jmcquown > wrote:

>They didn't even have a discharge pharmacy. The doctor insisted I get this
>prescription filled and the nurse told me to fill it on my way out. The
>doctor said "I wish they'd stop telling people to do that. We don't have a
>pharmacy anymore." Huh?

Are you sure it's classified as a "hospital" and not some lower
level of unit (e.g. surgical clinic)?

There are categories of places where surgery is performed but do have
pharmacies, ER's, intensive care units, etc. I understand this is
becoming more common.


Steve

Dave Smith wrote:
>
> I went to the corner bakery/coffee/ gift shop this morning for a coffee
> and a muffin, as I do several days each week. They have great coffee
> and good muffins, but they are not known for speed, and I am not usually
> in a hurry.
>
> When I went up to the counter there were two women ahead of me and two
> other women, a older woman and her daughter <?>, were walking around
> looking at the gift items. The girl at the counter was making up some
> special teas, which I assumed were for the women ahead of me at the
> counter.
>
> As it turned out, when the teas were finally ready, they were for the
> mother daughter who are wandering around, so we had to wait while they
> slowly returned to the counter. The counter girl asked if they wanted
> anything else. Mother said of course and ordered a brownie. The daughter
> is hemming and hawing and, after her mother pressed her to hurry,
> decided she wanted a sandwich. Despite there being a menu mounted on the
> wall that she could have been looking at while the girl was making their
> teas, she has to asked what kind of sandwiches there are.

It's good that our thoughts are not automatically transformed into
reality. Was anyone in line besides you? (I may find the answer
as I read this thread, in which case you may ignore that question.)

--
Jean B.

On Sun, 6 Nov 2011 08:49:12 -0500, "jmcquown" >
wrote:
>
> "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
> ...
> > On Sat, 05 Nov 2011 16:11:09 -0700, sf > wrote:
> >
> >>On Sat, 5 Nov 2011 18:53:05 -0400, "jmcquown" >
> >>wrote:
> >>
> >>> What happened to the days when hospitals had pharmacies?
> >>
> >>You must be in a red state. My hospital has a pharmacy.
> >
> > Every hospital has a pharmacy. They won't sell you drugs though. Of
> > the six or so hospitals I'm familiar with you won't get an aspirin
> > unless you are an in-patient. (that is in two blue states too)
>
>
> Exactly! The hospitals dispense drugs to in-patients. Not to patients who
> have checked out of the facility. For those you have to go to a drug store
> or other places that have pharmacies.
>
Not here. There's also a better patient to nurse ratio here, because
of *union* contracts. Let your rights go slowly so big business can
make even more money and you get. No service. The South will be one
big Walmart soon.

--
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.

In article >,
"jmcquown" > wrote:

> "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
> ...
> > On Sat, 05 Nov 2011 16:11:09 -0700, sf > wrote:
> >
> >>On Sat, 5 Nov 2011 18:53:05 -0400, "jmcquown" >
> >>wrote:
> >>
> >>> What happened to the days when hospitals had pharmacies?
> >>
> >>You must be in a red state. My hospital has a pharmacy.
> >
> > Every hospital has a pharmacy. They won't sell you drugs though. Of
> > the six or so hospitals I'm familiar with you won't get an aspirin
> > unless you are an in-patient. (that is in two blue states too)
>
>
> Exactly! The hospitals dispense drugs to in-patients. Not to patients who
> have checked out of the facility. For those you have to go to a drug store
> or other places that have pharmacies.

Seems a little odd to me, but I'm sure there's a reason. Nearly
everybody who leaves a hospital needs drugs, at least that's my
experience. Why not pick them up at the hospital? When it's time to
leave the hospital, my wife is there to give me a ride, so she actually
goes down to the pharmacy.

I've belonged to the same HMO for 40 years. They have hospitals,
clinics, pharmacies and labs. They have doctors, other medical folks
and support people. It's all very easy and streamlined. I present my
card, they swipe it, I pay any copay and I'm on my way. There is almost
no billing.

And yes, I can get an aspirin (or a bandaid) at any Kaiser pharmacy, at
a pretty good price (but not as cheap as Costco). In fact, I was at my
local (3 miles away) Kaiser pharmacy just this week to pick up a
prescription and some alcohol wipes, and as I was waiting in line I saw
a tub of aspirin bottles. They were the baby aspirin for adults, 81mg
coated tablets. Looked like a good price.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

In article >,
sf > wrote:

> On Sun, 6 Nov 2011 08:49:12 -0500, "jmcquown" >
> wrote:
> >
> > "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > On Sat, 05 Nov 2011 16:11:09 -0700, sf > wrote:
> > >
> > >>On Sat, 5 Nov 2011 18:53:05 -0400, "jmcquown" >
> > >>wrote:
> > >>
> > >>> What happened to the days when hospitals had pharmacies?
> > >>
> > >>You must be in a red state. My hospital has a pharmacy.
> > >
> > > Every hospital has a pharmacy. They won't sell you drugs though. Of
> > > the six or so hospitals I'm familiar with you won't get an aspirin
> > > unless you are an in-patient. (that is in two blue states too)
> >
> > Exactly! The hospitals dispense drugs to in-patients. Not to patients who
> > have checked out of the facility. For those you have to go to a drug store
> > or other places that have pharmacies.
> >
> Not here. There's also a better patient to nurse ratio here, because
> of *union* contracts.

