Why does it take so long for the pharmacist to fill my prescription?

Question

All they have to do is put the pills in the bottle, right?

Answer 1

Sure, if you want the prescription to be entered into the system wrong, filled with te wrong drug and dispensed to you incorrectly.
From the second you walk up to the drop off terminal, we need to find you in the system, verify all info is still current, and start entering your prescription. From there, we scan your prescription so it will show up on the verifying pharmacists computer, and we put a coded sticker on the back of the prescription. Then we make sure your insurance is going to cover it the way it was written(did you doctor write it for a 3 month supply but your insurance only covers a one month supply at retail? Is your doctor having you take 1 tablet of 12.5 mg hydrchlorothiazde a day? Maybe your insurance would rather have you get 15 25 mh HCTZ and break them in half, so there's a rejection in the system). Once it goes through okay in the computer, we notify the production staff that you're waiting. They could be working on another waiting script, or could be on the phone with a customer or an insurance company or even a doctor calling in a new prescription, so maybe they don't print it out right away. Once it's printed, the tech has to find the drug and verify they have the right strength and medication and that there is enough on the shelf. Is your RX for 90 pills, but we only have 17 in stock? Your RX would have to be edited, we'd have to page you over the loudspeaker and then explain what was wrong and when we'd have the balance in. Or maybe we have it in stock and there's no problem. So the tech scans your RX and scans the medicine bottle, once again verifying that they have the right medication. Then they open the bottle(is it a new bottle? So we have to open the tamper proof label and tear out the cotton?), then count by 5's into the tray to make sure we put the correct number of pills in your prescription bottle. Then we put the cap on(is it a child proof cap or a non-safety cap?), and then it goes in a basket for the pharmacist to check everything and make sure that from drop off through production everything has been done right. Maybe the pharmacist is counseling a customer at the question window. Maybe she's on the phone with a customer, doctor or insurance company. So when she's free, she scans your prescription label. Up comes the image of your prescription that was scanned at drop off, and usually, an image of the pill. The phramacist reads everything on the prescription - your name, date of birth, doctors name, the name of the med, the quantity dispensed, the strength of the med, the directions written out, and how many refills the doctor authorized. Then they double check the contents of the bottle to verify they match the image on the screen. Then your bottle goes into a bag, folded over with the label on top, and gets stapled together. The pharmacist says your name, and the tech rings you out.
In my store that usually takes less than 10 minutes. Sometimes we have 7 people waiting for prescriptions, some of whom think the same way you do. So, if you want your pills ready in 2 minutes, no problem. You'll get the wrong drug entered under someone elses name, and have an allergic reaction to it because no one told us you were allergic to penicillian because you just threw your prescription at the drop off window saying "I'll be right back", and we just entered your prescription however we wanted and threw something else in the bag and rang you out.
Or, you could patiently wait the 10 minutes or less, and know you're getting exactly what you should be.
And then thank the technicians, because without them, you'd be waiting 30 minutes.

Answer 2

30 minutes is about the absolute worst we've ever had at my Pharmacy. Sometimes we can knock one down in two minutes, but it can go up from there. Consider some of these common things that slow us down..

- the person has never filled a prescription, yet they assume their demographics, insurance info, etc. are already in the system. After all it's all computerized ....right?

- the insurance comes back saying the prescription is too early to refill, or they don't cover that medicine, or they do cover it but the doctor's office has to be informed.

- the quantity the doctor writes for is not necessarily what the insurance will cover.

- bad penmanship = 5 minute call to doctor. That is assuming they are still open.

- we have several hundred medicines, so it takes more than a microsecond to locate the drug and when we are done we have to put it away.

- now we count to 30 and put it into the bottle and label it

- we now have the pharmacist verify the contents of the bottle for accuracy. We compare it against the prescription for accuracy of who is it for...who prescribed it.....correct drug....correct directions......correct quantity......correct day supply submitted to the insurance.

- now we have to put it in a bag so that it can be readily retrieved when the patient returns.

- the patient has 'just a few items' to ring up.

- when we start to ring them up they spring their new insurance on us. Which should have happened when they dropped of the prescription.

And we do this 250 times a day! That's one prescription every 3 minutes.

Answer 3

When a prescription comes in, it has to be verified. You have to make sure everything checks out. MDs regularly make prescribing errors and they have to be fixed before dispensing. Sometimes trying to get in touch with a doctor can be very time consuming. Your prescription is not the only one being filled. If there is a need for prior authorization, that can impact filling time. Also, pharmacists like to be generous with the time estimate because they do not want people to come back before the prescription is filled.

Answer 4

I don't know that it is ethical, but it is legal. A pharmacist can refuse to fill any medication for any reason. If I were a pharmacist I don't think I would tell my reason if it were due to religious beliefs as that would certainly bring "heat" into my professional life that would not be necessary. But some people feel really strong about this and that is one thing our country is founded on, is your right to religious freedom and speech. Rather than argue, just take your business elsewhere, I am sure another pharmacy would be glad to have it.

Answer 5

I know what you mean...that waiting can make you crazy....but....if you stand there the time goes even slower watching every move they make...so walk around the store and check things out and the time will pass much faster......to answer your question....they have to be careful and check your files to insure they are giving you a medication that you are not allergic to. Plus they have to do paperwork along with making the Id for your prescription....if you pay using insurance they have to verify that information....the phones are ringing from others who need to order...they are interrupted by co-workers...they might have to mix up something special for you like a liquid med. In the end you will receive your medication done carefully since that is most important...also one last thing, you can always drop your prescription off the day before you need it so you won't have to wait...I should have said this first and it would have been a shorter answer..oh well....I'm a woman and Italian can't stop chatting...lol

Answer 6

Well, they are filling the prescriptions in the order they were received. They are calling MD's to clarify the illegible orders or to point out medication conflicts. They are filling out government forms for certain medications. They are preparing labels with information and instructions. They are talking with customers about how to use their medications properly. They are counting your pills carefully and double-checking what they put into your bottle.

Answer 7

Sometimes they have to call the doctor, and then wait for the doctor to call back. Other times, they just get backed up with customers waiting for their RX's to be filled. Other times, they just can't decipher the doctor's writing. Also dealing with insurance policies can put a lag on the process. You should try getting a RX filled later in the day, like at night, when the pharmacy is not so busy, or try calling in your refill a day in advance. Many pharmacies offer automated refill if you call 24 hours in advance. That way, you can just pick it up when you get to the drug store.

Answer 8

It has been always a question for me too. 30 minutes for putting 30 pills in a container?? and this is when everything is computerized with patient's file already in computer, so paper work is done by a few clicks. The rest of 30 minutes is for counting 30 pills?

Answer 9

It has to be exact and these days more time is spent on paperwork than ever before,

The pills are already in the bottles anyway7.

Answer 10

Its hard getting those little bottles into the typewriter.