Steve---I Filed a Complaint----What Happens Now?

[Eva 14]

Steve, I wanted to ask you what happens to a pharmacist after a complaint has been filed.

A few days ago, I called up the 1-800 number for "W" pharmacy that you posted on here. I'm not sure if it was a general customer service number or a specific complaint line.

Anyway, I spoke with someone at the number and told her that it had been 2 weeks and STILL my pharmacy couldn't get my meds. I told the person that I thought maybe there was a shortage with the distributer, but that I was really confused as to what was going on. I didn't say anything negative about either of the pharmacists. I just said that I was having trouble getting a straight answer re: my meds.

I was really surprised today when I got a call from the PIC at "W". She said, "We got your complaint. It's going to corporate and my supervisor".

On Friday, the OTHER pharmacist had told me that the PIC really HAD done everything in her power to get my med, and that it was a shortage on the part of the distributer. She told me the PIC had been on the phone trying to order my med for half an hour. She also told me that the distributer had PROMISED my PIC that they had morphine injectable, but then never sent it out.

What will happen to the pharmacist? Are there any serious sanctions?

On the phone today, I told the pharmacist that I understand that there's nothing she can do to get my med if the distributer won't send it. I made a point of letting her know I wasn't mad at her. The PIC said, "I know you're really frustrated", and then said that her hands really are tied because the distributer doesn't have the med. There's a shortage on the med.

I HOPE I did the right thing. I never wanted to get anyone in trouble IF they really were doing all that they could.

I DO have to go to this pharmacy to get my meds each and every month. Yes, there really ARE the ONLY pharmacy that can get ALL of my meds.

This morphine shortage has NEVER happened before, so I really do NOT think it is the pharmacist's fault.

Would you be mad if a customer complained about you under these circumstances?

Thanks in advance for your answer.

Eva

[Eva 14]

I probably should revise my question:

Would the average pharmacist who (probably) doesn't know much about chronic pain be mad about a complaint filed under these circustances?

Thanks,
Eva

[Pharmacist.steve]

You never know... how someone will respond... the corporate staff will be able to track when/where there were attempt to order the product. If the paper trail proves that the Pharmacist did everything possible... nothing should happen... however.. from what you have said.. there should have been a better communications about what was going on... in getting you your meds.. If she comes back at you after the fact... I would just explain that you felt that there need to be a better communications... and no matter what you seemed to do... nothing seem to be taken seriously. and that you felt like you had no other choice but to take your concerns to a higher level... hoping that ...that would improve getting you your NEEDED medications .. or at least finding a real reason why things weren't happening... IMO.. she will either give you the respect that you and your condition deserves... or.. if she doesn't treat you well... I would just ask her for a private moment and tell her your concerns - poor service.. etc...etc. - and that is there some reason why your expectations can't be met... if she is smart... she will know that you are not afraid to call corporate about poor service and do her job.. I can assure you that if you have a legit concern...and I would express it just that way if you called corp again... just a CONCERN... not a COMPLAINT.. corporate will come down hard on her.. if people are calling corporate on her service/attitude.
IMO... people would get overall better services.. if they wouldn't accept poor service and call corporate on "bad employees" or employees with bad attitudes. You could go a different direction.. if she is still giving you problems... ask for a few minutes and ask what you can do.. to help HER .. provide you with better service..
As a employer, employee, or customer .. Personally, I always try to work within any system... and I have found that .. in those rare incidents where I need something done "outside the system" or "now"... people will bust their balls to get done what I need.... because .. typically.. I am generally a "trouble -free" person... and they know that I don't ask for something "special" unless there is a very special/specific. need.

[Eva 14]

Steve, thanks for your answer. I'm really hoping that the PIC understands that I was just confused about the whole situation, because their communication really was seriously lacking.

Just to post an update---When I spoke to the OTHER pharmacist last Friday, I explained to her that I desperately needed my meds, it had been 3 WEEKS without the med, and that I was really confused as to what to do next.

The OTHER pharmacist has known me for years, so she seems to be more sympathetic to my pain. She finally just gave me back my prescription and told me to try other pharmacies, since other pharmacies have different distributers. I called her back on Monday to thank her for giving me my prescription back, because I was able to learn A LOT about what was going on by asking questions of different pharamicists at a few different pharmacies.

At the first and second alternate pharmacy I went to, it literally took the pharmacist 30 seconds to type in the medication NDC number and to tell me, "The strength of morphine that your doctor wrote in the REVISED prescription doesn't even EXIST. Your doctor must have made a mistake." I was so grateful to FINALLY recieve this simple info! It explained so much.

I have no idea WHY MY PIC didn't even realize that the revised strenghth of morphine didn't even exist! (Yet ANOTHER mistake on her part).

But even if my doctor HAD correctly written an alternate strength of morphine, no pharmacy would have been able to get it, because there is a nationwide shortage of morphine injectable. (I learned THIS from calling up a few different pharmacists at other pharmacies).

Armed with these two vital bits of infomation, I FINALLY understood what was going on. It made me mad that MY pharmacy kept me waiting for WEEKS for a med that didn't even EXIST! And apparently they were "promised" by their distributer that it was available. Who knows? But they STILL should have double-checked.

