I'm guessing that there must be some sort of new legislation that is causing pharmacists to become super-strict when filling C-II meds.
Today, after waiting nearly 2 weeks for "W" chain pharmacy to TRY to order my Dilaudid suppositories, I finally went there and asked for my prescription back. They gave it back to me.
I then took my script to another pharmacy that I have been to in the past. I actually filled a prescription for Dilaudid injectible there last August, from my one and only doctor---my pain doctor.
I had called ahead and found that this pharmacy had SOME Dilaudid supps in stock and would order the rest for tomorrow. I asked the pharmacist/owner on the phone if he was willing to do a partial fill, and he told me absolutely yes---no problem.
So I went to the pharmacy expecting things to go smoothly. What actually happened was really weird and something that I have never gone through before.
I turned in my script and waited. And waited. In my prior experience, this pharmacy is fast, so I wasn't sure what was going on. The owner/head pharmacist was there (the guy who had filled a script from my pain doc last August).
Finally, the other pharmacist working there called my name. She said that they had faxed my doctor and that she could NOT fill my script until my doctor faxed them back with an "NDI" number. I have absolutely NO idea what an "NDI" number is, and in my decades of chronic pain I have been to several different pharmacies. The paper script has always been good enough; they've never needed to call my doctor before. I could understand if I was a brand-new customer, but I've filled meds from my pain doc there before.
I was totally confused. The pharmacist asked me if I wanted to call my doctor's office. I said yes, but I don't have a cell phone. So they let me use their phone and I called my pain doc's office. (Thank goodness my doctor is in on Mondays, because he doesn't work every day of the week). My pain doc's receptionist told me my pain doc was with a patient, so I would need to wait until he got a chance to fax the pharmacy. (I'm glad I went to this pharmacy during normal business hours!).
The fax from my pain doc still hadn't come in. Finally, the pharmacist said that she would fill a small amount and I'd have to pick up the rest of my prescription tomorrow or whenever the order comes in.
I asked the pharmacist what was going on, as I was completely confused about this "NDI" number thing. She said that she needed to know why I was "jumping around" between pharmacies. When I handed in my script, I'd said that I was fed up with "W" chain pharmacy because they can never seem to get my meds. I would think that would be a good enough explanation. The whole thing made me feel like they thought I was doctor shopping or something. I told the pharmacist that I get ALL of my scripts from ONE doctor.
To be fair, the pharmacist seemed like she was just doing her job. Maybe there are new regulations for pharmacists that I don't know about? Do pharmacists have to call the doctor for every NEW customer who brings in a C-II script? (I wasn't even a "new" customer, but I am curious if they do this to everyone).
Has anyone else gone through anything like this? Suddenly all of the info typed or written on a C-II script isn't sufficient info to fill the RX? Now they also need this "NDI" number?
Best Wishes,
Eva
Today, after waiting nearly 2 weeks for "W" chain pharmacy to TRY to order my Dilaudid suppositories, I finally went there and asked for my prescription back. They gave it back to me.
I then took my script to another pharmacy that I have been to in the past. I actually filled a prescription for Dilaudid injectible there last August, from my one and only doctor---my pain doctor.
I had called ahead and found that this pharmacy had SOME Dilaudid supps in stock and would order the rest for tomorrow. I asked the pharmacist/owner on the phone if he was willing to do a partial fill, and he told me absolutely yes---no problem.
So I went to the pharmacy expecting things to go smoothly. What actually happened was really weird and something that I have never gone through before.
I turned in my script and waited. And waited. In my prior experience, this pharmacy is fast, so I wasn't sure what was going on. The owner/head pharmacist was there (the guy who had filled a script from my pain doc last August).
Finally, the other pharmacist working there called my name. She said that they had faxed my doctor and that she could NOT fill my script until my doctor faxed them back with an "NDI" number. I have absolutely NO idea what an "NDI" number is, and in my decades of chronic pain I have been to several different pharmacies. The paper script has always been good enough; they've never needed to call my doctor before. I could understand if I was a brand-new customer, but I've filled meds from my pain doc there before.
I was totally confused. The pharmacist asked me if I wanted to call my doctor's office. I said yes, but I don't have a cell phone. So they let me use their phone and I called my pain doc's office. (Thank goodness my doctor is in on Mondays, because he doesn't work every day of the week). My pain doc's receptionist told me my pain doc was with a patient, so I would need to wait until he got a chance to fax the pharmacy. (I'm glad I went to this pharmacy during normal business hours!).
The fax from my pain doc still hadn't come in. Finally, the pharmacist said that she would fill a small amount and I'd have to pick up the rest of my prescription tomorrow or whenever the order comes in.
I asked the pharmacist what was going on, as I was completely confused about this "NDI" number thing. She said that she needed to know why I was "jumping around" between pharmacies. When I handed in my script, I'd said that I was fed up with "W" chain pharmacy because they can never seem to get my meds. I would think that would be a good enough explanation. The whole thing made me feel like they thought I was doctor shopping or something. I told the pharmacist that I get ALL of my scripts from ONE doctor.
To be fair, the pharmacist seemed like she was just doing her job. Maybe there are new regulations for pharmacists that I don't know about? Do pharmacists have to call the doctor for every NEW customer who brings in a C-II script? (I wasn't even a "new" customer, but I am curious if they do this to everyone).
Has anyone else gone through anything like this? Suddenly all of the info typed or written on a C-II script isn't sufficient info to fill the RX? Now they also need this "NDI" number?
Best Wishes,
Eva
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