PharmQD

For the many years that I practiced retail pharmacy, the two questions I fielded repeatedly from patients about their prescriptions were, “How long will it take to fill?” and “How much is it going to cost?” The “how long and how much” questions were asked so many times that I would automatically take the prescription(s) and offer the answers before the questions were posed. And truthfully, from the patients’ point of view, even today these are two very important questions that need to be answered. Let’s face it, patients hardly ever come to the prescription department in a good mood; all they want is to get their prescription filled in a timely manner, pay for it, take their medication, and hopefully get well quickly. Even with insurance, prescription costs are always a factor. Some co-pays are impossibly high, and most people don’t get sick on a schedule that coincides with their paycheck. It is widely believed that in many instances medication costs are responsible for patients not filling or refilling potentially lifesaving prescriptions.More »