Mistake By My Pharmacy

Since when !?!!

Assuming otherwise flies in the face of the entirity of human social development.

BONUS for you!

I don't believe most people are aware, and I know that alot of docs are not, that prescriptions at most high-volume/chain pharmacies are NOT filled by a pharmacist. Instead, pharmacy techs (a job only requiring a HS diploma) take the meds from the stock shelves, count out the amount according to the prescription, fill the bottles, run the labels, label the container and then place the bottle of meds on the counter with the stock bottle and prescription for the pharmacist to see. The pharmacist does not recount the meds and often, during high traffic times of day, will have a long line of bottles and scripts lined up for inspection. This is how hospital pharmacies are run as well (where I have worked); there not only oral meds, but IV mixtures---the techs draw up and inject the medication into the bags, pull the plunger on (the now empty) syringe back to the amount they injected and place it along with the stock bottle next to the bag for the pharmacist to initial.

The obvious problem is that these drugs are essentially being dispensed by those not educated in pharmacology---and in certain pharmacies, such as Revco-now-CVS, there is a great deal of pressure put on pharmacy staff. Low staff ratios, little or no effective training, combined with high turnover leads to mistakes. My pharmacy uses techs as well, but there are at least 3-4 pharmacists on duty during day and evening hours, and their techs are trained in more than simply how to run a register and plug prescriptions into insurance sites (which I know from personal experience is all the Revco/CVS techs get in the way of "training"). I'd be interested in knowing what their rate of error is compared to other pharmacies---of course there are mistakes that slip through the cracks and those that are obviously not reported (such as miscounts).

As an aside, but related to this topic: When my daughter was 6 years old, she developed a sore throat/ear infection. I called the doc who then called in a prescription for her. I arranged to have the med delivered while I slept after working and my Mom took the delivery.

When I awoke, I asked Mom if she had given my daughter her antibiotics yet. She was upset, said she'd forgotten. No problem. I got the bottle down. It was labeled with my daughter's name, and the name of the med---Amoxicillin---and the instructions to take one four times a day. When I opened it, I recognized the pills as Lanoxin 0.25mg. My daughter had missed 2 doses due to my mom's "forgetfulness". That saved her life.
It was from a Revco/CVS pharmacy.

EmmanuelGoldstein,
I have to pick up my refills this afternoon. I'll let everyone know what happens. This time I'll probably get shorted on the quantity.

Victor--

Check your pill count before you leave the counter.

Picked up my refills this morning, they gave me the correct amount in both bottles, this time!

In CVS Pharmacies defense..........
This is just a little response to all the posts put up pointing the finger directly at CVS Pharmacies. ALL pharmacies make mistakes (not saying that it is okay by all means) but I'm just saying that Rite-aid makes them and so does Walgreen's. But honestly, considering the volumn that each store does, the number of mistakes that happen are not as high as you think. Yes they do happen and I'm not trying to deny that but there is no sense in "slandering" CVS Pharmacies just because the "ONE" that you went to made a mistake. CVS Pharmacies are a high volumn store due to several reasons. One being they are one of the most trusted pharmacies out there. So yes, your prescriptions that are filled "ANYWHERE IN THE USA" are being filled by technicians. There are 2 different kinds of technicians out there...you have your Registered technicians that all they have to do is fill out a form and send in 20.00 to the state board and they can be in a pharmacy and then you have your Certified Pharmacy Technicians whom have to be registered by the state and also have to undergo a 3 hour test that is hard and pass it in order to become certified. So it does not just require a HS Diploma. It is rare that you will find any pharmacy out there that your prescription is actually being filled by a pharmacists instead of a technician. But regardless even though your prescription was entered and counted by a technician ALL prescriptions have to be checked by a pharmacists before they are able to leave the pharmacy. A pharmacy technician is hired to assist a Pharmacist in order for the Pharmacist to deal with questions that are very important and require immediate attention. If it wasn't for the technicians out there then yes there might be a lot more mistakes made than are being made now.
I am a Certified Pharmacy Technician at a very busy 24 hour CVS and if I have to be honest it is a difficult job. It is NOT just entering a prescription and counting pills by 5's and ringing people up. We have a lot more responsibilities than you would care to think of. The pharmacists DO NOT keep track of the pills the inventory specialists does. The Pharmacists basically consult and check prescriptions and make sure that everything is the way that it is supposed to be.
So PLEASE before you decide to post your complaints and singeling out CVS take a moment to think about what you are going to put and make sure that you have all of your thoughts put together before "slandering" a business and "de-grading" a career. I mean I apologize that not everyone is as perfect as you and I'm glad to know that you don't make mistakes either.

