The way IC+ handles refills is unacceptable.
I can’t fathom how much time is wasted every day across all of Walgreens just managing a concept as simple as a refill.
As pharmacists we have to check the profile for every script we review and manually write R or RF on every leaflet. If you miss it then congratulations now you have a patient yelling at your tech that they’ve been on it for years. Now your workflow is getting interrupted because they’ve been passed down to the counseling window for you to walk over, look embarrassed, and say “you’ve had this before? Any questions?” and send them on their way.
“Just put RF in the one time label comments” oooohoho I do but then it gets deleted by “manufacturer changed” “created from stored” “Auto refill-NEW”
THEN add CenFill to the mix where they just go straight into the bins to haunt you all day with their “New-E” and “Copy” marks.
Still maintaining your sanity? Add on Phlex who never marks anything a refill, then send it straight to cenfill so you can get double blindsided.
“Have your techs review the profile at the windows.” Wow that’s such a great idea except they’ll say “legally I’m not allowed to make that determination. If it doesn’t say refill explicitly I have to make you counsel.”
This all a tremendous waste of the entire staff’s time. If you don’t care about us then at least admit it’s terrible customer service and erodes trust. We look like dotes because we can’t tell Mrs. Harrison has been taking atorvastatin 20s for 5 years and then wasted her time standing in line at the counseling window for absolutely nothing.
Seriously, it makes me want to tear my hair out. After a particularly terrible day today where all I did was needless counsels and then had to stay an hour late doing my actual work, I’m just exasperated.
If the spaghetti code holding together our minesweeper-ass system can’t accommodate even the most basic AI to auto-determine refills, then at least give me one that prompts it at data entry or F4 that we have to say “yes” or “no” to. If even THAT is too much for one of the largest retail chains to manage then at least give me a freaking button at R4 where I can mark it a refill to maybe save myself one more braincell at the end of a shift.
Rant over.
Edit: I understand techs reviewing profiles for counsels is illegal. I’m not encouraging it, I’m merely highlighting that all my possible options to not have angry patients and also not be constantly and needlessly interrupted myself are closed or unreliable. If staffing was more adequate it wouldn’t even need mentioning.
Further, I love counseling, it is actually my favorite part of being a pharmacist. So yes to showing someone how to use their new glucose meter, no to handing angry 80 year olds drugs they’ve been on longer than I’ve been alive while saying “any questions? 😅”