Today was the last straw with a Publix pharmacy in Boynton Beach Florida.
In August 2008 I had a mechanical heart valve put in me plus repair of ascending aortic aneurysm. Ever since I am required to take Coumadin, a blood thinner, to maintain the heart valve.
From 1993 to 2010, I got my prescriptions filled at Winn-Dixie. I knew one of the two pharmacists. Alan and I had once worked together. In seventeen years I think I only once had a complaint with the Pharmacy.
Winn Dixie closed that store. The wife and I took our prescriptions to the Publix across the street(Publix has since moved into the old Winn-Dixie). In 3.5 years with Publix, I've had multiple complaints. From the cashier actually throwing my prescriptions at me after ringing them up, to a technician complaining to me that they had to fill a prescription immediately after it came in special ordered. I had been waiting for it for like 4-5 days and we needed it ASAP when they did finally get it.
Guess what they did today? Instead of getting my Coumadin, I got a bottle full of Glipizide. A diabetes medication. I caught the mistake. A mistake that could have killed me. Publix apologizes. They're offering me a refund on the medication. What a joke. The joke's on Publix- I'm taking the over 15 prescriptions me and the wife have filled monthly to Walgreens. Plus what happened to me is going to make the local news. Check your medicines. If a pill suddenly changes appearance, check with your pharmacy.
Comments
unfortunately
that seems to be happening more and more often. while a change in pill shape and color is NOT always an error (i am diabetic and my glyburide has changed its look 3 times now in just under 2 years. either the source company etc, has made the change, or they have a different source so always check the med description attached, it will describe the pill look, make sure it matches)
in your case it was labeled correctly? or was it labeled wrong? so the right label but wrong pills?
I had to do similar for my mother who had 18 prescriptions, so i know the worry.
Teresa L.
I don't know...
How many will agree or disagree, but I've had wonderful experiences with Target pharmacies, in multiple locations.
~And so it goes...
The problem
The problem in most cases is not the pharmacy but the people that are hired. People leave, new people are hired, most likely at less pay. Others are inept whereas others are more caring.
I'm not defending either places, but stating a fact. Its the people that work there that make or break a business. I would go from one store to another and see a major change in attitude alone and how the store presents itself.
Target Pharmacies and CVS
Amy and I have a lot of scripts. In our old town we used the 24/7 CVS down the street. They were always fast, always polite, and went out of there way to inform us if they found medication or diagnosis incompatibilities. Combine that with the CVS corporate declaration that they will start to phase out the sale of cigarettes and I want to love them even more. But ONLY that one location.
Once we moved to where we are now, the nearest CVS is NOT 24/7, Their pharmacists and techs are actually RUDE, and refuse to do anything more than dispense meds. It is really a shame.
So we have actually moved our meds to Target Pharmacy, a town away.
They have been polite, very understanding and patient, while working to help solve some issues we've had.
Our son just got his first Ear Infection and got a Prescription Antibiotic, and Ibuprofen, and they gave us a list of flavors that we could have the medicine flavored for him. Add to this, the fact that they use a "colored ring" on your medication bottles to differentiate WHICH family member each medicine is for, and what you get is a company/corporation that is REALLY working to be a "Family Pharmacy", something that is becoming more and more rare these days.
-Piper
P.S. While it's true that the employees make or break a company, it's up to the company to make sure they hire the right people so that they don't end up shooting themselves in the foot with cheap labor.
Agree with Target
Have been to two in my area and they both work hard to get the job done. A callout to Costco pharmacy which not surprisingly has to be very responsive to paying members.
I have been blessed.
My pharmacy is connected to my provider. From the time I moved to Seattle Group Health Cooperative has been my service. We became really imbedded in the system when my first daughter was born. They had no problem addressing me properly and have never made a mistake with my medications. They have a very modern system where they check when I order my Med's to when I pick them up. Before giving them to me they check the computer and scan the bar-codes on the label and ask me if the name and the dosage is correct. They even have little information stickers stating if the appearance of my medications have changed.
Michele
With those with open eyes the world reads like a book
a change in pharmacies
I get my meds from the VA with my wife's meds I get them from Walmart the ppl that work there all are very nice and go out of their way to help us out. been with them for about 10 years now no problems so far
I have to say
I get my prescriptions from Kaiser, my medical provider and they are very nice and helpful. They did however make a mistake with one on my prescriptions and I knew as soon as I opened the pill container. I brought it back and showed the clerk, who in turn summoned a supervisor. The supervisor was pissed, not at me but at whomever filled the script. I explained that there was no chance of death or whatever, but he said that was no excuse. I think they may have fired the person responsible. The pharmacy was very embarressed because they told me that what had happened really couldn't happen with the double and triple checks, but it did. Oh well, Kaiser has been good to me, Arecee