CVS Prescription Filling Rates Put Patients' Health at Risk, Study Finds
An audit of North Carolina Pharmacy Board records from the last decade has revealed a troubling trend at CVS pharmacies in the state. Of all the chains investigated by the Board, CVS had the highest number of prescription errors in which the Board found the pharmacist was so busy the chain put patients at risk.With company-set goals to fill hundreds of prescriptions each day - sometimes more than state guidelines allow - CVS pharmacists may work at rates that put patient health at risk. The NC Pharmacy Board examines pharmacy workloads whenever a patient reports receiving incorrect medication. In the past ten years, the Board found that CVS pharmacists made more errors attributable to workload than pharmacists at any other chain.
But the pharmacists are not to blame - it's CVS company policy that
drives pharmacists to work faster, despite the obvious risk this poses
to patient health. Staff Pharmacists and their Team Leaders are given
bonuses based on how many prescriptions their pharmacy fills, and
prescription statistics for every pharmacy are closely monitored by the
company. In-store computers also track whether each prescription is
completed within a set fill time, and missing these deadlines impacts
incentive-based pay. Nothing about these practices encourages
pharmacists to take more time with customers or rewards them for
accuracy.
Such policies not only degrade quality of care for pharmacy patients, they can also result in devastating medication mistakes. CVS executives are focused on increasing the company's bottom line, but it's CVS's patients who ultimately pay the price for such practices.
Data shows CVS has most medication mistakes [WCNC-TV (N.C.)]
Such policies not only degrade quality of care for pharmacy patients, they can also result in devastating medication mistakes. CVS executives are focused on increasing the company's bottom line, but it's CVS's patients who ultimately pay the price for such practices.
Data shows CVS has most medication mistakes [WCNC-TV (N.C.)]
My name is Ray Funatsu and I've been a pharmacist since 1963. In '74 I started working as a manager with Sav-on until '94; that's when I stepped down because it got to be a little too much. I worked until 2000 and retired and now I'm on-call.
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