Ok, let's try this blog thing....here's a story I shared with a few people, but it just gets better with every reading. Enjoy:
I sent in my prescription for Neupogen to Medco, the mail order pharmacy used by my insurance. The drug is $432/dose, even at the discounted Medco rate, so you know how much they enjoy paying for it. It also has to be refrigerated at all times. So I mailed the prescription, 2 weeks in advance, after calling them and finding out they would fed-ex it overnight to the house to get it there in good condition. Ok, cool, I say.
So, a week goes by -- nothin. Another few days go by and now we're mid-week before I need a refill and still no word. So I called up the MD Anderson pharmacy, and they filled it immediately (I hadn't used up all my local refills yet).
The next day I get a call from a lady who said "This is so and so from Medco/bleh bleh bleh. We've been trying to contact you to schedule a delivery, but we don't have your phone number."
<stunned silence on my end>
I finally gathered myself up to say "How did you call me then?"
Medco: "Well I'm not with bleh bleh bleh, I'm with Medco."
Me: "I'm confused What's bleh bleh bleh"
Medco: "Acreedo is the specialty pharmacy -- it's a division of Medco."
Me: "If you're a division of Medco, then why don't you have my number"
Medco: "Because you never called to give us your number."
Me: "I didn't know you existed, so how could I call you? Besides you got the web, the email, and Medco calls me all the time to tell me something's screwed up."
Medco: "I don't know sir, but we can't contact you if we don't have your number."
Me: "How did you call me today?"
Medco: "Well we tried calling your Dr.'s office first, but they wouldn't give it to us because of privacy. So we had to look it up in your Medco record."
Me: "And that was a problem?"
Medco: "Sir there's no reason to be agitated, we have to have a means of contacting you."
At this point I didn't know whether to laugh at the absurdity of it, or be pissed at the stupidity. So I chose to laugh. She then told me I needed to call Acreedo to give them my phone number because they still didn't have it. I said "I thought you were all part of Medco" and she said "No, I'm with Medco. Acreedo is the specialty pharmacy." Then I said, "But......eh screw it.... what's the number?"
So I called the number and the lady who took my information said it sounded just as stupid to her as I thought it was, so we commiserated, fixed the info, and my drugs are on the way.
How fun is that?
Update: So the prescription finally arrived, via fed ex, packed on ice in a styrofoam container.$2700 $7500 worth of perishable drugs. The fed ex guy left it on the doorstep, while I was at the doctor in 100+ degree heat. Fortunately, that evening I just happened to walk out the front door and find it, and luckily it was still cool.
So, a week goes by -- nothin. Another few days go by and now we're mid-week before I need a refill and still no word. So I called up the MD Anderson pharmacy, and they filled it immediately (I hadn't used up all my local refills yet).
The next day I get a call from a lady who said "This is so and so from Medco/bleh bleh bleh. We've been trying to contact you to schedule a delivery, but we don't have your phone number."
<stunned silence on my end>
I finally gathered myself up to say "How did you call me then?"
Medco: "Well I'm not with bleh bleh bleh, I'm with Medco."
Me: "I'm confused What's bleh bleh bleh"
Medco: "Acreedo is the specialty pharmacy -- it's a division of Medco."
Me: "If you're a division of Medco, then why don't you have my number"
Medco: "Because you never called to give us your number."
Me: "I didn't know you existed, so how could I call you? Besides you got the web, the email, and Medco calls me all the time to tell me something's screwed up."
Medco: "I don't know sir, but we can't contact you if we don't have your number."
Me: "How did you call me today?"
Medco: "Well we tried calling your Dr.'s office first, but they wouldn't give it to us because of privacy. So we had to look it up in your Medco record."
Me: "And that was a problem?"
Medco: "Sir there's no reason to be agitated, we have to have a means of contacting you."
At this point I didn't know whether to laugh at the absurdity of it, or be pissed at the stupidity. So I chose to laugh. She then told me I needed to call Acreedo to give them my phone number because they still didn't have it. I said "I thought you were all part of Medco" and she said "No, I'm with Medco. Acreedo is the specialty pharmacy." Then I said, "But......eh screw it.... what's the number?"
So I called the number and the lady who took my information said it sounded just as stupid to her as I thought it was, so we commiserated, fixed the info, and my drugs are on the way.
How fun is that?
Update: So the prescription finally arrived, via fed ex, packed on ice in a styrofoam container.
I totally understand because I must deal with AETNA's Specialty farmacy. You might have them add a second line to your address. Please put the meds in the shade. That will work with Fed EX or UPS.
ReplyDeleteThis may be the funniest thing I have read all week. And I read a lot of funny stuff.
ReplyDeleteSo when they called you to ask for your number, maybe you should have asked them to leave you a message so you could call them back with your number.
ReplyDelete(Sorry to laugh at your frustration, but this cracked me up!) :-)
It was frustrating at the time, but fortunately it all worked out, and the best part is, I got a good story out of it. ;-}
ReplyDeleteI used to think that Medco had to be the dumbest pharmo company out there. Now that I'm with Caremark/CVS I have discovered I was wrong. I get an email telling me my prescriptions have shipped and an automated phone call saying "your doctor hasn't responded to our refill authorization request blah blah blah" EVERY time I place a refill order. I was told to just disregard the automated phone calls. I asked if they might fix it some day. I was told "we are working on it sir. You are getting your medications, you just need to be patient." (6 months and counting now.)
ReplyDelete