I promptly called my doctor on Monday and explained the situation of the morphine shortage. My doctor gave me a replacement script for Dilaudid injectable, which thankfully is still available. I told my doctor, "I've basically been going crazy with the pain". My doc was very sympathetic, but told me that there really is NO WAY for doctors to know about these drug shortages. I asked him about the Internet, but he said that they aren't very reliable.

I am so happy that after 3 and a half weeks of suffering, I FINALLY have relief. This experience was an unfortunate reminder of just HOW HIGH my pain levels are WITHOUT the proper meds. For 3.5 years, I've never had a major problem getting a med. My pain control was working so well, I almost thought that maybe I was getting a little bit better (or at least getting better at dealing with the pain).

If anything like this ever happens again in the future, I will ask for my prescription back much earlier. I DO have the RIGHT to get my script back, yes? One time they told me that once they'd ordered my med they couldn't give me my script back, but that must have been B.S. Otherwise, the pharmacist never would hve given me my script back.

I will tell them: I understand if you can't get a med from your distributer, but if this is the case, PLEASE give me back my prescription so that I can try to get my medication at other pharmacies. This only seems fair to a chronic pain patient who is SUFFERING due to ridiculously long wait times.

Thanks,
Eva

[becky50]

I have signed up for alerts from the FDA, and I know that Morphine Inject able, has a shortage going on.. Not sure what drug company it is..Just saw the post..

[Pharmacist.steve]

IMO... Pharmacists that don't know or use the available internet/computer resources that is available to them.. should be FIRED ! I have two different drug info programs on my IPhone plus a app called "Rxshortages" and sometimes I have to go to the internet to find out some information that is not available on the apps on my IPhone... It is seldom that I end up telling patient/nurse that I don't know and can't find out anything about whatever.. I am glad that you have some sort of resolution to your pain problems... and that patients all too often have to stand up for themselves when they encounter such "mindless" pharmacy staff.

[Tigerlilly50]

Eva, when Baxter stopped making morphine and west ward took over all the NDC numbers changed. Doesn't mean it isn't available in the same dosage, would say discontinued because it was. You need to find the new NDC number. To the best of my knowledge all the same formulations are being made but some are back ordered. On the good side the pharmacy called me today and said they finally got the morphine from my August 1 script. It was at its worst 2 months ago. My pharmacy won't hold my script until they actually have the med in the store. You can ask for it back anytime you want. Look for a network called good neighbor pharmacies. They have different public names but they usually can get the morphine from Bergin. I have spoken to the manufacturer so much I think I have pretty accurate info. Good luck.

[pain95]

I want to give a loud YES to Steve's recomendation that customers try to use small Mom and Pop pharmacies. I gave up on the "big boys" 25 years ago. I thought bigger meant better but my experience was that bigger meant less personal. Just my experience. When I moved to this area 12 years ago, I tried out a "big boy" that was open 24/7. I thouhgt that would make life simpler if I had to go to the ER at night or the weekend and came home with a script that needed to be filled immediately. I knew I was in for an ongoing fight when it took me a week to get a script for hydrocodone 7.5 filled. The head pharmacist said that it couldn't be sold in KY without special permission from the DEA. I finally told him that I had been a KY pain patient for 18 years at that point and knew differently.

I switched to a local Mom and Pop place and they always busted their chops for me. They asked me to call in and let them know when I was going to see the pain doc so they could have my meds there on the day I expected to come in. If the doctor made a change and they didn't have what I needed, they would call the other Mom and Pop pharmacy and see if they had it. If they did, the head pharmcist would go down there and pick it up so I wouldn't have to and then call the doc's office to report that I had used a different pharmacy.

I called him last week and asked if I needed to be conerned about the morphine shortage as I take it orally. He said he didn't think so but they were watching the situation closely and he had already talked to Pain Man and come up with a plan B and plan C if there are problems. You don't find that kind of concern in most corporate pharmacies.

[Eva 14]

I totally agree that small indy pharmacies are a million times better than the horrid service we get at chain stores.

The problem is in my town Walgreen's has a virtually monopoly. They've been opening up store after store, steadily driving out the few remaining indy pharmacies and forcing them to close their doors forever. Walgreen's even managed to get Rite-Aid out of our town! So we have almost no choice. Thankfully, there is ONE indy pharmacy left in my town, and I plan to use it. I do live in fear that it too will close its doors forever sometime in the near future. When I tried to go to the indy pharmacy's website, I was automatically directed to Walgreen's website! I just about had a heart attack. I called up the indy pharmacy on Monday, and they are still (thank God!) in business. (I have NO idea why I was directed to Walgreen's website).

So while smaller is definitely better in terms of pharmacies, if you have the bad luck to live in an area with few (if any) indy pharmacies, life is very tough, as you have no choice about where to fill your scripts. I used to live in an area with a LOT more choices in terms of pharmacies, but now I'm stuck where I am.

It seems like every year on the news I hear of yet ANOTHER indy pharmacy closing! It is a horrible trend that continues unabated. I wish people would patronize the indy pharmacies more than they do the chain stores. Maybe then the indy pharmacies wouldn't be forced to close.

I'd give anything for a pharmacist who would actually go to a different pharmacy and pick up my meds for me! You are very fortunate, Pain 95, to have a pharmacist like that. I have trouble driving in bad traffic, so I'm somewhat limited as to where I can go. I do always wonder why one pharmacy can't just transfer the meds to my pharmacy, provided the other pharmacy has my medication in stock.

Eva