This is very interesting… WAGS continue to make public statements that they cannot force a pharmacist to fill a Rx.. and that it is the professional discretion of each of the Pharmacist to decide to fill or not to fill. It appears to me that this Pharmacist clearly states that he is following COMPANY POLICY to not fill this Rx…  which would suggest that this particular Pharmacist has come to the conclusion that the company’s policy supersedes whatever his individual professional discretion would  be to fill or not fill this particular Rx.  It also seems to be stated by the Pharmacists that the decision not to fill this Rx is based on the fact that it is a controlled med and that the prescription was written by a prescriber whose practice  is in a different FL COUNTY.. Does this suggest that WAGS and its Pharmacists are discriminating against people who have a valid medical necessity for a controlled medication… and because most people requiring these specific medications… would most likely be covered under the Americans with Disability Act.. So it would appear that we have a FL licensed prescriber, and a FL resident.. trying to get a RX filled at a FL WAGS pharmacy. It would also appear that someone told the other WAGS Pharmacist that called the store that this store did in fact have inventory of this particular medication on hand… but.. this Pharmacist seems to make the statement that he doesn’t have the medication in inventory. So who is lying to this patient? .. and which one is a prick  or is only one a prick ?  Unless WAGS has changed their software system functions, one WAGS pharmacy can check the inventory in another WAGS pharmacy.. at least as it is recorded in the computer system.. which may or may not properly reflect what is on the shelf.

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Battles Over Hospital-Wide Nurse Staffing Ratios Persist

http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/HR-312972/Battles-Over-HospitalWide-Staffing-Ratios-Persist.html

Unionized nurses and their supporters cite a clear correlation between staffing ratios and quality of care and are calling for new laws. But hospital associations say there’s a lack of conclusive data.

State health policy analysts in Massachusetts and Minnesota are fighting new battles in the ongoing war between hospitals and organized nurses over staffing ratios.

A law requiring 1:1 and 1:2 nurse-to-patient ratio in intensive care units went into effect in Massachusetts in September. But health researchers in Minnesota were unable to complete a study looking at the relationship between nursing levels and patient outcomes in their state.

Imagine that… healthcare professionals ( Nurses) concerned about staffing levels and the quality of pt care.  Pharmacists seem to take staffing cuts… while Rx volume is increasing and just tries to “run faster on the wheel”  Boards of Pharmacy, whose primary charge is to protect the public’s health and safety.. they are where ? and the Pharmacist in each Rx dept who is responsible to the Board of Pharmacy for the legal operation of the Rx dept… Doesn’t say anything about under staffing and med errors.

Makes one wonder where all the “care” is … in the community/retailing setting ..  because your health is everything and you wish to be well…??

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Heroin deaths on the rise in Tampa Bay

http://www.wfla.com/story/28073721/heroin-deaths-on-the-rise-in-tampa-bay

I am beginning to wonder who held all of these people down at one time and forced them to start taking opiates… until the point that they were uncontrollably “hooked” on these opiates..

Did anyone notice in the film, the this young woman said she did a bunch of drugs and wanted to die … isn’t that a SUICIDE WISH ?  Was she doing drugs because of a mental health issue?.. was she trying to commit suicide because of withdrawal  ?.. because she couldn’t no longer afford her drugs ?

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This study was conducted by CVS… I guess the premise is that Pharmacists don’t have enough influence to get a pt to take their chronic pain medications.. of course the first two calls were by a ROBOT … so I guess they would bring in the “BIG GUNS” and have nurses call up pts and harass persuade  the pts into being compliant with the medication for their chronic conditions. Of course, it would appear that even though there are 116 million chronic pain pts, that chronic condition was not considered that improved quality of life could not be improved by encouraging those pts to be more compliant with their medications. How can you improve medication compliance on a group of pts.. if your Pharmacists are “not comfortable” filling them ?

Hot Off the Press: Connections to Key Quality Publications
Hot Off the Press seeks to connect the reader to the most relevant and recent trials,
reviews and commentaries related to health care quality with a focus on medication‐ and
pharmacy‐related topics.
Topic: Primary Medication Nonadherence
o Citation: Fischer M, Jones J, Shrank W, et al. A randomized telephone intervention
trial to reduce primary medication nonadherence. Journal Of Managed Care &
Specialty Pharmacy. February 2015;21(2):124‐131.
o Description: Geisinger Health System conducted a prospective randomized
control trial of nurse‐directed telephonic intervention to reduce primary
medication nonadherence (PMN). Patients were included if they were started on
a new medication by their primary care physician for one of the following
conditions: hypertension, hyperlipidemia, asthma, or type 2 diabetes. A new
medication was defined as having no prior record of an order for that medication
or any medication in the same subclass in the previous year. All prescriptions were
electronically prescribed to CVS Pharmacies, and patients included in the study
had already received three phone call reminders from CVS to pick up their
medications (two automated, one live). The study found that when patients were
contacted by a nurse from their primary care team after repeated efforts from a
pharmacy were unsuccessful, there was no improvement in PMN.

