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Don't blame your pharmacist
Question:
Suddenly the craziness of my medical insurance-endorsed pharmacy doesn’t seem so bad. Good luck.
Response:
[complaints about the pharm. industry deleted] – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Just tonight I went to a pharmacy that was a little distance from my > ….Ciprofloxacin to be exact. I had called around to a number of > outlets searching for the best price, and was quoted the lowest amount > by this particular company – just a little under $300.00 for the > amount I need. When I went to pay for the pills, I noticed that the > price was about $15.00 more than I had been quoted, so I inquired > about the difference. They told me that the price had just gone up > TODAY, there were no old prices in the computer that could verify the > amount I claimed to have been quoted, and they would not adjust the > difference. > Well, that was it. The final straw. I made a massive stink, and > clearly let the staff know that I wasn’t leaving without satisfaction. > Several people in line were getting upset with me because they were > having to wait longer for their stuff, but I persisted, and FINALLY, > got the prescription for the quoted amount, again, just under $300.00. > Cipro may be a wonderful drug, and the producers deserve a handsome > return on their investment, but this is just a bit ridiculous…. and, > this pharmacy’s policy of quoting prices over the phone and then not > honoring then THE VERY NEXT DAY is simply bad business.
Well, I have encountered something similar to this. I am a college student that does a lot of traveling and sometimes I a have to get a prescription at Meijer’s (a midwest grocery store)pharmacy that doesn’t happen to be the place I originally dropped off the script at. And by doing this I have had to pay anywhere from four to six dollars more for certain scripts depending on which Meijer’s I go to. I was told by the pharmacist that each store based their prices for certain drugs on their competitor’s prices. I’m not sure if this is supposed to happen but i know that it happens. As for the pharmacy changing the quoted price to you and then changing it, sounds like the old bait and switch trick. Next time you get a quote from them get the name of the person you talked to and if you can have them fax a written quote to you. That’s the only way you can protect yourself sometimes, unfortunately. > I believe it is wise policy to grant these "limited monopolies" to > drug companies in order to spur production of newer better products, > but there has to be some regulation too, to prevent runaway greed. It > doesn’t matter how darn good the drugs are if only thewell-off can > afford them.
I work in the medical field–medical asst.–so I know the arguements of both sides but I still side with the true sufferer–the pt.–most days. I understand drug companies need to make $ to pay employees and production costs but not at the cost of someone’s life or suffering. Just my 3 cents Erin
Response:
writes: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> The pharmaceutical industry consistently writes advertisements >extolling their ethics to the physicians and laymen.While practicing >pharmacy and reading these ads it was very frustrating.My customers >would constantly complain about the excessive cost of medication I knew >the drug companies were charging me one price and the hospitals and >nursing homes another price which in many cases was 1/10 of what I was >paying even if I wished to purchase the same quantity. >Yeah, not to mention the fact that some medications are also used in >veterinary medicine, produced in the same exact process, and marketed >for possibly as little as 1/100th of the cost. >Just tonight I went to a pharmacy that was a little distance from my >….Ciprofloxacin to be exact. I had called around to a number of >outlets searching for the best price, and was quoted the lowest amount >by this particular company – just a little under $300.00 for the >amount I need. When I went to pay for the pills, I noticed that the >price was about $15.00 more than I had been quoted, so I inquired >about the difference. They told me that the price had just gone up >TODAY, there were no old prices in the computer that could verify the >amount I claimed to have been quoted, and they would not adjust the >difference. >Well, that was it. The final straw. I made a massive stink, and >clearly let the staff know that I wasn’t leaving without satisfaction. >Several people in line were getting upset with me because they were >having to wait longer for their stuff, but I persisted, and FINALLY, >got the prescription for the quoted amount, again, just under $300.00. >Cipro may be a wonderful drug, and the producers deserve a handsome >return on their investment, but this is just a bit ridiculous…. and, >this pharmacy’s policy of quoting prices over the phone and then not >honoring then THE VERY NEXT DAY is simply bad business. >I believe it is wise policy to grant these "limited monopolies" to >drug companies in order to spur production of newer better products, >but there has to be some regulation too, to prevent runaway greed. It >doesn’t matter how darn good the drugs are if only thewell-off can >afford them. >Problems concerning the filling of prescriptions should be handled by
1-Requesting to speak only to the pharmacist. 2-Discuss with him your problem and if he is noncooperative or unreasonable inform him you are reporting this matter to the state board of pharmacy in your state. There should be an immediate change in attitude. Stanley Lepelstat Pharmacy Consultant Easy access to Homeopathy http://www.mja.net/accupathy Vue our site or email your address for information on Homeopathy —