just read your article on “When valid prescriptions are refused” and it was worth readying because I just experienced my first issue with a Pharmacist at the CVS in New Jersey. I forwarded this letter to the President and I received a call from xxxx from the executive office advising e that they stand behind this Pharmacist decision and then she threatened that she was going to warn all the other Pharmacist in my area that I had this problem with their Pharmacist.
Below is the bases of my letter and I wanted to know if this falls in the category of which you spoke, and I wanted to know if the laws that you spoke of apply also in New Jersey?
“Dear Mr. Larry Merlo:
I am truly deeply saddened that I have been forced to take my time to type this letter of complaint and forward it directly to your attention concerning the Pharmacy Manager, xxxxxx at the xxxxxxxxx, New Jersey store number xxxx, and a negative notation placed on my account without cause or reason. Although, I have been a customer of CVS for many years and I have never had to ever come close to any type of complaint with this company until now. In August 2014, I somehow fell and fractured a bone in my big left toe and received a script for Tylenol IV with Codeine from the Emergency Room Doctor as a form of break through pain relief from this fracture and so that I would not exceed my current medication dose of morphine 30 milligrams, every six hours written by another Doctor for another medical reason.
I brought my script to be filled to CVS Pharmacist and she advised me that she could not fill my script for the Tylenol IV with Codeine, until she verified that the E.R. Doctor was aware that I was already taking morphine: something that I have never heard of or ever experienced in the seventeen years that I have been taking this controlled substance. However, considering the fact that I provided a completed list of all the medications that I am currently taking to the E.R. Doctor, a list that I keep in my wallet and have also provided a copy for your viewing, I knew that verifying this information would not be a problem and that I could get my script filled and make my way back home to get off my foot which was already turning blue and inflamed in pain.
I heard when xxxx called The xxxxxx Memorial Hospital in xxxxx, NJ and after getting transferred several times was able to contact Dr. xxxxxx and confirm that he was aware that I am on thirty milligrams of Morphine every six hours. Then CVS Pharmacist lowered her voice and continued the conversation, which I thought was unusual but didn’t think anything of it until moments later when CVS Pharmacist handed me back my script and advised me that it could not filled “because the Doctor agreed with her that since I am on morphine that this script for the Tylenol IV with codeine would have little to no effect on me.” I was outraged because I had to hobble another 70 yards back to my car, drive another three miles out of my way and hobble another 150 yards to have my script filled, with no questions asked, by a competitor who is aware of my current and past medication history.
In lure of the fact that this is the second time that CVS Pharmacist has gone out of her way to interfere with the completion of my scripted medication and my Doctors requests, that I felt the need to send this written formal complaint directly to your attention and respectfully request that you investigate her actions and motives. The first incident, which happened approximately two months earlier, was over looked because I did not wish to be responsible for any actions taken towards this employee at my request; however, because I honestly wish to continue to do business with this company.”
Apparently the doc did not say to cancel the Tylenol No.4… since the Pharmacist gave it back to the pt.. Wonder what the Pharmacist said to the doc when she LOWERED HER VOICE in talking with the prescriber on the phone ?
Filed under: General Problems
Hire hamas,Hezbollah,ISIS and the like to drop plastic explosives in anal pharmacies.If they survive,then they’ll understand what pain is…
This article brought up an interesting point involving C2 prescriptions for cancer patients in cancer treatment centers. My mother passed away in 2004 from lung cancer that spread into blood and brain. She was treated at Moffitt cancer center in Tampa, Florida which was an incredibly good institution. However, her oncologist would only write a time release pain medication (60- 80mg. Oxycontin) because he was afraid that her physical condition would not allow any greater dosage of pain medications. I could not get any pharmacy except the Moffitt hospital pharmacy to fill the prescriptions even though they were written by the chief oncologist at Moffitt. When it was determined that her cancer was terminal hospice took over and we had no more issues getting the prescriptions filled through hospice. My questions are, how come the pharmacists will never question a prescription through hospice? How come pharmacies refuse to fill pain medications for terminally ill cancer patients knowing those prescriptions are legitimate coming from a oncologist at a cancer center? I spoke with my attorney who is also a licensed pharmacist and was told he would take my mother’s case because he was sure he could win a major amount from the pharmacies refusing to fill since mom’s oncologist and primary care doctors were willing to testify for my mom. However, once hospice took over the issue was fixed and mom got her prescriptions. I was incredulous over this situation and could not understand why a pharmacist would refuse to fill a prescription for 60 Oxycontin tablets for a dying 74 year old woman. There is no excuse for this at all. If pharmacist’s were really refusing to fill just because of the legitimate course of treatment then you would think there would be some refusals from pharmacists when presented with a pain prescription through hospice. I have never heard of a pharmacist refusing to fill a prescription through hospice so why wouldn’t a pharmacist have the same objections to a prescription through hospice?
The answer to your question is quite simple.. so far the DEA has exempt hospitals and Hospices from their interference. It is common sense that people in hospitals and hospice are “sick/dying” and under direct supervision of healthcare professionals… less chance of abusing the opiates
How much additional pain relief would Tylenol #4 provide for the pt who is already taking morphine 30mg Q6H? I doubt that it would make much of a dent….
Ummm wouldn’t ‘them warning all the other pharmacists in the area” be a violation of HIPAA?? Way before INSPECT, there was a phone tree in my town, so all the pharmacies could notify each other about bad scripts being passed in the area, eventually it was made known that said phone tree was a violation of the patients privacy unless it could be proven beyond a doubt the script was bad.and then that pharmacy had to figure out how to call the police with the patient standing there instead of sending him to a specific pharmacy and have the police waiting….apparently the ‘patient’ could sue any of us for slander. Don’t know how big the town in NJ is where the writer lives, but maybe he/she may want to check with the hospital to see if there is a blot now on their file and if was put there from the phone conversation. IMO. And the writer should dump CVS as a pharmacy
Looking foward to Pharmacist Steve’s reply