It might well be the nursing unions that initiated this here in
California, but it's the *legislature* that implemented it, not union
contracts.

I'd be curious to hear what the nurses on this group have to say about
this.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

On Sun, 6 Nov 2011 16:00:23 +0000 (UTC), (Steve
Pope) wrote:

>jmcquown > wrote:
>
>>They didn't even have a discharge pharmacy. The doctor insisted I get this
>>prescription filled and the nurse told me to fill it on my way out. The
>>doctor said "I wish they'd stop telling people to do that. We don't have a
>>pharmacy anymore." Huh?
>
>Are you sure it's classified as a "hospital" and not some lower
>level of unit (e.g. surgical clinic)?
>
>There are categories of places where surgery is performed but do have
>pharmacies, ER's, intensive care units, etc. I understand this is
>becoming more common.

The only hospital I know of that dispenses meds to discharged patients
is the VA... naturally be prepared to spend all day... of course
they're free.... but many vets who qualify would rather pay at a
pharmacy rather than spend an entire day being hassled, and have to
find transportation to and from. I used to bring my uncle to the VA
for his meds, what a ridiculous rigamerole; first I had to drive from
eastern LI to the rockways to pick him up, then all the way to the
Bronx VA. Then hunt for a parking spot in a huge crowded lot. Then
get on line to see his doctor, that was a hoot... could be almost
lunch time before he got the Rx. Then wait on line to turn it in at
the pharmacy, wasted another hour. Then we'd go to the cafeteria for
lunch, meanwhile the entire time watching one of the monitors for his
name to scroll that it was time to wait in the PU line. Took another
hour and had to hope the crazy doctor wrote the scrip correctly,
sometimes he didn't, that was a disaster. In the end I got him to pay
for his meds from a mail order pharmacy, was much easier and actually
cost no more than all the gas I bought taking him to the VA. Otherwise
many doctors who sign your discharge from a hospital will phone the Rx
to your pharmacy... nowadays many ERs and private doctors will send
the Rx to your pharmacy via internet... many MDs have the Rx App on
their iPhone. One of my doctors has his staff send the Rx to my local
pharmacy, by the time I drive there 30 minutes later my scrip is ready
for me to PU. Few doctors actually hand write an Rx anymore, they
have software on their PC that prints it out and maintains a record.
My mail order pharmacy either FAXs my doctor the renewal for his staff
to FAX back or mails me stickers for my doctor to paste onto his
scrip, sign, and either I mail it back or he does in the postage paid
envelope supplied. With printed scrips there is far less room for
error. I know that many years ago some County hospitals filled
scripts for indigents, perhaps in some states they still do (sf).

On 11/5/2011 6:54 PM, jmcquown wrote:

> Ah, then I misread and I apologize. My experience was it took forever
> just to stand in line to hand in the prescription. Then, of course, you
> had to wait to get it filled. I'd rather go to Walgreens or CVS, thank
> you.

If the prescribing doctor or dentist can't electronically submit a
prescription for me for some reason, I can fax a written prescription to
the pharmacy and they have it ready when I get it. I always use my
grocery store pharmacy and they often have very long lines, and the one
line is for both dropping off and retrieving. I just can't stand for
very long anymore without massive pain. By the time I get my
prescription I'm ready to pop a pain killer and sit down for a while.

On Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:50:12 -0500, Cheryl >
wrote:

> On 11/5/2011 6:54 PM, jmcquown wrote:
>
> > Ah, then I misread and I apologize. My experience was it took forever
> > just to stand in line to hand in the prescription. Then, of course, you
> > had to wait to get it filled. I'd rather go to Walgreens or CVS, thank
> > you.
>
> If the prescribing doctor or dentist can't electronically submit a
> prescription for me for some reason, I can fax a written prescription to
> the pharmacy and they have it ready when I get it. I always use my
> grocery store pharmacy and they often have very long lines, and the one
> line is for both dropping off and retrieving. I just can't stand for
> very long anymore without massive pain. By the time I get my
> prescription I'm ready to pop a pain killer and sit down for a while.

