It is no secret that pet peeves come with any profession. Pharmacy Times wants to know what ticks you off. We will continue our ongoing list of pharmacists' complaints. Perhaps you'll identify with one and nod your head in agreement because you're not alone. Please e-mail your complaints along with your name to Eileen Koutnik-Fotopoulos at . Here are some pet peeves pharmacists have submitted.
 

200. Dealing with manufacturers who lightly emboss the expiration date on the bottom of a white box because they are either too cheap to use ink or completely insensitive to those of us over 50 with declining vision. - Robert J. Boragno

199. Telling a patient that we are going to have to fax his or her physician for a refill and then having the patient ask, "When will you get that from my doctor?"

198. Repeating the same thing 5 times, 5 different ways, and each time you're trying to make yourself understood, and they still don't understand and you have to keep smiling. - Douglas Kahn

197. Dealing with a relief pharmacist who comes in to cover my vacation who then tells my patients that I have been doing things wrong all along.

196. Having to stop what I am doing and unlock the restroom door, and having the person think that doing so is far more important than filling prescriptions for sick clients.

195. Dealing with customers who transfer between 2 different retail pharmacies multiple times so they could get $30 gift cards each time.

194. Helping a customer who approaches the pharmacy counter while still talking on his or her cell phone and expects to be waited on, but acts like you're interrupting his or her conversation.

193. Having patients refer to their narcotics by their street names.

192. Dealing with prescriptions from physicians who do not care about their patient's safety and scribble illegible scripts.

191. Having patients think I know how much their Rx is going to be just by looking at the prescription.

190. Dealing with office help that call in prescriptions and then don't have complete directions, drug strength, refills, etc. Oftentimes, they don't have the doctor's Drug Enforcement Administration number handy either.

189. Having the type of customer that exhibits extreme polypharmacy. For example, she wants to transfer her Rx to you but doesn't have the faintest idea where she got it filled the last time, she isn't sure if it was a competitor's location, and she asks why can't you check all the pharmacies in the entire city to locate her wayward Rx.

188. After giving a wait time of 5 to 10 minutes to fill a prepackaged prescription, I have to deal with the angry customer asking, "What takes so long, doesn't it already come in a box? Just give it to me."

187. Having patients call for advice and when you answer them, they will come up with every reason on why what you're saying doesn't sound right.

186. Dealing with nonqualified personnel, who work for third-party help desks and in their prior authorization departments, who don't know anything about medicine.

185. Having a customer hand you a new Medicaid enrollment form, then says, "They told me that Medicaid is OK."

184. Dealing with customers who insist that their doctor faxed you when you don't have that fax anywhere in the store. Then they get angry at you and insinuate you are a liar.

183. Having your drive thru technician tell you that the person at the drive thru refuses to move until you fill her prescription right now.

182. Encountering people who pick the live lice out of their children's hair and throw them on the counter in front of you. - Gretchen Goedeken

181. Dealing with doctors that illegally postdate their scripts and the patients that try to work the system using said script. - Andy Miller

180. Having individuals bring things to the counter for your recommendation and then don't return the ones you rule out.

179. Dealing with customers who tap their keys or credit card on the counter when they're not waited on right away.

178. Having drug reps come in and hand out inane gifts that are useless in a pharmacy setting.

177. Trying to get information from a person dropping off a new script for another person. They don't know the person's address, phone number, date of birth, or any other information. - Brad DiGerolamo

176. Dealing with patients who hand their dirty cell phones to you so you can talk to their doctor's office.

175. Dealing with the constant switching in formularies that necessitate a call to a physician about every 6 months for a switch-again-of a patient's maintenance drug.

174. Observing robotic replenishment without updating with the new lot number.

173. Handling orders and/or prescriptions which don't have adequate prescriber ID or contact info. - Mary Ellen Lemberg

172. Dealing with patients who think that the pharmacist is the reason the prescription isn't covered on their insurance plan.

171. Watching a drug story break on network TV and they show a pharmacist counting tablets in a tray.

170. Having patients drop off or pick up prescriptions at the drive thru for controlled substances who do not have a photo ID on them.

