he or she will look over your confidential local and PharmaNet profiles.
• This might include any allergies you have, as well as any interactions with other drugs you are now taking.
• Your current prescription will have the relevant information entered into your PharmaNet profile by your pharmacist.

After the prescription has been filled, it passes through one more round of quality assurance before being dispensed. Counseling must also be offered so that patients are informed on how to take their medicine, including when and how often to take it, as well as what potential adverse effects they should be on the lookout for and how to properly store their medication.

Why do pharmacies make you wait?

Sometimes, these medical professionals may not contact with one another or exchange their patients’ medical data, and as a result, they are not aware of all of the prescriptions that their patient is taking. Before a drug is dispensed to you at the pharmacy pickup window, the pharmacist has the opportunity to identify and correct any problems that may have occurred in the pharmacy itself.

Why can’t you walk up to a drive-thru?

After the sitting area of a quick-service restaurant has closed for the night, pedestrians may at times make an effort to stroll through the drive-through to place their food orders. Many businesses do not serve pedestrians who are walking through their drive-through lanes for concerns related to safety, insurance, and liability.

Service is typically denied to cyclists for the same reason that it is denied to pedestrians. However, in the summer of 2009, Burgerville began allowing bikes to utilize the drive-through window at its locations. People who go through rural regions on horseback or in carriages carried by horses might face similar challenges at times.

After being told she could not receive service at the drive-through window of a McDonald’s restaurant in Greater Manchester, United Kingdom, on July 20, 2013, a lady was given a fine for bringing her horse into the restaurant. The horse ultimately defecated inside the restaurant, much to the chagrin of the other patrons who were there at the time.

In May of 2016, Scott McGee brought a class action lawsuit against McDonald’s to the federal court in the United States. The complaint was filed because the fast food restaurant chain is hesitant to service customers who are visually impaired when only the drive-through lane is available. As of October 2018, the dispute had not yet been resolved by the court.

Drive-throughs in the city of Portland, Oregon, are required to include access to many modes of transportation as of the 24th of May, 2018, when a new rule went into effect. “When a drive-through facility is open and other pedestrian-oriented customer entrances to the business are unavailable or locked, the drive-through facility must serve customers using modes of transportation other than a vehicle such as pedestrians and bicyclists,” reads a provision in the new zoning law.