My HMO mails prescriptions via USPS. They encourage refilling by mail
because the co-pay is less and they don't charge a mail fee. I like
that, less standing in line for me.

--
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.

"Steve Pope" > wrote in message
...
> jmcquown > wrote:
>
>>They didn't even have a discharge pharmacy. The doctor insisted I get
>>this
>>prescription filled and the nurse told me to fill it on my way out. The
>>doctor said "I wish they'd stop telling people to do that. We don't have
>>a
>>pharmacy anymore." Huh?
>
> Are you sure it's classified as a "hospital" and not some lower
> level of unit (e.g. surgical clinic)?
>
> There are categories of places where surgery is performed but do have
> pharmacies, ER's, intensive care units, etc. I understand this is
> becoming more common.
>
>
> Steve
>

Trust me, it's a hospital. They inserted a drain in my back and I was there
for a week. They dispensed painkillers and antibiotics and fed me crappy
food. They had nurses waking me up at 3AM. I doubt you'd call that a
"clinic". They just don't let people come in as out-patients to have their
prescriptions filled. They expect you to go to drug stores for that.

Jill
Jill

jmcquown > wrote:

>"Steve Pope" > wrote in message

>> jmcquown > wrote:

>>>They didn't even have a discharge pharmacy. The doctor insisted I get
>>>this
>>>prescription filled and the nurse told me to fill it on my way out. The
>>>doctor said "I wish they'd stop telling people to do that. We don't have
>> Are you sure it's classified as a "hospital" and not some lower
>> level of unit (e.g. surgical clinic)?

>Trust me, it's a hospital. They inserted a drain in my back and I was there
>for a week. They dispensed painkillers and antibiotics and fed me crappy
>food. They had nurses waking me up at 3AM. I doubt you'd call that a
>"clinic". They just don't let people come in as out-patients to have their
>prescriptions filled. They expect you to go to drug stores for that.

Thanks. I think it's a little odd there's no discharge pharmacy
(by that I mean, one only for patients being discharged, not one
any out-patient can walk up to).


Steve

On Sun, 6 Nov 2011 16:09:59 -0500, "jmcquown" >
wrote:

> They dispensed painkillers and antibiotics and fed me crappy
> food. They had nurses waking me up at 3AM. I doubt you'd call that a
> "clinic".

What is it with hospitals and crappy food? Ugh. Being awakened in
the middle of the night and the crack of dawn isn't exactly restful
either. I have a hard enough time sleeping in the hospital and then
they wake me up just after I finally managed to get to sleep.

--
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.

On 06/11/2011 4:18 PM, Steve Pope wrote:
> > wrote:

>> Trust me, it's a hospital. They inserted a drain in my back and I was there
>> for a week. They dispensed painkillers and antibiotics and fed me crappy
>> food. They had nurses waking me up at 3AM. I doubt you'd call that a
>> "clinic". They just don't let people come in as out-patients to have their
>> prescriptions filled. They expect you to go to drug stores for that.
>
> Thanks. I think it's a little odd there's no discharge pharmacy
> (by that I mean, one only for patients being discharged, not one
> any out-patient can walk up to).
>
>

There are no pharmacies like that in hospitals around here. There are
usually 24 hour pharmacies close to the hospital where you can get a
prescription filled but the pharmacies in the hospital are for admitted
patients only. I am not ruling out an exception for psychiatric
patients, but believe it or not, I have no direct experience there.

On Sun, 06 Nov 2011 16:30:59 -0500, Dave Smith
> wrote:

> I am not ruling out an exception for psychiatric
> patients, but believe it or not, I have no direct experience there.

I'd call that very good luck considering what you retired from.

--
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.

On Sun, 06 Nov 2011 12:51:41 -0800, sf > wrote:

>On Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:50:12 -0500, Cheryl >
>wrote:
>
>> On 11/5/2011 6:54 PM, jmcquown wrote:
>>
>> > Ah, then I misread and I apologize. My experience was it took forever
>> > just to stand in line to hand in the prescription. Then, of course, you
>> > had to wait to get it filled. I'd rather go to Walgreens or CVS, thank
>> > you.
>>
>> If the prescribing doctor or dentist can't electronically submit a
>> prescription for me for some reason, I can fax a written prescription to
>> the pharmacy and they have it ready when I get it. I always use my
>> grocery store pharmacy and they often have very long lines, and the one
>> line is for both dropping off and retrieving. I just can't stand for
>> very long anymore without massive pain. By the time I get my
>> prescription I'm ready to pop a pain killer and sit down for a while.
>
>My HMO mails prescriptions via USPS. They encourage refilling by mail
>because the co-pay is less and they don't charge a mail fee. I like
>that, less standing in line for me.