169. Working every day to improve the quality of care provided and improve the public perception of pharmacy while the store next door announces they will give away "free antibiotics" and $4 generics, which completely eliminates the value of the pharmacist. - Jarrett Bauder

168. Dealing with the media getting drug recall information before we do.

167. Listening to the loud, obnoxious, repetitive music that the pharmacy chains play overhead. - Frank Nice

166. Answering the phone, "Pharmacy, can I help you?" only to be met with the question, "Is this the pharmacy?" - Michelle Colson

165. Dealing with physician assistants who instruct their patients to address him or her as "Doctor." - Lynn J

164. Handling someone at an insurance company that tells me the dose for hydrocodone is too high and my terminal cancer patient will become addicted or have liver toxicity.

163. Having a drug company representative call you with new drug updates and then read you the whole package insert.

162. Dealing with nonpharmacy management that tries to micromanage the pharmacy and puts the credibility of customers above the pharmacist. - Barbara Morris

161. Working with prescribers who accuse you of harassment for verifying dosage changes and tell you that you're to only fax and no longer telephone their office since you're wasting their time. - D. Johnson

160. Dealing with a patient who calls to ask a question about a prescription not purchased at my store because their pharmacist is busy or they can't because it's mail order. - Bill Jackson

159. Working with a patient who finishes samples and demands I phone the doctor for an actual prescription.

158. Dealing with management wanting the sound system on in the pharmacy. I already have enough noise to contend with.

157. Informing a Medicaid or Medicare patient that coupons for gift cards are not allowed if I fill their Rx under the plan and they transfer to another pharmacy.

156. Being handed a cell phone from a patient who states, "Here, my doctor wants to speak with you." - Sal P

155. Dealing with the biannual control drug audit having to be done on the first of the month.

154. Answering the phone when I'm very busy only to hear that I've won a free cruise to the Caribbean Islands. - Cassandra Fleming

153. Talking to rude, obnoxious, and selfish nurses who think they are very knowledgeable and don't want to give their information when you call in, or authorize refills, or put you on hold forever.

152. Trying to understand why CMS decided to eliminate all benzodiazepines from Medicare reimbursement. - Gerald Yablin

151. Having a patient complain about not having a sufficient quantity of maintenance medication on hand when they have been holding on to the prescription for days to months.

150. Dealing with patients who think I should have known that their insurance covers a 60-day supply even though the doctor called in a 30 day-supply, and I should have called the doctor back to get 60 days.

149. Asking a customer to wait at the drop-off window while we check to see if the drug is in stock, only to find that they hightailed it out of the store as soon as we turned our backs. - Heather Strepp

148. Being told by minimum wage office personnel that a claim is denied and that the supervisor (maybe a pharmacist, doctor, or nurse, probably not) cannot override the denial.

147. Taking pills out of big bottles and putting them into little bottles. I would appreciate a tool that would cut off the safety ratchets on the big bottles.

146. Being asked a question by a customer and after I give a response the customer asks, "Are you sure?" - Jabari Jones

145. Encountering big chains that offer $4 generics. It really cheapens pharmacy and reduces it to a mere commodity. - Barbara May

144. Dealing with patients who have prescriptions called in/dropped off at other pharmacies, then call us to transfer them so they can use their transfer coupon and get a gift card.

143. Searching for the expiration date on the manufacturers' bottles. Why don't the manufacturers put the expiration date in larger print and why aren't they required to put it right up front on the label? - Stanley Rhea

142. Having patients calling for a refill without the prescription number.

141. Dealing with eavesdroppers who pipe in with their own opinions while I am talking to a customer. - B. Korb

140. Calling the doctor for the same patient every time for renewal of prescriptions.

139. Having people come up to the pharmacy with 2 shopping carts full of merchandise, no prescription, and then complain about every price.

138. Being asked by a patient to recommend an OTC product based on their symptoms, only to have the patient select a different, generally noneffective product based on the symptoms given.

137. Fighting to get the desiccant plug out of Lipitor and other bottles where it is close to the same size as the bottle opening. - Marlin Miller

136. Having a patient bring in 15 prescriptions to be transferred from another pharmacy, you and your staff jump through all kinds of hoops only to find out that the prescriptions are too soon to fill.

135. Seeing that no matter how seasoned, experienced, or dependable a pharmacy technician is, he or she never receives a wage with respect to his or her worth.

134. Dealing with a patient who calls the pharmacy with a list of refills that you fill, and then the patient arrives and says, "I only wanted 15 of each, not 30," and they all went through on insurance.

