quote:

I remind them I can always go with mail order prescriptions that come to my door.

Only way I'll get my scripts. Copays are much less and I get a 90 day supply instead of 30. I don't have to do a thing. I can use the auto refill or manually order them.

To the OP, I spent 15 years in retail pharmacy, my last 6 as a pharmacy manager. I’ve been out of retail for 2 years now, but I do remember seeing insurance companies becoming more strict about the refills of maintenance meds. They would track and keep a rolling 6 month tally of fills. When the seventh month came up, if based on their calculations you’ve filled too many times, they will deny the fill. Again, it’s been 2 years, but I bet the insurance companies are still doing this. Having said that, the pharmacist should have gone to bat for you and at the very least, given you a better explanation. Even if it means calling the insurance and spending time on the phone with them. Too many nowadays don’t want to take that extra step.

quote:

Originally posted by Erick85:
To the OP, I spent 15 years in retail pharmacy, my last 6 as a pharmacy manager. I’ve been out of retail for 2 years now, but I do remember seeing insurance companies becoming more strict about the refills of maintenance meds. They would track and keep a rolling 6 month tally of fills. When the seventh month came up, if based on their calculations you’ve filled too many times, they will deny the fill. Again, it’s been 2 years, but I bet the insurance companies are still doing this. Having said that, the pharmacist should have gone to bat for you and at the very least, given you a better explanation. Even if it means calling the insurance and spending time on the phone with them. Too many nowadays don’t want to take that extra step.

The problem is not the insurance company, it’s all on Kroger, their flawed notification system and the manager with her lame excuses and solution, that I should call in after I get a notification to make sure that I can pick them up.

And as a P.S. after I spoke to her personally and let her hear the voicemails that she denied that I received, getting a automated call saying that a prescription was ready to pickup. That was just over an hour after I was in front of her in the store, one that was supposed to be included in the first group that was refilled but wasn’t for whatever reason. That was on Sunday morning.

She stumbled all over herself with explanations and excuses and told me over and over again that I could pick this one up immediately. I got pissed and said “you think all I have or want to do is making multiple trips to the store to get bad information and pick up one prescription at a time?”

This message has been edited. Last edited by: shovelhead,

I quit Krogers several years ago & use the nearest Walmart. Walmart is not always the lowest ($4 instead of $0 at Publix for an ear med my wife uses), but is consistant on pricing lower on most meds.

After a couple of bad incidents I no longer have my doctor transmit my prescription directly to the pharmacy.

I ask him for hard copy on paper, and I shop for cost and service.

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Originally posted by V-Tail:
<snip>
As with many stores, the quality of service will vary greatly with the staff.
<snip>

Yep, that’s the nub of it.

Kroger stores are named “Ralph’s” here in California. The pharmacy of the Ralph’s that I visit weekly is excellent. And it has the best tie-in (lowest cost) with my UHC Plan N medical insurance of any pharmacy in my neighborhood.

Love Express Scripts

quote:

Love Express Scripts

They work great for us.

Every time I tried Walmart's pharmacy I'd get annoyed. Every time I tried Walgreens, I'd get bent over the counter.

*UPDATE*

No response from Kroger to my email.

I went in Thursday to pick up my meds first checking to see if the manager was on duty or not. She was not. That was a plus, I would have left and came back at another time rather than deal with her.

Pharmacist on duty was helpful, in fact she used her phone to access GoodRX to save me about $40 on one prescription as my insurance company presently will not pay for it and the online coupon was cheaper than using the GoodRX card.

I think that Tigereye hit the nail on the head and you received a combination of terrible customer service along with an auto-refill system that sends out notifications before the scripts have been processed through the insurance company.

The auto-refill program reminder system says its time for you to pick up your scripts and calls you but when the prescriptions are being processed the insurance company comes back with a "too early" flag and won't authorize it.

Auto-refill programs are notorious for being programmed to send you another 90 day supply at around day 70. The insurance companies have figured this out and will not allow the script to be filled early. The Oregon board of pharmacy passed rules about auto-refill systems 3 or 4 years ago because of complaints from patients about getting scripts they didn't want and never asked for.

Call the store manager and ask for the phone number for his Kroger KMA director of pharmacy. He should be able to give this to you. I believe the response you get from the DOP will be the exact opposite of what you got from the pharmacy manager.

Many pharmacists don't want all the added aggravation that comes with being the pharmacy manager for the slight difference in pay so the company ends up promoting people who aren't right for the job.