Thank goodness for an old fashioned, small town pharmacy. I call my
refills in and pick them up in an hour or so. They have about 6
chairs facing the pharmacy counter and even when they are busy, the
wait is very short. The current pharmacist is second generation owner
and his parents were wonderful people and his son is just as nice. I
have seen him out on the sidewalk kneeling beside a car explaining the
medication to someone who could not come into the store.

The store is fairly small but there are 5 registered pharmacists and 3
or 4 counter people there. If I have had tests and get a call from
the doctor's office They will say that they have called or faxed the
prescription in. Even with Walmart, Walgreen, RiteAid, CVS,and
another local pharmacy in a town of about 5000, he stays busy.

The place is strictly a pharmacy. The only thing other than
prescriptions are OTC medicines and other medical devices.
--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)

Dave Smith > wrote:

>On 06/11/2011 4:18 PM, Steve Pope wrote:

>> Thanks. I think it's a little odd there's no discharge pharmacy
>> (by that I mean, one only for patients being discharged, not one
>> any out-patient can walk up to).

>There are no pharmacies like that in hospitals around here. There are
>usually 24 hour pharmacies close to the hospital where you can get a
>prescription filled but the pharmacies in the hospital are for admitted
>patients only.

Well, a patient being discharged had been admitted.

At my local Kaiser hospital, I think there is no possible path for a
patient being discharged from the ER or OR to exit other than by going
past the discharge pharmacy, and then through a one-way door to the
"discharge parking area" which is the only place persons with
vehicles are allowed to meet/pick up patients.

Some of this is for security reasons, since the discharge pharmacy
is by definition open 24 hours and well-stocked with painkillers.

Steve

On Sun, 06 Nov 2011 13:30:18 -0800, sf > wrote:

>On Sun, 6 Nov 2011 16:09:59 -0500, "jmcquown" >
>wrote:
>
>> They dispensed painkillers and antibiotics and fed me crappy
>> food. They had nurses waking me up at 3AM. I doubt you'd call that a
>> "clinic".
>
>What is it with hospitals and crappy food? Ugh.

Hospitals don't want to do anything to encourage patients to want to
stay, they need those beds... you want fancy food go to a hotel.

>Being awakened in
>the middle of the night and the crack of dawn isn't exactly restful
>either. I have a hard enough time sleeping in the hospital and then
>they wake me up just after I finally managed to get to sleep.

Hospitals are not spas that operate on your schedule, they want
patients who as soon as they are able to be up and about as much as
possible. If all you want to do is sleep stay home.

I've been a patient in several different hospitals, I can honestly say
that the food wasn't awful... was actually better quality than at many
restos (was clean and plentiful), just wasn't heavily seasoned, it was
kept bland on purpose... mostly because people who have health issues
and are on meds are mostly kept on a restricted diet, and the staff
has more than enough shitty asses to clean anyway. If you are well
enough to eat whatever you want you really ought not to be in a
hospital. I was very happy not to have to prepare my own meals and I
enjoyed being served, I looked foward to seeing all the different
kitchen gals wheel the food cart up to my bed, some looked mighty
tastey. A hospital experience is like all others, it's what you make
it. sf complains about everything, she's a cast iron bitch... I bet
it wasn't an hour before the nurse's station cut off her buzzer.

On 06/11/2011 4:30 PM, sf wrote:
> On Sun, 6 Nov 2011 16:09:59 -0500, >
> wrote:
>
>> They dispensed painkillers and antibiotics and fed me crappy
>> food. They had nurses waking me up at 3AM. I doubt you'd call that a
>> "clinic".
>
> What is it with hospitals and crappy food? Ugh. Being awakened in
> the middle of the night and the crack of dawn isn't exactly restful
> either. I have a hard enough time sleeping in the hospital and then
> they wake me up just after I finally managed to get to sleep.
>


FWIW.... it was a year ago yesterday that I had emergency open heart
surgery. I had a couple meals of slop like soup and yogurt. My first
solid was a shingle. It was billed as roast beef. Between being armed
with a plastic knife and being very weak after the surgery, I could not
cut it. I had to get my nurse to cut it for me. I could not chew it. It
sure didn't taste like beef. The next night I had roast pork. It was a
much lighter in colour than the beef, but just as bland and almost as
tough. My third dinner was baked salmon. It was much better, but the
rice that came with it was dry. I choked on it, and with my ribs wired
together, it hurt like hell. I was afraid to eat any more.

When I moved out of ICU after 4 days the food was better. I had roast
beef again and was surprised to find that it was actually pretty good.


