Refills

Specialties Ambulatory

Published

I have somewhat of a problem in my office and was wondering how other office nurses handle it. When patients call for refills on their medications they want them NOW. I have a million and one other things that need to be done and that is not on the top of my list. What do you tell them? Also sometimes it is late before the doctor looks at the charts on his desk to approve medications. Do you go home or do you stay and call in the medication? Also on Friday morning they know that we close at noon so the phone rings non-stop will requests for refills. Any suggestions on how to handle this without having all my patients complain?

Specializes in Operating Room,, Plastic Surgery.

I work in home health, we encorage all our clients to use weelky pill organizers( most drug reps will give them away) that way they know a week in advance when to call in refills.. for medication set ups we RN's always call them in at least 1 week in advance, or if its a long term med,like lipitor we will call it in on the first day allowable by insurance (ex Medicaid)that way you can have a cushion.

marci:cool:

We are usually finished seeing our last patient by 4:30, but w/ 100 messages that have to be gone through, it is usually 6 before the doc looks at them all. What I do is prioritize, I do the things that are most important, leave the rest to continue to pile up for the next day, it is a snowball. But what can you do when you are told not to work overtime, but then the patients get pissed at you when there r/f is not called in b/c of that or b/c the doc hasn't addressed the messages until after the pharmacy is closed.

Oh well, we can only do so much in one days time.....

Specializes in MS Home Health.

In my job as a rep I am sending scripts to be signed every day. Some docs have a 24 to 48 leeway to get scripts filled. Does not bother me as a rep or a patient. Maybe you could adopt that rule.

renerian

Specializes in Geriatrics/Oncology/Psych/College Health.

I work with college students, so I consider it part of my responsibility to impart education about how the health care system works to our "adults in training" :). As everyone else does, we get calls that "I ran out yesterday" or, more frequently, I ran out three days ago and now it's an emergency...

Our asthmatic patients and others who have chronic illnesses are (usually) much better about calling in advance, having navigated the system. It's the gals who are on their last BCP the day before spring break and they need a pap TODAY that make life in the wome's clinic rough lol.

Emergency stuff gets handled today. Acne medicine waits til tomorrow :chuckle.

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