Hot on the heels of Walmart’s mail pharmacy announcement, the National Association of Community Pharmacists (NCPA) issued a statement highlighting the purported dangers of using any type of mail pharmacy: Despite Wal-Mart's Assertion, New Mail Order Program Will Not Benefit Patients.But at the risk of further annoying the irate independent pharmacists who post comments on this blog, I regret to inform you (and NCPA) that the facts do not show mail pharmacy to be an inconvenient, patient-killing scam.
I CAN’T GET NO…
NCPA, which represents owners of independent pharmacies, makes some pretty over-the-top claims about a dispensing channel (mail) that makes up more than one-fifth of the U.S. market.
Fans of hyperbole will LOVE LOVE LOVE this press release!!!
Here’s a small sample from NCPA’s press release:
"Deliveries can be delayed, sent to the wrong address, or damaged. Patients consistently complain to community pharmacists about having to do without their medication due to late mail order delivery. In addition, when bulk supplies are ordered, patients can wind up with an excessive amount of medications if any changes occur to what their doctor prescribes. All of those aforementioned scenarios occur under mail order—just ask patients who use the other large mail order companies like CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, and Medco Health Solutions.” (emphasis added)Actually, somebody did ask patients.
SATISFACTION
The 2008 Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmacy Satisfaction Digest summarizes detailed survey responses from 34,454 consumers.
Page 46 presents the following results. Notice the first and third items on the list. (Click to enlarge.)
‘nuff said.---
To my fellow readers who will be welcoming 5770: L'Shana Tovah!