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MY story from TODAY and my issues with CVS and what happened!! Very interesting! I went to CVS yesterday to get my hydrocodone script filled. I wanted it filled today so I would have my meds for first thing tomorrow morning when I wake up because I would be taking the last pill this evening. They refused to fill the script until tomorrow. (Wednesday) So what I did was I printed out the LOGO from the top of this page, then I went to WESH 2 NEWS page and printed out Matt Grants story about INVESTIGATING what we are ALL going through.

I took this information with me to CVS today around noon. I asked to SPEAK to the pharmacist. I said to him ok, here’s the deal….

I am an advocate and member of this group, showed him to LOGO, and we are planning a RALLY in Tallahassee to fight the INHUMANE issues we patients are having with getting our prescriptions filled. We have gotten “Investigative Reporter Matt Grant from WESH 2 NEWS” involved in this also, he is doing a STORY and helping us get to the BOTTOM of this. We are speaking with the DEA, pharmacists, insurance companies, and legislators and we WILL NOT STOP until we have answers and this INHUMANE stuff STOPS.

I said I called my insurance company this morning AND they TOLD me prescriptions are ALLOWED to be REFILLED once the patient has taken at least 75% of their medication from previous script. AND I told the insurance company that my pharmacy is refusing to FILL my script UNTIL I am completely out of my medication.

I said EVERYONE I know who takes medications takes there medications as SOON as they get out of BED in the morning. Well SIR I get out of bed every morning at 6 am. ONCE AGAIN i WILL not HAVE MY pain MEDS WHICH I NEED FIRST THING IN THE MORNING TO START FUNCTIONING ABOUT AN HOUR LATER AFTER TAKING MY MEDS.

You’re telling me I cannot pick up my filled script until LATE morning. This means I suffer UNTIL I can DRAG my BUTT in HERE to pick up my script.

I said I just want to LET YOU know we are NOT giving up this fight UNTIL we have our HUMAN RIGHTS BACK as PAIN PATIENTS. He said well threatening us is not going to get you anywhere. I said “I am NOT threatening you, I am making you aware that next time I will be coming in here with the MEDIA who will be RECORDING our conversations where you are denying me my pain meds when they SHOULD be getting filled. And then I said thank you for your time I will see you tomorrow when my script is READY…..

I came home, a half hour AFTER I was home my phone rang, it was the pharmacist. He SAID , I filled your prescription it is ready you can come pick it up any time today!!!

hhmmmmm INTERESTING… what exactly changed his mind and made him do this?????? What do YOU think????

I marched my butt in there an hour later and picked up my script and then looked HIM straight in the eye and kindly said thank you and he said you’re welcome. And I turned and walked out.

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Pharmacy automatic prescription refills can contribute to medication errors and waste

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Legal US Weed Is Killing Drug Cartels

http://dailycaller.com/2015/02/09/legal-marijuana-drug-cartels/

The growth of the U.S. marijuana industry has devastated drug cartels in Mexico, evidenced by fewer seizures of cannabis at the border and, according to Mexican security forces, a drop in total homicides and domestic marijuana production rates.

Mexican drug cartels are finding it difficult to compete in the cannabis market not only in terms of price, but also quality, given that the U.S. industry is starting to label products according to THC content, CNBC reports. According to The ArcView Group, a cannabis research firm, the marijuana industry in the U.S. grew 74 percent in just one year, up from $1.5 billion in 2013 to $2.7 billion in 2014.

Marijuana from Mexico, on the other hand, is often mass-produced in less than ideal conditions, with no guarantee as to the safety of the product.

Advocates who initially pushed for legalization in Washington and Colorado have argued strenuously in the past that increased access to marijuana in the U.S. would mean a decline in drug-related violence and revenue for the cartels in Mexico.

Homicides in Mexico have dropped from 22,852 in 2011 to 15,649 as of 2014, which tracks relatively closely with the legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington, although the link between the two events is not conclusive.

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. –

A Fayetteville pharmacist pulled a gun on two men during an attempted robbery at Medicap Pharmacy on Saturday. 

The Fayetteville Police Dept. states that the men entered the store on Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard and attacked the pharmacist with a blunt object. The pharmacist then pulled out a handgun and fired shots at the pair. 

Tips led police to the men who were taken into custody on Sunday without incident. The pharmacist was treated for injuries to the head. 

Too bad the pharmacist was not a really good shot !

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Sniffing out a solution…

Matt Grant is an investigative reporter for WESH TV in Orlando NBC Channel 2.

Last week Matt did a report on patients not being able to get their medically necessary medications.

mjgrant@hearst.com  I have been told that he is looking to “go with” and/or watch a Pharmacist tell a chronic pain pt that they are “NOT COMFORTABLE” filling their Rx.. or that they “DON’T HAVE ANY INVENTORY”

If you live in the Orlando area and ready to need to get a fill/refill on  your medically necessary medication and you expect to have to participate in the “Pharmacy Crawl”.. the word I have received… Matt wishes to come along with you on your “Pharmacy Crawl”

I should have his personal cell phone number later today… but feel free to contact him via email..

Remember… IF YOU DO NOTHING… YOU GET NOTHING …

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