State Capital Visit

[tinasmom]

Today we went to the state capital to ask our Senators and State Representatives to support a bill regarding anti-epileptic drug's. The bill ensures that before a pharmacist substitutes any drug product for treating epilepsy or for treating seizure disorders the pharmacist obtains and documents the consent of the prescribing practitioner and the patient. Also, if a pharmacist is dispensing a refill of an epilepsy drug, the bill also ensures the pharmacist will dispense the same drug product, from the same manufacturer that was previouslly dispensed, unless the pharmacist obtains and documents the consent of the prescribing practitioner. The Senator and representative that we spoke with are already backing this 100%. Let's hope this bill will pass as we all know how important this is.

[renee97]

I don't know (yet) what the policy is here in MN, but I will soon find out. I just heard today that one of our Mpls / St Paul TV news programs is going to air a segment on the best and worst medical providers. This should by eye-opening.
r97

[Bernard]

It definitely sounds like a worthy cause. I gather this is a state bill? If federal, what is the bill #?

[tinasmom]

This is a state bill. Hopefully Wisconsin will be the first to pass this bill and other states will follow. I have signed up to be notified of any activity with this bill. I will definitely keep you informed as I receive the information. Let's hope this goes all the way to the top!

[brain]

GO FOR IT!


Florida already had this bill passed
a long time ago. I think we were the
1st State to have it enforced.

They are pretty strict and rigid about
it down here. This applies to all meds,
not just anti-epileptic drug's.

I believe several States have this
bill in effect. Epilepsy Foundation has
or had the information of what States
had such Law in effect.

-----------------------------

Florida also encourages very strongly
for people to use the same Pharmacy
insomuch where the Pharmacy has
their client's Doctor's names and
telephone numbers and likewise their
Doctors have their Pharmacy numbers
in turn. They are very much in tune
with each other.


------------------------------

My own Pharmacy has everything
about me on their database, including
what is generic and what is D.A.W.
(Dispense As Written), and sometimes
my Doctors or ARNP forgets to write
D.A.W. down - my Pharmacy can go
on override or contact the office and
notify them. Now my Pharmacy knows
me so well I appreciate them dearly!

[BuckeyeFan]

Ohio has a similar issue in progress right now. I find it unimaginable that anyone in the medical field would support the indiscriminate exchange of any medication. My first reaction to this issue was that a pharmacist is not licensed to write a script, how the heck should they be allowed to alter one???
That's the Corporate America.

[speber]

BIG PHARMA?

...or was it just the 'breakthrough seizures' talking?

[brain]

Ohio has a similar issue in progress right now. I find it unimaginable that anyone in the medical field would support the indiscriminate exchange of any medication. My first reaction to this issue was that a pharmacist is not licensed to write a script, how the heck should they be allowed to alter one???
That's the Corporate America.

OK - let me clarify a little more clearly for example: (this is a fact and had
actually happened - although Eckerds is defunct)

I ended up in the ER, and the ER wrote up two scripts, since I was
in so much pain - I didn't pay too much attention to what was written
out (I should had in the ER), I just wanted to go to Eckerds and get the
prescriptions and head home.

Well, my (ex)husband drove me over to the 24 hour Eckerds and I went in
(you would figure he would go in?) and it was a very long walk all the way to
the back of the store, felt like 20 miles away. But once I turned in the scripts
over; the Pharmacist who knew me, got a little suspicious about them -
he had me seated on his lounge chair in his office (more comfortable)
than those benches on the outside where everyone else waits.

While he rang up on the computerdatabase, both scripts rang up a
*WARNINGS*: 1) I couldn't take either one due to conflict with anti-epileptic drug
(Dilantin) and 2) I couldn't take either one of them due to allergies

He then got a hold of the Hospital and spoke with the ER Doctor and
he was not cooperative at all. He then proceeded with the Hospital
Administrator (the next level up), and the Administrator couldn't be
reached. He then had to page my Doctor - my Doctor had to rely on
the Pharmacist on what the historical database revealed.

Since I was at a Hospital that my Doctor isn't affiliated with and was
too far away, one of the script was a narcotic and the other was an
anti-inflammatory. Under the Florida Law, the Pharmacist can go on
override by submitting the info, and then submit the client history
info, and then what my Doctor's recommendation, and he himself
filled the prescription via override and states the classification
per the reason for override.

It takes awhile to process, for the State has to approve or reject.
I've never been rejected when they've had to perform overrides the
longer you've been an established client with the Pharmacy, and in
the event of any overrides occur; the shorter your wait. If a client
has too many Pharmacies or doesn't have any established Pharmacy
history - they will most likely face rejection or a longer wait for their
medication(s), or sometimes will have to see their own PCP the next
morning to pick up the correct script(s). (** I've only had to face
overrides maybe 5-6 times in my entire life due to carelessness from
the ER Dept. But only once from my Doctor's Office because they were
in a rush and were behind, but it was no big problem **)

Once this issue was resolved and approved, my medications were ready
and on top of it, my Doctor had already informed the Pharmacist of
what time for me to come in his office the next morning as he was going
to squeeze me in and was going to call that ER to have all info faxed to his
office after they had hung up. The Pharmacist himself instructed me to
take this 4 hours AFTER or BEFORE I take the Dilantin - and not together.
He had actually took the time on a notebook paper to write a schedule
down for me with the times of when I take what.

Even telling me if the painkiller was too strong, I could cut it in half and
take half of the dosage - but always with food.