I was in for 8 days altogether. I didn't sleep. I asked for something to
help me sleep on my last night. The nurse gave me something around 9:30.
I nodded off around 10:30. About a half hour later my nurse woke me up
for my medication. That was it for sleep for the night.


I was so glad to get home. I went to bed as soon as I got home. Whenever
I laid down I fell asleep. Only problem was that I had to get up almost
every hour to pee. Even so, as soon as I was done and went back to bed I
just laid back down and fell asleep. I slept about 16 hours a day for
the next few weeks. I had morning, afternoon and evening naps, and
still slept most of the night.

It has been a year now and I still have a love affair with my own bed.
I lay there in the morning and think about how comfortable it is.

On 06/11/2011 5:04 PM, The Cook wrote:
>
>> My HMO mails prescriptions via USPS. They encourage refilling by mail
>> because the co-pay is less and they don't charge a mail fee. I like
>> that, less standing in line for me.
>
> Thank goodness for an old fashioned, small town pharmacy. I call my
> refills in and pick them up in an hour or so. They have about 6
> chairs facing the pharmacy counter and even when they are busy, the
> wait is very short. The current pharmacist is second generation owner
> and his parents were wonderful people and his son is just as nice. I
> have seen him out on the sidewalk kneeling beside a car explaining the
> medication to someone who could not come into the store.

Sounds like my pharmacist, other than the second generation part. I was
really surprised when he called one night to make sure the medicine was
working. When I was released from the hospital last year after heart
surgery and had been warned that the warfarin needles might be hard to
get my wife called him and he had the stuff shipped to him by the time
we got there.

On 11/6/2011 3:51 PM, sf wrote:

> My HMO mails prescriptions via USPS. They encourage refilling by mail
> because the co-pay is less and they don't charge a mail fee. I like
> that, less standing in line for me.

I have one of my prescriptions filled by mail order, but that's one I'll
be on for life. The pain meds are never refillable and my cholesterol
med requires blood work before it's renewed. I wish all my meds could
be done mail order. As for the pain meds, I need to get off them. I'm
too loopy. I'm in PT and I just stumbled across something on the net so
I'm going to schedule an appt with a neural surgeon. It really seems
like stenosis based on the symptoms. Though today I've been house
cleaning so even sitting down isn't helping as quick as usual. I've
never had it take almost the whole day to fully clean my hardwood floors.

On Nov 6, 11:02*am, Dan Abel > wrote:
>
> I was at my
> local (3 miles away) Kaiser pharmacy just this week to pick up a
> prescription and some alcohol wipes, and as I was waiting in line I saw
> a tub of aspirin bottles. *They were the baby aspirin for adults, 81mg
> coated tablets. *Looked like a good price.
>
>
> Dan Abel
>
>
How much for what count bottle?

On Nov 6, 2:51*pm, sf > wrote:
>
>
> My HMO mails prescriptions via USPS. *They encourage refilling by mail
> because the co-pay is less and they don't charge a mail fee. *I like
> that, less standing in line for me.
>
>
Mine, too. And turn around time for a refill is pretty quick!

On Nov 6, 5:14*pm, Cheryl > wrote:
>
> my cholesterol
> med requires blood work before it's renewed.
>
>
My doctor writes my prescriptions, cholesterol included, for a 90 day
supply with refills for a year. That's the way Medco Pharmacy (mail
order) wants prescriptions submitted. When I order refills it's a 3
month supply. I see him twice a year and at least one of those visits
he will order blood work before my next appointment.

On Sun, 06 Nov 2011 17:04:47 -0500, The Cook >
wrote:

> Thank goodness for an old fashioned, small town pharmacy. I call my
> refills in and pick them up in an hour or so. They have about 6
> chairs facing the pharmacy counter and even when they are busy, the
> wait is very short. The current pharmacist is second generation owner
> and his parents were wonderful people and his son is just as nice. I
> have seen him out on the sidewalk kneeling beside a car explaining the
> medication to someone who could not come into the store.
>
> The store is fairly small but there are 5 registered pharmacists and 3
> or 4 counter people there. If I have had tests and get a call from
> the doctor's office They will say that they have called or faxed the
> prescription in. Even with Walmart, Walgreen, RiteAid, CVS,and
> another local pharmacy in a town of about 5000, he stays busy.
>
> The place is strictly a pharmacy. The only thing other than
> prescriptions are OTC medicines and other medical devices.

That sounds very Old World. Don't think I've ever seen a pharmacy
only establishment in the USA. We didn't even have that back in the
days when businesses closed every Wednesday afternoon and closed up
shop for the weekend at noon on Saturday.

--
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.

On Sun, 06 Nov 2011 18:14:37 -0500, Cheryl >
wrote:

> As for the pain meds, I need to get off them. I'm
> too loopy. I'm in PT and I just stumbled across something on the net so
> I'm going to schedule an appt with a neural surgeon.