133. Going through the steps to get a noncovered Rx item switched to something that is on a third party's formulary just to have the script go through and find out I'm being reimbursed a whopping $0.41 over acquisition for that item. - Charlie R

132. Dealing with the idea of another OTC drug class: behind the counter without adequate reimbursement and extra staff.

131. Wishing that every insurance card would come with a uniform setup (ie, all the information set up in the same place on the card and in the same order).- Chip Enterprise

130. Dealing with a customer who is in a rush to get their medication because their plane leaves in an hour and they have an hour to drive.

129. Working with PBMs and insurance companies who pretend they're in health care, when they're really in finance, and their number one goal is the financial bottom line.

128. Trying to address the pricey copays on Rxs, especially when a drug is changed to a higher tier or formularies decide to exclude coverage.

127. Dealing with patients who call my home wanting to be reassured about a medication which they received from their mail-order pharmacy…or bringing it in to me to "make sure it's the right medicine." - Tany B

126. Trying to explain to the patient numerous times that the drug a prescriber wrote doesn't exist.

125. Working with a doctor who writes a prescription for insulin or test strips with the directions "Use as directed"; then you have to call the doctor to get the units or how many times they test.

124. Listening to the constant complaining about the pharmacist shortage. Why? Because in my humble opinion, there would be a whole lot more pharmacists practicing if working conditions were better. Because of reimbursement issues, bottom line, more paperwork, etc, there is a push to do more faster with less help.

123. Having to enter bin numbers, group numbers, ID numbers, and then call the insurance company to determine if the patient has prescription coverage when anyone can charge anything anywhere in the world using a credit card and know within one minute if the card is valid. - Jerry Sobel

122. Handling a patient who comes in on a weekend (when they dropped off their script during the week) and complains about the price and wants us to switch it. You explain that we can do it but it has to be Monday, and they want the doctor paged or for the pharmacist to change the medicine. - Kim M.

121. Dealing with customers who are still about 100 feet from the drop off window and ask the magical question: "How much is that?" Mind you that the Rx hasn't even gotten close to the pharmacy department, let alone my hands. - Michele B.

120. Getting no recognition for years of experience. - Kyle Miskin

119. Having a patient walk up to the window, hand you 3 prescriptions, and ask, "How much are these?" Like we have all the prices memorized for all insurance copays.

118. Dealing with a patient that calls to "transfer all their meds" to your pharmacy, and after doing all the work, filling them, and having them ready, the patient calls to have them transferred to another pharmacy because they were "just checking your prices." - Tanye Peirce

117. Having 3 or 4 different computer monitors to keep an eye on because your organization uses 3 or 4 computer systems to process orders.

116. Finding an authoritative professional reference book that provides drug interactions between items that are contained in the Homeopathic Pharmacopeia of the United States with items that are contained in the United States Pharmacopoeia National Formulary (and dispensing information). - Todd Stephens

115. Handling a patient that calls the pharmacy to ask if a certain pill has aspirin in it since she is allergic to aspirin. After asking the patient to describe the pill, she says, "It was a pink pill, and I don't remember the rest but I already took the tablet. I found it at the bottom of my purse and after taking it I wasn't sure if it had aspirin in it or not. Can you tell me if it does?" - Nina Feinzig

114. Dealing with the misbranding of robotic drug stock due to failure by technicians to update lot numbers and expiration dates.

113. Working with insurance companies and Rx systems not interfacing with bar-coded patient ID/provider information to scan in insurance information from the patient ID cards in the blink of an eye.- Karen Mulheron

112. Opening the pharmacy to 40 scripts waiting in the phone queue, your technician is running 10 minutes, and having the first customer of the day say, "Oh good, I see you don't have anything to do, so my script shouldn't take long this time."

111. Dealing with a patient that remembers all the prescriptions they really need at the register after we have already filled the prescriptions they wanted.

110. Dealing with a patient who call and says, "Refill all my prescriptions. They're all in your system." Yes, along with everything you've taken over the past 5 years. - Ashley

109. Dealing with nurses who leave complicated prescriptions on voice mail who think they are in the "Talk Real Fast" Olympics.

108. Working with physicians who invent their own dosage regimens. When informed of inappropriate prescribing, they insist it is what they want, and who are you to question them.

