The quality of the service is a function of time and money.
Some employers set high numbers of "fills per hour" for the pharmacists.
The more fills, the fewer pharm techs, the more often mistakes are made.
In addition, "modern" pharmacy employees are expected to administer injections.
It takes extra training, some are better than others, and it takes time.
The real money is made with mail-order RX in 90 day supplies.
Machines do the work, and they make far fewer mistakes.
The days of the family pharmacy are long gone ... computers killed them.
Retail pharmacy has a built-in "fudge factor" that can no longer be hidden.
Every contract contains mechanisms for auditing individual outlets ... no way to hide it. .
Here's how it used to work: A prescription was filled, and a paper form was submitted.
The 4-part forms went to insurance carriers, or the government, as soon as they're filled.
However ... there's a
certain percentage of prescriptions that
never get picked up.
The pills just sit there in the bottle, labeled, with instructions, on the shelf.
If the patient forgets, or is cured and doesn't need the drugs, that's fine.
Or, if the patient dies, and no longer needs the drugs, that's also fine.
Why?
Because the pills went back into their original large container, and were sold again!
Sold to patients who paid full price, since far fewer patients were uninsured back in the day.
That little hustle went the way of the Dodo ... just like the soda fountains that they subsidized.
I realize it is an odd duck... But I use a family pharmacy that was founded in my town in 1956.... My Grandfather sold the founder land for him to build his home for his family, when I founded the Pharmacy...... They have evolved and found ways to be something the corporate Pharmacies are not... They also added Brandon Brace, selling wheelchairs, walkers, crutches and all sorts of durable medical equipment..... They compound, they offer herbal supplements and vitamins......
They have great hours... Not walmart hours.. But like 8:30 -7:00 Monday through Friday..... 8:30 -5:00 on saturdays.They have four cash registers and they are always all open.. They have two drive up spots and they offer delivery at no extra charge..... IF you walk in from a walk in with a script, if you wait ten minutes it is a long time....... When I go to my Primary Doctor, My hematologist, my Pulminologist, sends in a script.... This Pharmacy is on the way home... I almost always get a text before I get there.... They have managed to evolve... And do high volume but still have the same feel as they did when I was a little kid in the early 1970's and was sick and we left the doctor with prescriptions..... And Bill was the primary pharmacist..... And he would come out from behind the counter and ask me what flavor I wanted for my medications.... And then pull a full size tootsie pop out of his vest pocket......
Not everyone can use them... Because some insurances mandate to go to this pharmacy or that pharmacy.... My wife works for a major medical insurance carrier.... She has to get her scripts from CVS.....These folks are less than 50 yards from a Walgreens, about 100 yards from a CVS.... A Walmart, a Publix, etc...
Somehow they make it work and do better.... I even if my insurance would not allow them... I would probably still use them... unless I got on some crazy medication.https://www.bills-pills.com/