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    Pharmacy Guide To Patient Etiquette

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    ozzaib
    This document is a tongue-in-cheek guide by a pharmacist with 25 tips for poor patient etiquette when dealing with pharmacists. Some examples include staring at the pharmacist to make them work faster, not providing insurance details, asking for prescriptions to be filled without proper authorization from doctors, and making unreasonable demands about prescription costs and timing. The tips are meant to humorously illustrate behaviors that would frustrate pharmacists and compromise patient care.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as ODT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Pharmacy Guide To Patient Etiquette

    Uploaded by

    ozzaib
    112 views2 pages
    This document is a tongue-in-cheek guide by a pharmacist with 25 tips for poor patient etiquette when dealing with pharmacists. Some examples include staring at the pharmacist to make them work faster, not providing insurance details, asking for prescriptions to be filled without proper authorization from doctors, and making unreasonable demands about prescription costs and timing. The tips are meant to humorously illustrate behaviors that would frustrate pharmacists and compromise patient care.

    Original Description:

    A look at life from the other side of the pharmacy counter

    Original Title

    Pharmacy Guide to Patient Etiquette

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    © © All Rights Reserved

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    This document is a tongue-in-cheek guide by a pharmacist with 25 tips for poor patient etiquette when dealing with pharmacists. Some examples include staring at the pharmacist to make them work faster, not providing insurance details, asking for prescriptions to be filled without proper authorization from doctors, and making unreasonable demands about prescription costs and timing. The tips are meant to humorously illustrate behaviors that would frustrate pharmacists and compromise patient care.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as ODT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as odt, pdf, or txt
    112 views2 pages

    Pharmacy Guide To Patient Etiquette

    Uploaded by

    ozzaib
    This document is a tongue-in-cheek guide by a pharmacist with 25 tips for poor patient etiquette when dealing with pharmacists. Some examples include staring at the pharmacist to make them work faster, not providing insurance details, asking for prescriptions to be filled without proper authorization from doctors, and making unreasonable demands about prescription costs and timing. The tips are meant to humorously illustrate behaviors that would frustrate pharmacists and compromise patient care.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as ODT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as odt, pdf, or txt
    of 2

    Drug Topics

    Viewpoint: A Pharmacist's tongue-in-cheek guide to patient


    etiquette
    September 17, 2001
    By Jon Marcaccini, RPh
    1. Be sure to stare at the pharmacist while your prescriptions are being filled. Staring at the pharmacist makes him or
    her work faster.

    2. Never remember the name of the medications you want refilled. By calling it “the little white pill,” you are sure to
    receive the correct medication.

    3. When calling in eight prescriptions or more, always arrive at the pharmacy to pick them up within 10 minutes. It is
    OK to hurry pharmacists; if they make a mistake, it won’t kill you or anything.

    4. Feel free to ask the pharmacy staff for the exact price of your prescription before it is filled. The staff should know
    every co-pay for every insurance plan.

    5. Always ask how long it will take to fill a prescription. If you’re lucky, you will get it for free if it’s not ready in 30
    minutes or less. Also, be sure to keep asking if the prescription is ready every five minutes — pharmacists often keep
    prescriptions to themselves after they are filled just to tick you off.

    6. Be sure to complain about the co-pay. The co-pay is set on the whim of the pharmacist and has nothing to do with
    the insurance company.

    7. It is not necessary to present your insurance card—or even know the name of the company. Pharmacists are psychic
    and know everyone’s insurance.

    8. Pharmacies encourage forgery. When you pick up a prescription for someone else, please forge his name.

    9. Upon calling in a refill for a maintenance medication without refills, always question why the doctor has to be
    called when you’ve taken the same medication for years. It is only a myth that prescription medications have to be
    ordered by doctors.

    10. Always question why the insurance company is so concerned about your getting Prilosec 10 days too soon. After
    all you’re paying $5.00 for it, and that’s all it costs.

    11. Over-the-counter displays are put there in order to entertain children. Please encourage them to play with any
    item and even open one or two.

    12. Make sure you save all your old insurance cards. One of pharmacists’ favorite games is to guess which one is
    current.

    13. When you call in a prescription, just say, “Can I have my pills filled?” You can be sure the pharmacist will
    recognize your voice and know which medication you want.

    14. Pharmacists are some of the few people whose ears work independently. So when you see a pharmacist on the
    phone, feel free to just start talking—his free ear will hear everything.
    15. The pharmacist is the only person in the store who is really capable of writing down your refill numbers, so when
    you call, demand to speak to a pharmacist.

    16. Try to do all your pharmacy business on a Monday. The pharmacist will appreciate it.

    17. Another pharmacist favorite is to have a patient walk up and ask, “Can I pick up my prescription?” Guessing who
    you are is another pharmacist game.

    18. When there are several people ahead of you near the pickup counter, always stand right at it. The pharmacist
    will know how important you are and fill your Rx first, and, if not, you can listen to juicy patient-pharmacist
    conversations.

    19. If you are not asked for your insurance card, it means that the pharmacist wants to fill your prescription and then,
    after you are told how much it is, you can shout, “I have insurance.” The pharmacist will be glad to do it over.

    20. When you need a really old prescription filled, tell the pharmacist that you have a standing order for it. This works
    especially well if the doctor who wrote it is dead.

    21. When you get a new insurance card, make sure you keep it a secret. The pharmacist would rather phone your old
    company to find out why your Rx is being rejected.

    22. When you drop off a refill bottle, tell the pharmacist you’ll pick it up either today or tomorrow. This type of clarity
    helps him plan his workload.

    23. When you order your prescriptions and the pharmacist asks which ones, respond by saying, “All of them.” He will
    know.

    24. When asked for the number of your prescription, respond by saying, “I don’t know, you have it there.” The
    pharmacist will know.

    25. When asking for a refill on a pain medication, make sure you wait until the last one is gone and then try to call late
    on Friday afternoon. It will be easy for the pharmacist to get in touch with the doctor for a new Rx.

    The author is a community pharmacist in Minnesota. His e-mail address is: [email protected].

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    • Viewpoints

    Jon Marcaccini, RPh


    Jon Marcaccini, RPh, is a community pharmacist in Minnesota. His e-mail address is
    [email protected].

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