If you ever figure out long term pain management, give me a holler
because my son in law has been living with it for years and he's too
young for that baloney.

> It really seems like stenosis based on the symptoms.

I had to look that up but it seems they've found answers that aren't
as bad as they used to be. Hope it works out for you! Do you have
the kind of insurance you can use to move if this Dr. doesn't have the
expertise you need?


--
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.

jmcquown wrote:

>
> Exactly! The hospitals dispense drugs to in-patients. Not to patients
> who have checked out of the facility. For those you have to go to a
> drug store or other places that have pharmacies.
>
> Jill

Many hospitals have pharmacies attached for outpatient access and services.

On 06/11/2011 5:30 PM, Steve Pope wrote:
>
>> There are no pharmacies like that in hospitals around here. There are
>> usually 24 hour pharmacies close to the hospital where you can get a
>> prescription filled but the pharmacies in the hospital are for admitted
>> patients only.
>
> Well, a patient being discharged had been admitted.
>
> At my local Kaiser hospital, I think there is no possible path for a
> patient being discharged from the ER or OR to exit other than by going
> past the discharge pharmacy, and then through a one-way door to the
> "discharge parking area" which is the only place persons with
> vehicles are allowed to meet/pick up patients.
>
> Some of this is for security reasons, since the discharge pharmacy
> is by definition open 24 hours and well-stocked with painkillers.


Sorry, but is this a matter of for profit health care? Are they
directing you past their own pharmacy so that they can sell you drugs on
the way out? Your system is different from ours.

Dan Abel wrote:

> It might well be the nursing unions that initiated this here in
> California, but it's the *legislature* that implemented it, not union
> contracts.
>
> I'd be curious to hear what the nurses on this group have to say about
> this.
>
Well, *this* nurse disagrees with sf on this issue.
As for pharmacies at hospitals, I imagine many closed because of cost
effectiveness. Too many other options for people probably made them less
utilized. My local hospital closed their outpatient pharmacy about 10
years ago, yet another hospital and a few medical office buildings still
have one on the premises. I don't know if they're actually hospital run
or not though.

On 11/6/2011 6:57 PM, sf wrote:
> On Sun, 06 Nov 2011 18:14:37 -0500, >
> wrote:
>
>> As for the pain meds, I need to get off them. I'm
>> too loopy. I'm in PT and I just stumbled across something on the net so
>> I'm going to schedule an appt with a neural surgeon.
>
> If you ever figure out long term pain management, give me a holler
> because my son in law has been living with it for years and he's too
> young for that baloney.
>
>> It really seems like stenosis based on the symptoms.
>
> I had to look that up but it seems they've found answers that aren't
> as bad as they used to be. Hope it works out for you! Do you have
> the kind of insurance you can use to move if this Dr. doesn't have the
> expertise you need?
>
>
I'm not even concerned about the insurance at this point. I'm in so
much agony and have zero quality of life so something has to be done or
I will off myself. Seriously.

On Sun, 06 Nov 2011 19:07:43 -0500, Dave Smith
> wrote:

> On 06/11/2011 5:30 PM, Steve Pope wrote:
> >
> >> There are no pharmacies like that in hospitals around here. There are
> >> usually 24 hour pharmacies close to the hospital where you can get a
> >> prescription filled but the pharmacies in the hospital are for admitted
> >> patients only.
> >
> > Well, a patient being discharged had been admitted.
> >
> > At my local Kaiser hospital, I think there is no possible path for a
> > patient being discharged from the ER or OR to exit other than by going
> > past the discharge pharmacy, and then through a one-way door to the
> > "discharge parking area" which is the only place persons with
> > vehicles are allowed to meet/pick up patients.
> >
> > Some of this is for security reasons, since the discharge pharmacy
> > is by definition open 24 hours and well-stocked with painkillers.
>
>
> Sorry, but is this a matter of for profit health care? Are they
> directing you past their own pharmacy so that they can sell you drugs on
> the way out? Your system is different from ours.
>
No. It's not "not for profit" but it's not part of the government
system either. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiser_Permanente
It's not for all, people leave for various reasons. My DD left
because her husband has pain they managed with drugs rather than
getting to the root of it. He found a Dr that literally wrote the
book on one of his problems, but it wasn't a panacea and he still
lives with pain.

--
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.

