Published
Yes it is unbelievable! I tried sending faxes on different fax machines at my facility and still got the same answer. "No we never got the fax" I also use to tell residents not to worry and that the pharmacy promised to send their medication out on their very next run. I now know that is a trick too. I can't tell you how many promises I got that the medication would come out on the next run and didn't. Now I just tell residents "I called the pharmacy and your medication has been ordered."
I want to strangle the Omnicare people over the phone every time I take to them! Oh I sent a request for a controlled substance to be refilled but need a new C2? I sent the request online so I'd like to assume that they got it but no, it just says "pharmacy review required". Who has the desire to go through every med you scan or enter into Omniview for refill to make sure it was received, processes and shipped? I once sent over a C2 for Phenobarbital 60 mg and they said they'd send it over the next day. 24 hours go by, and no Phenobarb. It turns out (once I captured a person on the phone) that they no longer stocked 60 mg tablets of Phenobarb so the doc would have to re-write and sign a new C2 for 64.2 mg tablets or something. And then pharmacy didn't receive the C2 and the resident was almost out of the drug. Doc says they'll send it over again. Pharmacy still doesn't get it. Administration time rolls around and I call the doc, who d/c's the Phenobarb altogether and just switches the rt. to Depakote. ARGGGGG!
I just found out what to do when your ordered meds don't arrive. Some nurses told me that they call up and ask for the name of the pharmacy person they are talking to. The nurses then explain that they are filling out a medication error report and need to have the pharmacy's person's name so they can put it on the medication error report. The nurses say that's the only thing that works and that they actually got some of their medications within 4 hours when they did it.
They are now sending Omnicare pharmacy to watch us and see how we do our meds. According to pharmacy, we are not suppose to keep the meds if we bring the meds to a resident's room and they are not in their rooms for any reason. We are suppose to throw the meds away!
I can't even get the pharmacy to send meds on time. They usually say "too early". If I start throwing away meds there is going to be even more "too early" notes from pharmacy. Does anyone else have pharmacy following them around at work?
Blackcat99
2,836 Posts
I have noticed lately that when I have re-ordered medications that they never arrive. In the past, it would happen "once in awhile". Now it seems to happen much more frequently. I am wondering if I should just call in every single thing I need to Omnicare Pharmacy. I was wondering if other facilities were having this same problem or if it was just the fax machines at my facility. Should I call Omnicare and insist that they replace all of the fax machines since it doesn't seem to matter which fax machine I use at my facility? It's utterly frustrating to order meds and then they never arrive.