Pharmacist Pet Peeve

I recently had a patient try to pick up a prescription while on a cell phone. This is a pet peeve of mine (and probably every other pharmacist in America). I have a sign prominently posted on the counter that says “Please finish your cell phone conversation before you approach the pharmacy window.”

Anyway, this guy approached the window, chatting away on his cell phone. I ignored him and continued counting pills for refills. He yelled at me, “Can I get some service here?!” I told him that I would be happy to help him when he finished his conversation.

Some people just don’t get it.

And weren’t taught any manners by their mommas.

I always use HIPAA as an excuse to why I won’t help people when they are on their cell phone. I don’t think my corpo-bosses would like it if I started telling customers that I won’t help them while they are talking on their phones because it is ridiculously rude. I do tell customers that, sometimes, though. A girl can only take so much.

This guy on the cell phone freaked out. He demanded that I help him. I said no, because of the HIPAA law, I needed him to hang up his phone before I rang up his prescription. He wanted to see A COPY OF THE LAW and where in the law it alluded to cell phone use, and what law I was talking about. Can you believe this? Wouldn’t you have just hung up?

He wanted me to back down. I don’t back down. If someone argues with me, there is no freaking way that they will win. Not on early refills for hydrocodone, not on spotting them a few pills when their prescription was denied by the doctor, not anything.

I told him that it was the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, that it went into effect in 2001, and that it stated I had to do everything in my power to protect the privacy of his health information. That means, to me, that I make sure the person on the other end of his call doesn’t know he is picking up a refill for Viagra, or getting a new prescription for Valtrex. Or whatever.

This isn’t McDonalds, people. I don’t even talk on my cell phone when I’m going through a fast-food drive-thru, or when I’m paying for gasoline, or anything. It’s rude. I wait until my conversation is finished, or I tell the person I will call them right back.

But I’m not even picking up prescription drugs.

Customers: I am dispensing potentially lethal medications to you. I need you to give me your full attention when you pick up a prescription. Sure, it may be a refill you’ve had a thousand times. But do you think that there may be more than one Mr. John Smith in our city? What if we accidentally gave you the other John Smith’s prescriptions? When I show you the tablets (we do show-and-tell dispensing), please look at them. Do they look the same as the ones you got last month? And as far as new prescriptions go, I need to talk to you about them. It’s required by law, and, beyond that, it’s important. I need to tell you about potentially life threatening allergic reactions (angioedema with ACEIs), dietary restrictions (warfarin), acetaminophen limits (Vicodin, Norco, Lortab, Percocet, etc) or other important information. I do not have your full attention when you are on your cell phone.

So, the customer with the attitude hung up his phone in a huff and told me he would be getting his refill elsewhere next month.

Good for ya.

Every pharmacy I have worked at has the same policy regarding cell phones.

Good luck, jerk.