On Sun, 06 Nov 2011 19:19:50 -0500, Cheryl >
wrote:

> On 11/6/2011 6:57 PM, sf wrote:
> > On Sun, 06 Nov 2011 18:14:37 -0500, >
> > wrote:
> >
> >> As for the pain meds, I need to get off them. I'm
> >> too loopy. I'm in PT and I just stumbled across something on the net so
> >> I'm going to schedule an appt with a neural surgeon.
> >
> > If you ever figure out long term pain management, give me a holler
> > because my son in law has been living with it for years and he's too
> > young for that baloney.
> >
> >> It really seems like stenosis based on the symptoms.
> >
> > I had to look that up but it seems they've found answers that aren't
> > as bad as they used to be. Hope it works out for you! Do you have
> > the kind of insurance you can use to move if this Dr. doesn't have the
> > expertise you need?
> >
> >
> I'm not even concerned about the insurance at this point. I'm in so
> much agony and have zero quality of life so something has to be done or
> I will off myself. Seriously.

I've been told that I have a high tolerance for pain, but I know I
wouldn't be able to handle chronic pain.

--
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.

In article >,
Cheryl > wrote:

> On 11/6/2011 3:51 PM, sf wrote:
>
> > My HMO mails prescriptions via USPS. They encourage refilling by mail
> > because the co-pay is less and they don't charge a mail fee. I like
> > that, less standing in line for me.
>
> I have one of my prescriptions filled by mail order, but that's one I'll
> be on for life. The pain meds are never refillable and my cholesterol
> med requires blood work before it's renewed. I wish all my meds could
> be done mail order.

I belong to the same HMO that sf does, as do many others here (over 6
million in California):

http://xnet.kp.org/newscenter/aboutkp/fastfacts.html

Not only do they encourage refills by mail, but it works almost
automatically even if you have no refills left! You just order a
refill, and if there are no refills left, they send an electronic
message to your doctor, who can then refill the prescription. It's all
done on the computer. If there is no hurry, sometimes the initial order
is by mail.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

On 11/6/2011 8:29 PM, Dan Abel wrote:

> Not only do they encourage refills by mail, but it works almost
> automatically even if you have no refills left! You just order a
> refill, and if there are no refills left, they send an electronic
> message to your doctor, who can then refill the prescription. It's all
> done on the computer. If there is no hurry, sometimes the initial order
> is by mail.

I need to make an appt with my PCP and I'll ask about that. One med is
bad if I run out and have a lapse.

On Nov 6, 3:30*pm, sf > wrote:
> On Sun, 6 Nov 2011 16:09:59 -0500, "jmcquown" >
> wrote:
>
> > *They dispensed painkillers and antibiotics and fed me crappy
> > food. *They had nurses waking me up at 3AM. *I doubt you'd call that a
> > "clinic".
>
> What is it with hospitals and crappy food? *Ugh. *Being awakened in
> the middle of the night and the crack of dawn isn't exactly restful
> either. *I have a hard enough time sleeping in the hospital and then
> they wake me up just after I finally managed to get to sleep.

I did my clinicals in a hospital on day shift, work in a Veteran's
Home now night shift, and I tell all the patients/residents that any
medical facility is no place to get good sleep, because we *are* gonna
come in and wake you if we need to. I've got skin assessments to do on
geriatric residents 11-7! Imagine being woken up at 2 or 3 in the
morning so I can look at your skin everywhere! I hate doing that, but
it's ordered on the treatment sheet, so I have to do it.

John Kuthe, BSN, RN...

In article >,
Dave Smith > wrote:

> On 06/11/2011 5:30 PM, Steve Pope wrote:
> >
> > At my local Kaiser hospital, I think there is no possible path for a
> > patient being discharged from the ER or OR to exit other than by going
> > past the discharge pharmacy, and then through a one-way door to the
> > "discharge parking area" which is the only place persons with
> > vehicles are allowed to meet/pick up patients.
> >
> > Some of this is for security reasons, since the discharge pharmacy
> > is by definition open 24 hours and well-stocked with painkillers.
>
> Sorry, but is this a matter of for profit health care? Are they
> directing you past their own pharmacy so that they can sell you drugs on
> the way out? Your system is different from ours.

I posted this cite earlier:

http://xnet.kp.org/newscenter/aboutkp/fastfacts.html

"Fast Facts about Kaiser Permanente

Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente is one of the nation¹s largest
not-for-profit health plans, serving more than 8.7 million members, with
headquarters in Oakland, Calif. It comprises:

* Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and their subsidiaries
* Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc.
* The Permanente Medical Groups."

I suspect the location is for convenience. Kaiser loses money on almost
every prescription drug sale. I pay US$10 for a 90 day supply of most
drugs.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

On Sun, 6 Nov 2011 21:18:23 +0000 (UTC), (Steve
Pope) wrote:



>
>Thanks. I think it's a little odd there's no discharge pharmacy
>(by that I mean, one only for patients being discharged, not one
>any out-patient can walk up to).
>
>
>Steve

Perhaps it is a regional thing. I don't know of a single hospital in
any place that I lived with such a pharmacy.

