In a report from USA TODAY (Dec 2008) they produced data that the vast majority of state pharmacy boards have chain pharmacy execs on them.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/health/2008-12-30-pharmacies-boards-mistakes-prescriptions_N.htm
Could this at least partially explain why only three boards stopped Rite Aid’s 15 minute Rx guarantee or you get a gift card?
Here is another example of this “chain bias” by the boards is helping controlled substance diversion. The following excerpt is from the DRUG MONKEY (http://drugmonkey.blogspot.com/2011/10/walgreens-bold-vision-of-future-as-it.html) a letter reportedly from a former Walgreen’s POWER Pharmacist.
The rest of the world has to deal with some sort of limitations on the number of times that a controlled substance Rx can be transferred… that is UNLESS you are a chain with a common database. Then all the rules are different…. actually there are no rules….
The following scenario played out quite frequently. The caller wants to pick up his Lortab or Xanax refill but wants to pick it up at a different store in the area. The specialist, without looking at the last time the prescription was filled, processes the refill at a different store. The patient is then able to refill whatever prescription he wants extra early without anyone noticing because he is paying cash price. I saw many examples where this problem happened. The worst one was a customer who filled the same prescription (for Lortab 10/500 quantity of 240) 5 times in 5 days at 5 different Walgreens stores. (Yes, you can transfer a controlled substance prescription more than once if all the pharmacies have a shared database.) What made that example so much worse was that the authorized refills on that prescription were authorized by a specialist, and the “original” prescription was a bogus verbal prescription (I called the doctor to check on it) taken by one of the pharmacists at the call center.
Recently, I have read a lot of Board of Pharmacy’s minutes from various states. While there is a consider amount of activity towards those individuals that “cross the line”… I have not seen any actions against a permit holder… maybe they are all just been on their good behavior lately ?
Filed under: General dumb-ass problems
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