107. Dealing with rebate card that require 10 minutes (if not more) of your time trying to figure out how to submit the proper coordination of benefits permutation so that the patient can get their rebate. The marketing departments of manufacturers should settle on a single format and stick to it before you drive us all over the brink. - Terry Carlisle

106. Wasting pharmacists time with random phone calls from people who don't identify themselves or give a prescription number. Yet, they want advice on the medication, followed by people who will only talk to the pharmacist about something a technician could easily assist them with. - Kevin O'Brien

105. Trying to explain to mail-order customers when their supply doesn't arrive on time why we cannot just give them a few tablets to hold them over without a legitimate prescription on file. - S. Milot

104. Dealing with a doctor's representative who has no idea how to pronounce a drug but kind of mumbles something then giggles and leaves the message on the voice mail anyway. - J. Cole

103. Trying to help a customer who calls for a refill and you ask for the Rx number, but they don't have it. Fine, then you ask who the refill is for and they say, "Me." Okay, fine, what is your name…. - Mike G.

102. Dealing with a customer who cuts in line and says, "Can you help me now? I'm only picking up/dropping off one prescription."

101. Encountering parents who take their children to the emergency room or physician's office, get a prescription for an acute or chronic condition, drop off the prescription at the pharmacy, and never pick it up or call to ask if it's ready. - Violet S.

100. Working in a hospital that doesn't allow pharmacists to use their cell phones, but the nurses have their cell phones on standby in their pockets ready to be used.

99. Having certain regulatory agencies require we do A, B, C, D,…,etc. At the same time, our reimbursements continue to shrink.

98. Trying to get the desiccant and cotton out of the bottles with tiny necks. - P. Manchester

97. Having to talk to a doctor when he has me on speakerphone, and I have to keep asking him to repeat since I can't hear him clearly.

96. Being called a "farmist" or "druggist." - Jennifer Cushman

95. Working with practitioners who can't read and follow directions. I recently faxed a refill authorization to a PA with instructions at the top "please sign and fax back." Three days went by. The customer finally came back and I explained to her the situation. I called the clinic and spoke with the PA. He totally ignored the fact that the request originated from my pharmacy and had the prescriptions called into my competitor.

94. Dealing with insurance companies who outsource their help desk to other countries, giving you to deal with a rep who barely speaks English and cannot do anything but read through a script they are given. - Cynthia Potts

93. Counseling a patient on specific questions they asked, but their cell phone rings and they walk away from you. When they return and want your attention back, they get upset because you won't hop-to.

92. Dealing with public expectation that we are supposed to provide medical advice over the phone, while the ER will not.

91. Calling a physician's office and being put on hold for 10 minutes, but if a pharmacy lets them wait for 30 seconds when they call, then there are all kinds of complaints and threats about calling district or corporate offices. - M. Defeo

90. Trying to trust, follow, and work for incompetent, nonmedically educated corporate "administrators" who haven't a clue how to achieve patient safety or a safe, professional work environment.

89. Working with patients who get their prescriptions filled and then present their insurance card as if it were a credit card to be used in paying for their medicine. - Frank Bodnar

88. Having a relief pharmacist come for a period of time when I'm on vacation and not marking the open bottle with the Sharpie sitting in front of them. This results in me thinking I have enough of a drug, but actually don't.

87. Allowing anyone in a physician's office to call in Rxs and also authorizing refills without checking.

86. Dealing with a senior who proceeded to step over another senior having a fatal heart attack and asking how long the wait was going to be. When he was told a man was dying on the floor, he stated that he was in a hurry and couldn't wait long. - Lauren Micciantuono

85. Having Medicaid recipients complain over a $1 to $2 copay and then seeing them in the store buying a $4 pack of cigarettes and a Big Gulp. - David Randolph

84. Dealing with those $30 coupons for new/transferred prescriptions. They are unsafe because patients are filling whatever they can wherever they can, and we are supposed to give good customer service to keep people coming back when we can’t keep up with the demand of all the coupons coming in to our understaffed pharmacies.

83. Working with a patient that starts a conversation with the pharmacist saying, "I know you are not a doctor, but can you help me…. - Rick Hansen

82. Filling government-sponsored prescriptions and while counseling I get to admire their $50,000+ vehicle.

81. Dealing with a patient that asks your advice on a product and you give it, and then they disagree with you and buy something else. - Wendy Ziolkowski-Hagwood

80. Wondering how we as pharmacists are expected to counsel appropriately when we are often not told the diagnosis of the prescription we are dispensing. - Larry Kneller

79. Dealing with emergency room physicians who sign their name on the prescription and leave a mystery as to what their name is.