P.S. Refills are not allowed on Oxycontin prescriptions! so consider yourself privileged that you received more refills than you were due! Not that it would have killed you.

Hey I agree with you pharmgrl. I know a few pharmacists. But isn't ironic that the first article I see in Boston.com today has this headline....

"Four-year-old hospitalized after being given wrong prescription"

It goes on to say...."A 4-year-old girl was hospitalized and hooked up to a heart monitor after her mother was given the wrong medication by a pharmacist."

And then ends with...."State health officials are investigating 40 claims of prescription errors at CVS pharmacies reported statewide over the past several weeks, the Department of Public Health told the Herald."

well, I have to say that it really is ashame. I looked it up and read the article. I understand that things happen and like I said I'm not saying that it's okay because it's not. I've just been doing this for 13 years now and when I first came in as a cashier with no experience, I was working in a store that we filled maybe 200 a day and I made a mistake and gave out the wrong bag to the wrong customer and I had the head pharmacists then that I work for now and she let me know how serious it really was that we paid attention to exactly what we were doing. To this day I double check everything that I do and make sure that I try my hardest to not make a mistake that could cause someone to loose their life. But you know the first time that I got on it just seemed like everyone was attacking CVS Pharmacy and not anyone else. I had to let it be known that it's not only CVS that makes mistakes. All the pharmacies everywhere make them (some more than others and then some don't even make it into the news) Unfortunately some worse than others like that case with the small child. It just frustrated me that everyone that was complaining about pharmacies it was about CVS. Not all CVS Phamacies are bad. And if the people have a problem with the paticular pharmacy that they shop at then they need to take it up with that pharmacied District Manager and not the whole world, especially over some stupid refills. I mean my momma always told me "Don't look a gift-horse in the mouth" There is no reason to get on the web and express your aggrivation with your pharmacy, that first of all they have the right to change pharmacies at any given time, if you're not going to really do something about it and call the district manager. Slandering people and businesses on the enternet is not really the appropriate way to handle your situation.
Thanks,

That's what this forum is for...and it isn't slander. It happened. Would you be so haughty if a pharmacy dispensed the wrong medication to you and caused you serious harm?

And I did change pharmacies. I left CVS because two mistakes is two too many for me. Yes TWICE they messed up my prescription.

In a news report, a CVS representative even stated that one error is unacceptable. Unfortunately when it is some one's health or life involved even one little error is a big deal. It just happens to be that CVS recently has been having alot of these and are being investigated as a result.

Re: In CVS Pharmacies defense..........


Just ain't true sweetheart. I've seen my prescription filled and brought straight to the counter. By someone who's name tag didn't say pharmisist.

well then you need to call your state board and report that pharmacy....it's against the law and they should not have done that. Did you ask them if the pharmacist checked it? By law a prescription can not leave the pharmacy unless checked by a pharmacists. That technician should be corrected and written up. Because it's also because of things like that--that allow these mistakes to be made.

Great, but would calling the board help if I were dead?

The point I am trying to make is that I will not allow mistakes. Period. It's my life and one mistake is too many for me or any of my family.

Not to mention, how many people actually know that law?

no it wouldn't help if you were dead but it would help from someone else possibly ending up dead if you called the state board. I mean after all it's the right thing to do in a case like that. And I understand what your saying about it being your life and one mistake is one too many, but not everyone is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. We had a training CD to do at work and they said that most mistakes happen when you feel that you don't make them and that you WON'T make them. I know that I'm human just like I would hope that everyone else would understand when you see something that is wrong being done...then not saying something about it to the correct person could make that situation worse and could result in an unfortunate event that an "I'm sorry" just won't work. I know that mistakes in the health profession and I feel that they should not be excused or overlooked but you have to look at it realistically, we are all human and we all make mistakes. Some just more than others and most of the time it's by people who seem to think that they don't make them.

that's why you have to be aware and ask questions..In the pharmacy don't ever be afraid to ask any questions. no matter if your pill looks different from the last time. But if you have a cashier just bring it to you and bypass the pharmacists...then you have to go with your gut feeling especially if it's telling you that something could be wrong.

Be informed.