The hospital my wife uses just hands you the paper prescriptions and
you are on your own. It is not uncommon to discharge patients at 7 or
8 PM too. We do have a couple of 24 hr pharmacies in the area though.

Goomba > wrote:

>jmcquown wrote:

>> Exactly! The hospitals dispense drugs to in-patients. Not to patients
>> who have checked out of the facility. For those you have to go to a
>> drug store or other places that have pharmacies.

>Many hospitals have pharmacies attached for outpatient access and services.

Well, it depends on your health plan. Under the plan I'm on, you
use the provider's pharmacies, and that's that. Which is a good thing,
as it contains costs. Why pay for some pharmacy's profit? My
provider is non-profit.


Steve

Dave Smith > wrote:

>On 06/11/2011 5:30 PM, Steve Pope wrote:

>>> There are no pharmacies like that in hospitals around here. There are
>>> usually 24 hour pharmacies close to the hospital where you can get a
>>> prescription filled but the pharmacies in the hospital are for admitted
>>> patients only.
>>
>> Well, a patient being discharged had been admitted.
>>
>> At my local Kaiser hospital, I think there is no possible path for a
>> patient being discharged from the ER or OR to exit other than by going
>> past the discharge pharmacy, and then through a one-way door to the
>> "discharge parking area" which is the only place persons with
>> vehicles are allowed to meet/pick up patients.
>>
>> Some of this is for security reasons, since the discharge pharmacy
>> is by definition open 24 hours and well-stocked with painkillers.
>
>
>Sorry, but is this a matter of for profit health care? Are they
>directing you past their own pharmacy so that they can sell you drugs on
>the way out?

No, exactly the opposite, Kaiser is non-profit. They don't want
to pay an outside provider's markup, so they run their own pharmacies.
I've price-compared and there is almost no opportunity to pay
less for a medication than their pricing.


Steve

Dan Abel > wrote:

>Not only do they encourage refills by mail, but it works almost
>automatically even if you have no refills left! You just order a
>refill, and if there are no refills left, they send an electronic
>message to your doctor, who can then refill the prescription. It's all
>done on the computer.

Yep

>If there is no hurry, sometimes the initial order
>is by mail.

Okay, I haven't experienced that yet.

The glitch seems to be if it's a 100-day refill, and you send it
to the pharmacy rather than doing a mail order, they often refill
it for only 30 days. I have not figured out why this is.

If it's a 30 day refill, there is no price advantage to refilling
by mail. Haven't figured that out either. But overall it's a good
system.


Steve

On Mon, 7 Nov 2011 03:49:28 +0000 (UTC), (Steve
Pope) wrote:

>Goomba > wrote:
>
>>jmcquown wrote:
>
>>> Exactly! The hospitals dispense drugs to in-patients. Not to patients
>>> who have checked out of the facility. For those you have to go to a
>>> drug store or other places that have pharmacies.
>
>>Many hospitals have pharmacies attached for outpatient access and services.
>
>Well, it depends on your health plan. Under the plan I'm on, you
>use the provider's pharmacies, and that's that. Which is a good thing,
>as it contains costs. Why pay for some pharmacy's profit? My
>provider is non-profit.
>
>
>Steve


Our provider used to do that, but I never saw a good thing about it.
Had to travel out of my way, and wait in a long line. Now we can go
anywhere, pay the same co-pay (or less) and not have to wait. The
best thing they did was to sell them off.

On Sun, 06 Nov 2011 19:19:50 -0500, Cheryl >
wrote:

>On 11/6/2011 6:57 PM, sf wrote:
>> On Sun, 06 Nov 2011 18:14:37 -0500, >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> As for the pain meds, I need to get off them. I'm
>>> too loopy. I'm in PT and I just stumbled across something on the net so
>>> I'm going to schedule an appt with a neural surgeon.
>>
>> If you ever figure out long term pain management, give me a holler
>> because my son in law has been living with it for years and he's too
>> young for that baloney.
>>
>>> It really seems like stenosis based on the symptoms.
>>
>> I had to look that up but it seems they've found answers that aren't
>> as bad as they used to be. Hope it works out for you! Do you have
>> the kind of insurance you can use to move if this Dr. doesn't have the
>> expertise you need?
>>
>>
>I'm not even concerned about the insurance at this point. I'm in so
>much agony and have zero quality of life so something has to be done or
>I will off myself. Seriously.

I can empathize with you. My right leg hurts when I walk. Saw an
orthopedist and underwent an MRI. I am now seeing a pain management
doctor. Take this conversation to email if you would like. The
address works.
--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)