What Could POSSIBLY Go Wrong? | Pharmacist Anonymous

My patient's not registered!
My patient's insurance has their date of birth wrong filed incorrectly, thus won't accept any claims from me.
My patient brought me their medical insurance and swears they don't have any other cards, but that they do have prescription insurance.
My patient's prescription insurance card clearly displays billing information that is for some inexplicable reason, is not at all what their insurance plan wants me to use, thus won't accept any claims from me.
My patient is from out of state - I have to determine if this is a valid Rx in its state of origin, which I am not licensed in.
The Rx is not written on the state-mandated prescription form or is not on tamper-proof paper.
My patient is from out of area, their doctor is from 3 hours away in the other direction, and the Rx is for a controlled substance (this is a red flag that the prescription may not be legitimate).
I can't read the name of the medication prescribed because it was scribbled (you can apply this one to any given part of the Rx)
The medication prescribed is back ordered and unavailable from the manufacturer.
The medication is not covered by the patient's insurance.
The medication would be unsafe for this particular patient - for instance a medication, or combination of medications, that is considered high risk in the elderly which was prescribed for an 80 year old patient.
The medication has a significant interaction with the medications the patient is already taking.
It's too soon to refill this medication.
The medication has already been filled at a different pharmacy.
The instructions are ambiguous, incorrect, or not sufficient for billing to prescription insurances.
The insurance won't cover this particular amount of medication or this particular number of times per day the medication is prescribed to be used.
The dose is dangerously high (or isn't high enough to adequately treat the problem).
I need to reach the prescriber about any such concerns, and it's between 11am and 1pm (they're at lunch), after 3 pm (they stop answering phones), Friday (they're closed), or the weekend (they're still closed).
The prescription is for a veterinary patient and I need to double check myself on this type of medication, since the majority of my patients are human and have very different physiological needs and concerns.
The medication tastes bad and needs to be flavored.
The medication is not commercially available and needs to be compounded, or made by hand to fit the patient's needs.
The prescription is actually for durable medical equipment, which the pharmacy may or may not supply.
The prescription is actually an immunization that I must leave the pharmacy to administer.

Now, imagine any one (or more) of these could occur on any or all of the hundreds of prescriptions your pharmacy received today.

Now you know exactly why prescriptions take so long!

I'll just wait here until it's ready.

Please don't. Here's why.

WHat could you catch?

Click on any part of the Rx for details

Surely that's it, right? That's a lot that could go wrong.

Nooope! Wanna see more?

You're going to show me anyway aren't you?

Of course! Here's a non-exhaustive list.

Of course! Here's a non-exhaustive list.

What can go wrong, will go wrong!

My patient's not registered!

My patient's insurance has their date of birth wrong filed incorrectly, thus won't accept any claims from me.

My patient brought me their medical insurance and swears they don't have any other cards, but that they do have prescription insurance.

My patient's prescription insurance card clearly displays billing information that is for some inexplicable reason, is not at all what their insurance plan wants me to use, thus won't accept any claims from me.

My patient is from out of state - I have to determine if this is a valid Rx in its state of origin, which I am not licensed in.

The Rx is not written on the state-mandated prescription form or is not on tamper-proof paper.

My patient is from out of area, their doctor is from 3 hours away in the other direction, and the Rx is for a controlled substance (this is a red flag that the prescription may not be legitimate).

I can't read the name of the medication prescribed because it was scribbled (you can apply this one to any given part of the Rx)

The medication prescribed is back ordered and unavailable from the manufacturer.

The medication is not covered by the patient's insurance.

The medication would be unsafe for this particular patient - for instance a medication, or combination of medications, that is considered high risk in the elderly which was prescribed for an 80 year old patient.

The medication has a significant interaction with the medications the patient is already taking.

It's too soon to refill this medication.

The medication has already been filled at a different pharmacy.

The instructions are ambiguous, incorrect, or not sufficient for billing to prescription insurances.

The insurance won't cover this particular amount of medication or this particular number of times per day the medication is prescribed to be used.

The dose is dangerously high (or isn't high enough to adequately treat the problem).

I need to reach the prescriber about any such concerns, and it's between 11am and 1pm (they're at lunch), after 3 pm (they stop answering phones), Friday (they're closed), or the weekend (they're still closed).

The prescription is for a veterinary patient and I need to double check myself on this type of medication, since the majority of my patients are human and have very different physiological needs and concerns.

The medication tastes bad and needs to be flavored.

The medication is not commercially available and needs to be compounded, or made by hand to fit the patient's needs.

The prescription is actually for durable medical equipment, which the pharmacy may or may not supply.

The prescription is actually an immunization that I must leave the pharmacy to administer.

Now, imagine any one (or more) of these could occur on any or all of the hundreds of prescriptions your pharmacy received today.

Now you know exactly why prescriptions take so long!

I'll just wait here until it's ready.

Please don't. Here's why.