78. Trying to comprehend pharmacy leaders’ apparent lack of recognition or unwillingness to attack one of the primary problems in retail pharmacy - inadequate staffing.

77. Dealing with Medicaid patients who think they should get everything for free and blow their tops when we tell them something is not covered. - Kristopher Olson

76. Encountering smokers using the drive-thru for convenience and nonchalantly blowing cigarette smoke in the window, thereby polluting your workspace air. - Arnold Yosten

75. Trying to understand the public perception of retail pharmacists and pharmacy operations in general. An alarming number of people have no idea what really is going on behind the counter in a pharmacy, and some have no idea who the pharmacist is, thinking everyone working in the store is a pharmacist without any appreciation of the training that the actual pharmacist must complete. - Don Gudenas

74. Dealing with a customer who said, "If all it takes to fill my prescription is to count out the pills and put them in the vial, then I can do that myself." - Sue McDonald

73. Working with patients who moved all their prescriptions to mail order and come back demanding a week's supply (at a discounted rate, of course) because their scripts are "in the mail." - Tom Stewart

72. Having customers call in for a refill on a Friday afternoon for a prescription that doesn't have refills and then come in Saturday morning to see if the doctor called back.

71. Dealing with the rude and obnoxious physician's office assistant who thinks that she has the authority to determine whether a patient needs or doesn't need their medications. - Mary Raptis-Garcia

70. Having to pay $78 out of my own pocket for that "background criminal check." What am I a common criminal, or is it the government that's criminal here in holding me up in broad daylight against my will and robbing me of my hard earned wages? - Steven Neiger

69. Explaining to the customer that you have to call the doctor for a refill authorization and they say, "I don't know why the doctor doesn't write for unlimited refills when I have to be on this medication for the rest of my life." - Temetra Washington

68. Having the patient drop off a prescription with 14 different insurance cards. When asking the patient which card is the current one, they respond, "I don't know, can't you find out?" Then, say they need to have it ready in a few minutes. - Debbie

67. istening to all the "know-it alls" about MTM who think they have the perfect program. - Stanley Devine

66. Dealing with a patient who comes into the pharmacy to a fill a prescription they got from another pharmacy a couple of days ago and wonder why the insurance is declining to pay. - Keasha M.

65. Working with chains that buy a computer system designed by techies without pharmacist input or understanding of pharmacists' needs in dispensing. - Jackie Nussbaum

64. Dealing with customers who actually have the nerve to call our pharmacy from the drive through to ask what's taking so long with the car in front of them. - Rukiya Roberson

63. Being informed by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General that after 35 years of practice, I and every pharmacist in the state will need to undergo a criminal background check and fingerprints or my pharmacist license will be suspended until I comply. Let them start with the attorneys and state assembly first. - Rob Share

62. Having a doctor write for milligram strength along with a fraction of a tablet (eg, atenolol 50 mg, ½ of tablet). Please just write for the milligram strength and avoid a call the clarify a possible under/over dose. - John LeGrand

61. Dealing with all the cough and cold remedies (both OTC and Rx) that change formulations without changing the name and believe the doctors know that they have changed. - Roger A. Riesberg

60. Having to answer more questions about why the copay is what it is, instead of questions regarding proper use of medications - Paul W.

59. Dealing with customers who drop off their script at the in-window and walk right over to the pick-up window. Come on now, even McDonald's isn't that fast.

58. Encountering pharmacists who only use PharmD after their name on any type of correspondence. PharmD simply means that you have graduated with this degree. It doesn't mean you're a licensed pharmacist - RPh. Use the initials, but use them properly. - Carey Bridges

57. Handling patients that call with needs that should be addressed by their doctor. Yet, they won't call the doctor because he or she is too busy and doesn't listen, for example, to a chronic pain patient whose pain is poorly controlled or an individual having an allergic reaction to a bee sting. - Nina Menart

56. Dealing with mandates from our "Big Boy" congressman in Washington, DC in a health care system that they themselves do not participate in the same we do.

55. Being able to read everything on the prescription except who wrote it. The patient doesn't remember and it's not printed on the form. Are we supposed to know everyone's illegible signature just because they now can write prescriptions? - Ronnie LeBlanc

54. Dealing with patients who bring in letters from their insurance company that tell them of the great savings they could get if they switch their brand prescription to its new "first-time" generic alternative, then finding out, from us pharmacists, that the generic wasn't even approved yet and probably still has months to go before its final approval.

