Saturday, September 20, 2008
I've got a question about Med Guides
How is everyone out there handling it? I'm sure some of the large chains have been able to incorporate the Med Guides into their own printed drug info that is generated with each prescription, but what about everyone else? Have you set up some kind of apparatus to store all the darn things so you can pull them easily as you're checking prescriptions? I'm really curious, as my employer has given us literally no guidance on this. I know some products have been able to incorporate it into their packaging... but, does everyone out there manage to throw one in with each antidepressant refill? I know it's kind of a dumb question, but every time I try to ask our head office about it, I get back a non-response (see previous post on e-mails).
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Excellent question. I don't know the Federal law. With estrogens, it was easy to be very diligent as the drug manufacturer provided one with the bottle, but with generic antidepressants and antipsychotics used for depression, as well as antiseizure meds used for depression, and all the other drugs, it's not only difficult to keep up-to-date with what and when, but to actually have the little pieces of paper to put in with the prescription. Can stores legally meet all necessary requirements incorporating the pertinent details in their patient package information? If not, why not? Also, what about information slips produced in a general warning format to be placed in every drug of the same class? I work temp agency, and every store in every chain I work has a different policy, as far as I can tell, and this is across state lines as well. I'm sure that in some stores, even, that the patient doesn't ever see the little PPI.
There's no easy way for the small chain I work for to do it, so none of us do. Honestly I think we won't be doing it until we are fined for it. It is tedious and you have to question to usefulness of it, but I don't deal with it on a regular basis.
I am a technician at a retail pharmacy and I handle the printing of most of the medguides. Before we used to get the guides from our distributer when our orders came in but then they mysteriously stopped...
Anyway, so now I just go to PharmacistLetter, copy, resize, and print whatever medguides are needed and keep them in box where they are easy to obtain.
At walgreens, after you verify the prescription a med guide would print so you can stuff it in the bag with the medicine before stapleing the patient info. It was really convenient. I have since left walgreens and it is much harder to remember to grab them.
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