Inspired by OB/GYN thread: Anyone else's MD policy NO Phone-in scripts?

[arminnie]

Funny you should say that. I looked up all of our MDs on the FL Medical Registration database and she had voluntarily relinquished her license for two years in the early 1990s. There is nothing on the listing as to why this happened.

I guess I'm probably a little more skeptical these days because I have dinner once a quarter with our state medical board. I hear a lot about the bad stuff that is happening.

Of course these doctors who are getting in trouble are a TINY, TINY fraction of the medical population, but I have been surprised to hear some of the things that have gone on.

It's just like any other profession there's always a bad apple or two. I always thought that the things that came before the medical board would be obvious malpractice stuff like amputating the wrong limb, leaving an instrument inside,etc. It's more likely to be something like a doctor writing scripts to a patient in return for sexual favors.

 

[Snow Brite]

So I think practices should be someone accomodating--but one has to wonder who abused the policy before it became strict that necessitated such extreme measures.

You know I wonder about this EVERY month as we go to the psychiatrist to get the prescriptions for my kids ADHD meds. They are only good for 30 days, they have to be on the special prescription pad, they have to be filled within 7 days and no pediatrician, general practice or other doctor will write the prescriptions for us. Then I take them to the pharmacy, who has to look them over with a fine toothed comb and then order then as they do not keep large quantities of these medications on hand. It is a full afternoon of dealing with this once a month. It makes me so mad to think about those that have abused this system and these meds so that my children and I have to go through this.

 

[AllyandJack]

DH and I were once held up at the pharmacy for 3 hours. We discovered DH's condition at about 7pm one night. I called the doctor's service, had him paged, he called in the script to the pharmacy. We get there and get the 3rd degree, pharmacist calls the doctor's service, has him paged, talks to him, thinks of more questions, pages him again, talks to him some more.

What was this controlled substance, you ask?

Eye salve.

DH had a piece of sheetrock dust stuck in his eye and the eye doctor called in the salve. We had a great time at the pharmacy waiting. I made a variety of comments about the street value of the salve and how we were running one of those dreaded Salve Houses.

 

[Towncrier]

I have noticed, however, that some of my doctors have started charging a $5.00 fee for prescription requests that are not related to a *recent* visit.

Our doctor's office charges $10 for prescription requests like you described. They have signs all over the office with that policy as a reminder to get the prescriptions you need before you walk out the door.

Although it seems unresonable for doctors to not call in "simple" prescriptions, I can see their point. It takes time for them to do this and it may simply be a matter of economics for them as more and more people have (ab)used this privilege.

In an odd way, it's kind of like free parking at the Contemporary. What's the harm if one or two people do it? Or ten or twenty? Or perhaps everyone who reads the internet?

I can't blame the doctors for covering themselves.

 

[Blondie]

At my OB/GYN you cannot get a refill of anything without a "prescription refill" appointment.

 

[Christine]

You know I wonder about this EVERY month as we go to the psychiatrist to get the prescriptions for my kids ADHD meds. They are only good for 30 days, they have to be on the special prescription pad, they have to be filled within 7 days and no pediatrician, general practice or other doctor will write the prescriptions for us. Then I take them to the pharmacy, who has to look them over with a fine toothed comb and then order then as they do not keep large quantities of these medications on hand. It is a full afternoon of dealing with this once a month. It makes me so mad to think about those that have abused this system and these meds so that my children and I have to go through this.

I don't have to do this. My doctor writes us a 90-day supply prescription for ADHD meds (it's on a "controlled substance" pad). I mail it into my mail-in pharmacy and I get a 90-day supply.

 

[Pin Wizard]

I'm sure she wants to cover her tail and wants everything in writing. There are too many cases out there with doctors' medical licenses on the line due to prescribing "problems."

My doc's office (or it might be the company I work for considering I'm in healthcare) charges me $5 (up to 10 minutes) every time she calls with test results, etc. Grrrr!