Why has this happened to me more than once? A patient calls and says they need to transfer their prescription from me TO a Walgreens. They have contacted the Walgreens, as they should, but the Walgreens tells them I have to call THEM (Walgreens) to give them the prescriptions. (For the non-pharmacy folk, this is not the way it's done. The pharmacy that will be filling the prescriptions calls the other pharmacy for the information). I hate to put the patient in the middle of this, but they are adamant that the Walgreens refuses to call me, as they are supposed to. Sure I could call them and happily give away my business, but it's the principle of the thing.
When this happened the other day, I held my ground and told the customer to call the Walgreens back. They know better, I told him. I know it wasn't the patient's fault, but why does this keep happening?
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11 comments:
It happened because the pharmacists at many of the chain pharmacies don't know how to think for themselves. They aren't the easiest folks to work with. Many of us docs in solo practice really like to deal with pharmacists in independent pharmacies who can think and act independently. Y'all are much more friendly, too.
I think it must have something to do with the fact that Walgreens transfers you to a mail order and/or work from home pharmacist to do their transfers.
Or here's the actual correct answer. The customer doesn't properly explain themselves and whoever talked to them at Walgreens thinks the transfer is the other way around. I've talked to multiple people like this, you have to break it down like a little kid sometimes on who is actually going to fill the rx and where the original rx is.
You're losing the prescriptions anyway so no way would I call to give it away. What's the worse that could happen if the patient goes back to Walgreen's & they refuse to call you? The patient gives up & keeps the prescription with you. If Walgreen's is foolish enough not to have a process in place in their vision of the future for pharmacy to go after new business then the accountants who are running Walgreen's need to know about it.
Don't know about you guys, but up here in Canada, if our pharmacy wants the business, then we call for a transfer, if they want the info then they can call us for the transfer. Thought it was obvious, just sayin'
murgatr
Pharm.Tech. RDC '06
I work for Walgreens and this is absolutely NOT our policy. This is just someone being stupid, lazy or inexperienced. I would like to comment however CVS pharmacists do this to me frequently and yes, I have had independents do the same. Then there is mail order. Do not even get me started about transferring from them!
I wouldn't do it. Let them do the work to take away your business.
Yes, I love that one...by all means please let us call and give the business away....grrr.
I had a customner tell me that it was horrible customer service to refuse to call to initiate a transfer away... I told him that if he was leaving us anyway, why would we care about his customer service? :D He didn't like that answer...
I'm leaning towards the customer not talking clearly or the person at the WAG was inexperienced (new technician?)
I've worked for Walgreens for yeeears and we've always done it the 'correct' way =)
I HUGELY doubt that the pharmacist was even involved.
We've had so many prescriptions being transferred, and every time a transfer occurs, there is an increased chance of error because they're all done verbally.
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