A Healthy Customer Interaction
PHARMACY | RIGHT | OCTOBER 12, 2016
(I work in a pharmacy. A youngish woman approaches the counter.)
Customer: “I’m here to pick up my daughter’s prescription.”
Me: “Of course. Can I get her name and DOB?” *She gives it and I look it up* “I’m sorry, but we don’t have it here.”
Customer: “The doctor should’ve called it in two days ago. It’s all right, though, I can use my DEA to call it in.” *a series of numbers and letters used to identify doctors*
(I’m a little surprised. She doesn’t really look old enough to prescribe.)
Me: “Ma’am, are you a doctor?”
Customer: “No, but I have a DEA.”
Me: “Well, that might not be necessary. It might be on hold at drop off.”
Customer: “All right, I’ll check there first.”
(She goes to the other counter, and I lose track of her with my own customers. About 30 or 45 minutes later, she comes back to pick up her daughter’s prescription.)
Me: “Oh, glad she got her [prescription].”
Customer: “Yeah, it wasn’t over there, though. Glad I could take care of her and call it in without having to call the doctor. ”
(It’s late on a Sunday afternoon, when most doctor’s offices are closed.)
Me: “It must be reassuring you can always get her medicine. You could do it too if you had an NPI [other set of identifying numbers, necessary for calling in narcotics].”
Customer: “Oh, I have one of those, too, but I don’t really use it. I work at a women’s health clinic, so I’ve never prescribed those.”
(I work in a pharmacy in an area known for prescription drug abuse, and where narcotics are given out like candy. This was reassuring on her part.)
Me: “Oh. Here’s her prescriptions ”
(We do have a few patients that are doctors, and write their own prescriptions, and occasionally for their family that are also our patients. They’re usually arrogant, however, and argue prescription prices, drug types, etc. She was extremely nice, though. It made my day a little bit better.)
|