New rules in effect for Florida pharmacists
Changes that went into effect on Christmas Eve could bring relief to thousands
http://www.wesh.com/news/new-rules-in-effect-for-florida-pharmacists/37125200
A WESH 2 News investigation, 11 months in the making, is seeing results as the state of Florida tries to start fixing its prescription problems.
WESH 2 News first exposed the issue in January. Sick and dying men, women and children are being denied medication prescribed by their doctors, all because of a law meant to crack down on drug addicts.
The pharmacy rejections left patients to suffer, some spending their final days in crippling pain and others taking their own lives because of it.
Thousands have shared their stories with WESH 2 News and state leaders have recognized the problem and are taking aim at it.
Changes that went into effect on Christmas Eve could bring relief to thousands of sick people.
Before cancer took Darlene Patsos’ life, she said pharmacists took her dignity.
“Who in their right mind would deny someone who has cancer?” Patsos said.
For nearly a year, WESH 2 News has investigated blanket rejections of patients at the pharmacy. Patients like Patsos with legitimate prescriptions were turned away for no reason.
“Maybe it removes a little bit of the fear,” said Gavin Meshad with the Florida Board of Pharmacy.
Special report: Pharmacies denying legitimate prescriptions
Florida’s Board of Pharmacy, after hearing from patients profiled by WESH 2 News, has pushed through a rule change for pharmacists, aimed at ending some of the difficulty patients are having.
Beginning Thursday, every pharmacist must take a mandatory two-hour training class every two years, going over ways to ensure legitimate patients get their medication.
For instance, before a pharmacist can reject a prescription, they are now required to first talk to the patient’s doctor to try to resolve any concerns. Pharmacists are urged to use a state database established to crack down on pharmacy shopping and abuse.
“I think this goes a long way in really clarifying what’s expected of the pharmacist,” Meshad said.
Winter Park pharmacist Linda Lazuka welcomes the new requirements.
WESH 2 News asked Lazuka if she thinks patients will see a difference.
“I do. It won’t be overnight. It’ll take a little time,” Lazuka said.
Lazuka, a board member with the Florida Pharmacy Association, thinks the rule will empower pharmacists and hopefully eliminate concerns many have expressed about being targeted by law enforcement and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The fight for patients isn’t over. Next month, state Sen. Aaron Bean is expected to file a bill that’s also aimed at helping patients and pharmacists.
The bill, written after Bean watched the WESH 2 News investigation unfold, would eliminate the strict caps on the amount of medication pharmacists order from wholesalers.
Special Section: State of Pain
Filed under: General Problems
The one problem against them denying for pharmacy shopping: I used to go to Target until they started treating me poorly; went cvs where many of the previous target people went who were nice; a couple times they said they were out and sent me to Walgreens; then next I went back to cvs said they wouldn’t have any in for 4-5 days; so I went to small, locally owned, but they close at 6. So had to go to Costco cuz savmor closed. They fill so go back there then they refuse. So even if you have legit reason for going to different pharmacy it’s held against you. And with the pdr, why should it matter? Then have 2 surgeries a month a part, different docs and then you’re Doctor shopping.
I practice in Indiana..I agree with you….it’s easy to read in this, they (especially the chains) will find any reason to find an end run around the rules and continue not to fill…from my experience (almost 30 yrs) it’s very rare I get a direct callback or get to directly speak to the actual doctor on the phone in verifying a prescription, it’s usually the nurse (at least the person identifies themselves as such to me, of which I document the name) and isn’t this rule butting up against the AMA resolution regarding pharmacists contacting prescribers regarding reasons, etc on prescribing the controlled substance (passed back in 2013)?? When I have worked retail as a temp or regular employee, I used our PDMP regularly out of habit…IMHO…as long as the fills were within an appropriate time frame eg monthly quantity filled monthly and not early, if they used a different pharmacy…yes, it very well could be because their preferred pharmacy was out and in order to get the full amount they found one that had it. Sometimes it was because I sent them there after calling that store because I was legitimately out of stock! Gee, during the Adderall shortage a few years back, my son would have been tagged a pharmacy shopper because we got it filled by whoever had it in stock in town for the full 30 day supply. Give me a break! As someone who personally has family members and a couple of very close friends with chronic pain issues who have pretty much been treated as junkies in my state and whom I have tried to advocate for, maybe the FL legislator might want to consider tacking on a type of Pain Patients Bill of Rights to his piece. I hope their 2 hours of CE reviews the difference between true addiction, dependence and the chronic pain diseases being treated such as RDS, MS, cysts on the spinal cord, and Arachnoiditis caused by ESI which is not FDA approved but a procedure demanded performed by PM docs and which alternative therapies most likely aren’t going to improve to name a few.