Recently I posted on this blog about – at least – the local Walgreen’s district requiring ICD9’s on a C-II Rxs for them to be legal to fill at a Walgreens store.
https://www.pharmaciststeve.com/?p=3269
Last night I saw a C-II rx issued from the ER of my local hospital… This is the only hospital in a 80K-90K population county and it is quite technology advanced hospital for the size of the county… not the typical “advanced first aid station” that you find in small counties throughout this country that claim to be a “hospital”.
This hospital has a 24 hr Walgreens both within walking distance and eye sight of the hospital… The Rx that I was looking at was for a pt in a nursing home that the LTCP I am temping at services .. and low and behold… there on this C-II from this hospital’s ER.. is the ICD9 on the Rx.
It would seem that WAGS is “powerful enough” to dictate to the hospital how they are going to write their C-II’s if they expect Walgreens to fill them… Of course, WAGS has four pharmacies in this small county and this one may be the only 24 hr pharmacy in the county.. So it would appear that the “tail” is able to “WAG” the dog…
Of course, anyone with three brain cells holding hands … can easily understand that having a prescriber put ICD9’s on C-II’s is going to completely revolutionize the ability to catch/deter doc/pharmacy shoppers. This could even possibly cause the whole DEA agency to shut down… because legal drugs being diverted to the street will virtually “dry up “.
If this “idea” was implemented by a RPH… I hope that his/her Alma Mater doesn’t find out who he/she is.. they might ask for their diploma to be returned…
Filed under: General Problems
i like seeing the icd-9 code on the rx. many times i have busted bogus rx’s with the question ‘what is the doc treating you for?’. not a good sign when the patient doesnt know where his pain is.
@wjsarraf… if I was a MD who wanted to circumvent the WAGS mandate, I would code all opiates Rxs with ICD9 with 780.96 … whose.. definition is generalized pain nos (not otherwise specified ) the point is.. you can’t mandate professional discretion.. I suspect that in the incidents that you suspected a “bogus Rx”… the question to the pt about what the doctor is treating you for was just the final straw in your determination if the Rx was legit or bogus.
There needs to be a lot more checks than just ICD-9 codes. I have a doctor that I do not fill any of his schedule 2 drugs even though it has the codes on the rx. I don’t fill the drugs because he is a child psychiatrist that prescribes oxycodone 30mg #180 for an out of state 52 year old. You just have to use your best judgement!
Steve: you may be onto something with the DEA….just this morning a federak judge with no medical training set aside FDA deicisions on the controversial morning after abortifacient pill. Now rapists, incestuous relatives and sex crime boyfriends can hide their crimes against girls LESS than 17 yrs of age, thanks to a lib judge in NYC…who needs the FDA, one can now say? We’ve got Judge Edward Korman!