Posted by bozeman on March 28, 2003, at 23:51:38
In reply to Re: Greg, beardy, et al » bozeman, posted by Greg on March 28, 2003, at 15:29:53
You would think that we would. :-)
Sadly, my pharmacist *also* knows me by name, and I've taken to flirting with all the assistants so they all know my name too. Not like I would ever go out with them, but they're the only guys I see these days, sadly. :-( Hopefully that will all soon improve.
I had an experience somewhat similar to yours, Nikki . . . the pharmacist (whom I am on a first name basis with, even though tens of thousands of other people get their meds there) was about to hand me a prescription one day, then snatched it back and said, "Hang on a minute. I need to check something." He looked up my file, then picked up the telephone and called my doctor. I heard him argue his way past the office staff until he got the doctor himself to approve an on-the-spot substitution for that medication so I wouldn't have to wait, and filled the prescription himself. My *doctor* (who should have known better, since my chart was clearly marked) had prescribed a variant --different name, same drug -- of a medication to which I am seriously allergic. If the pharmacist hadn't caught it, I would have never known it until it was too late, as I had never heard of the new name.
Bob (my pharmacist) apologized sincerely for the mixup and gave me the new prescription. I thanked him profusely, then asked what made him think to go back to my file to check for allergies. He said that an assistant (who I later found out he fired after that event) had actually filled the prescription and should have noticed the warning on the file, but had apparently missed it. When Bob checked the prescription before allowing it to be released, he verified that it was correctly dispensed but did not go back to the computer to cross-check allergies. But when he saw my face, he *remembered* the conversation we had had on my very first visit to the pharmacy years before, when he had taken my allergy history.
Even though I had a fever of about 103F that impressed me. This happened years ago, and I have since changed doctors (of course!) and moved, so the pharmacy is very much out of my way now. However, I will continue to go there as long as Bob is still the head pharmacist -- considering he probably saved my life.
Sometimes being on a first-name basis with those guys is not a bad thing. :-)
Wishing each of you well!
bozeman
poster:bozeman
thread:213242
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030326/msgs/213948.html