Action | Pharmacy working conditions |
Stage | Emergency/NOIRA |
Comment Period | Ended on 11/22/2023 |
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As a pharmacist in a very small community pharmacy, I can speak to what it is like to work a shift without time to slip to the bathroom let alone eat lunch.
My colleagues at larger pharmacies face a reality that is much worse. They are often timed while they fill prescriptions. They are forced to fill a certain number per hour or they are penalized through a corporate matrix. They are forced to meet unobtainable measures that add to their heavy workload, but don't really improve patient care, ie signing a certain number of customers up for the store coupon app.
Staffing at pharmacies has reached dangerously low levels. Often times when trying to contact neighboring pharmacies by phone, we are caught in the phone tree without anyone answering. Several stores in the area have been forced to close without notice, leaving prescriptions filled at the closed store and no way for patients to pick them up. Because the insurance company has already paid for the scipts, open stores are not able to fill the prescriptions and help patients.
These small changes would help pharmacists strive for the zero percent error rate that is necessary in our profession. Low PBM reimbursements have led to understaffing and terrible work environments that are breeding grounds for mistakes and burnout. These measures would work towards protecting not only pharmacists but most importantly patients.