53. Having college students (and/or their parents) not follow up with the insurance requirements that prove they're a full-time student. - Susan B.

52. Being told by the patient that the doctor would like us to call for a new Rx (rather than the doctor calling us) only to call and have the receptionist ask for our phone number to call us back with the Rx.

51. Dealing with drug representatives that come in and hand out inane gifts that are useless in the pharmacy setting. Instead of pens and/or Post-it Notes that we can really use, they give us a Frisbee. - Lucy Wilton

50. Dealing with a patient who brings in a prescription from the emergency room and asks when to start on the medication. Was I there during the diagnosis? - Dennis Lund

49. Dealing with people that question the price of their medication after you've completed the transaction at the register. - Karen Aultz

48. Working in a hospital with doctors and nurses who call up yelling about not getting a medication, when either they didn't bother scanning down the order, or answer their beeper because they didn't give a complete order.

47. Dealing with a customer who tells you that the front register is really backed up and asks, "Can I check out here, you don't look busy?" - Paul C

46. Having to call the PBM to resolve a drug-drug interaction that our computer has already flagged. - Kay

45. Trying to understand doctors/nurses/aides that call in and leave Rxs on voicemail, rattle off the name of the patient and the Rx, and don’t realize that we don’t necessarily know who their patient is unless they give us a phone number or date of birth to cross reference store files.

45. Trying to understand doctors/nurses/aides that call in and leave Rxs on voicemail, rattle off the name of the patient and the Rx, and don’t realize that we don’t necessarily know who their patient is unless they give us a phone number or date of birth to cross reference store files.

44. Filling prescriptions and having a customer standing in front of me staring at me. As soon as I give eye contact, they stretch up and over the vitamins and hand me an Rx instead of dropping it off at the drop off section. - D.S.

44. Filling prescriptions and having a customer standing in front of me staring at me. As soon as I give eye contact, they stretch up and over the vitamins and hand me an Rx instead of dropping it off at the drop off section. - D.S.

43. Dealing with patients who try to resolve difficult billing issues, such as Workmen’s Compensation, while they sit in their cars at the drive through window.

43. Dealing with patients who try to resolve difficult billing issues, such as Workmen’s Compensation, while they sit in their cars at the drive through window.

42. Trying to comprehend the lack of medical knowledge by some of the "key punchers" that are hired to resolve questions of prior approval. - Katherine Willson

42. Trying to comprehend the lack of medical knowledge by some of the "key punchers" that are hired to resolve questions of prior approval. - Katherine Willson

41. Dealing with patients who have their prescriptions filled at another pharmacy and then call you for advice on how to take the medication, what the side effects are, and how to store the medication. - Richard Erickson

41. Dealing with patients who have their prescriptions filled at another pharmacy and then call you for advice on how to take the medication, what the side effects are, and how to store the medication. - Richard Erickson

40. Encountering patients who think it's your job to call their insurance company to figure out why their ID is no longer valid. - Jill Ponce

39. Having to spend hundreds of dollars stocking the new and improved version of yesterday’s blockbuster drugs just because the manufacturer is protecting itself from profit losses due to patent expirations.

38. Dealing with patients who call in to tell me that they have ordered their medication from the Internet, but the pills don’t look like they normally do. Then they want me to help them figure out what it is they really got. Of course, these have come from a foreign country, and the shape and markings don’t match anything we have in the United States. - Shawna Beaver

37. Having nonpharmacists as pharmacy district managers.

36. Dealing with a patient who insists that we are in cahoots with the insurance company that has set the high copay and deductible for the medication. - L. Buckles

35. Going to the shelf to get the drugs and there are only 1 or 2 tablets left in the stock bottle.

34. Picking up prescriptions that were dropped off last month.

33. Dealing with non-English speaking immigrants who present a prescription from the local free clinic bearing a handwritten note from the prescriber that reads, "Directions in Spanish only, please." Needless to say, the Spanish directions are not given, and the assumption is that all pharmacies are equipped to and responsible for providing translation services. - D. Lowery

32. Dealing with insurance companies who tell people to ask their pharmacist for a few days supply of medication while the insurance company takes its time issuing ID cards. - Hank Wretzel

