http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,5604990.story
Summary: CVS is under investigation for refilling prescriptions without the consent of customers. Apparently pharmacists have prescription quotas to meet and have, in some instances, been encouraged to improperly refill medications without customer consent.
In one instance, Pharmacists were told to make their quotas or face "major personnel changes".
Apparently the major intent behind the quotas/push for prescriptions stems from the fact that, as soon as a refill is processed, CVS gets to bill insurers for it. Then, if a customer tries to get that same refill done at a different pharmacy (because CVS never told them it was filled), they are denied and must then fight with their insurance company to get the issue straightened out.
The official response from CVS is that employees are "never directed to refill prescriptions without customer consent". They also categorically deny any quotas exist.
.......
I posted a thread on CS awhile back discussing at length, the way businesses put way too much focus on certain metrics and let employees know meeting them is critical...if they want to stay employed. Thus, employees result to all sorts of questionable means to make their numbers. This can include tactics that are unethical or illegal or both.
This particular case makes me REALLY upset because we aren't talking about extended warranties or store credit cards, we're talking about medicines. You know, those things that some people NEED TO LIVE?
Imagine that you need a medication that helps you manage a chronic condition and your pharmacy tells you they have to charge you full price for it because your insurer denied their claim. Perplexed, you call your insurer and find out CVS filled it. That means you can either go to CVS to get your medication or have them cancel the claim so you can get it elsewhere.
This whole process can sometimes take days. Sometimes it only takes a few days without a critical medication to put a person in a very precarious situation.
And so we have a company CVS, playing games with peoples lives in the relentless pursuit of profits.
I hope there are serious repercussions for this.
Summary: CVS is under investigation for refilling prescriptions without the consent of customers. Apparently pharmacists have prescription quotas to meet and have, in some instances, been encouraged to improperly refill medications without customer consent.
In one instance, Pharmacists were told to make their quotas or face "major personnel changes".
Apparently the major intent behind the quotas/push for prescriptions stems from the fact that, as soon as a refill is processed, CVS gets to bill insurers for it. Then, if a customer tries to get that same refill done at a different pharmacy (because CVS never told them it was filled), they are denied and must then fight with their insurance company to get the issue straightened out.
The official response from CVS is that employees are "never directed to refill prescriptions without customer consent". They also categorically deny any quotas exist.
.......
I posted a thread on CS awhile back discussing at length, the way businesses put way too much focus on certain metrics and let employees know meeting them is critical...if they want to stay employed. Thus, employees result to all sorts of questionable means to make their numbers. This can include tactics that are unethical or illegal or both.
This particular case makes me REALLY upset because we aren't talking about extended warranties or store credit cards, we're talking about medicines. You know, those things that some people NEED TO LIVE?
Imagine that you need a medication that helps you manage a chronic condition and your pharmacy tells you they have to charge you full price for it because your insurer denied their claim. Perplexed, you call your insurer and find out CVS filled it. That means you can either go to CVS to get your medication or have them cancel the claim so you can get it elsewhere.
This whole process can sometimes take days. Sometimes it only takes a few days without a critical medication to put a person in a very precarious situation.
And so we have a company CVS, playing games with peoples lives in the relentless pursuit of profits.
I hope there are serious repercussions for this.
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