31. Trying to comprehend the total lack of understanding by prescribers on the importance of communicating actual prescriptions to the patient's pharmacy when a patient leaves a long-term care facility and goes back to their independent or assisted living situation. - Marc Yanow

30. Dealing with governors, senators, and members of Congress who say they're helping their constituents by promoting drugs from Canada. - Norman Noffsinger

29. Trying to understand drug manufacturers that send warning notices to pharmacies saying we should be more careful dispensing their look-alike-name drug. They should be more careful coming up with the name in the first place. - Joe Jeffries

28. Explaining a patient's benefits because the information provided by the PBMs is not clear, or the employer hasn't provided it to the employee. - Scott Himler

27. Handling inpatient doctors who wait until 3 minutes before the pharmacy closes to start making changes. - Teri Blue-Undem

26. Dealing with spouses or significant others who come in with a prescription and don't have the insurance card, don't know who wrote the prescription or why, and can't even come up with a correct birth date for the patient. - K. Carney

25. Dealing with not being able to purchase drugs at the same prices as mail-order companies. - W.F. Ott

24. Using insurance cards in general with all their codes, numbers, and various names, most of which don't apply to actually getting the prescription filled in a timely manner. - Raymond Fraedrich

23. Having a patient call to get refills on "everything," just to have them call back after they've picked them up, wanting a refund on one the doctor had "taken them off of last week." - Michelle Scott

22. Trying to comprehend why state boards of pharmacy and/or state labor departments don't have the intestinal fortitude to mandate a paid lunch break for pharmacists of at least a half hour away from the pharmacy. - Wayne Schmad

21. Dealing with people who call to ask what the little blue pill is supposed to do. They provide no prescription number, no tablet number, and it wasn't filled in your pharmacy. - Shirley Ford

20. Having it always be our fault when a patient's insurance company adjudicates with a higher copay than the patient paid the last time. Never mind that the last time was months ago or their formulary has changed since the last time. - Charlee Mong

19. Filling a prescription for a patient who drops off a new prescription during a very busy period and is astonished when you tell them they have to wait. They then exclaim, "All you have to do is slap a label on it." - Julia Rivera

18. Answering the phone when a patient tells you, "I just talked to my doctor's office about getting a prescription for a medication that my doctor and I had previously talked about. The doctor's office told me to call my pharmacy and have them fax a request to their office." - Felicia Huckaba

17. Handling patients who call the pharmacy super hot under the collar, ask you a question, and then when you finally figure out what they are asking, they answer their own question. - Mindy J. Davis

16. Dealing with people who are too lazy to find out the correct day's supply on "as directed" blood glucose test strip prescriptions. - Steve Bristow

15. Handling patients who are surprised when you tell them it is too early (again) for a refill on their controlled substance, and they say, "Well it shouldn't be" - Shaun Wheeler

14. Manning the drive-thru when patients want to return things like crutches, which of course don't fit in the drawer - Maria Rose

13. Dealing with patients for whom, no matter what you do for them, the bottom line is money. Customer loyalty goes out the window when patients think they can save a penny. - Karen Rhodes

12. Fixing prescription labels prepared by "techs” in which a capsule is referred to as a tablet or the reverse. This just requires more time to have the label corrected, which must be done. - Earl R. Henderson

11. Submitting a claim for a product that has to be prior approved by a PBM, and the insurance company virtually never calls us to let us know it is approved, or, if they do, it is at least 48 hours after the fact - Joe Williams

10. Offering patient counseling when 98% of the patients want to talk about how much the drug costs - Jamie Huff

9. Handling patients who come in on a Saturday with no medication and are out of refills - Julie Strahl

8. Filling prescriptions for patients who order a refill, then have the prescription transferred to another pharmacy without picking up their refill - Mel Kottwitz

7. Dealing with patients who will not get off their cell phone when you are trying to counsel them, or even just checking to make sure they are the correct patient - Paula Lukas

6. Trying to comprehend insurance plans that only allow one refill of a chronic medication and then require mail order for their clients (our patients) - Barry Fidler

5. Wading through paperwork from Medicare Part D plan providers because each plan is different

4. Trying to reach physicians who refuse to take calls from pharmacists

3. Dealing with patients who want their prescriptions filled in 45 seconds flat

2. Having to call physicians to translate illegible prescriptions

1. Spending so much time on the phone with PBMs