Believe it or not, at one point in my life I was a rather shy and introverted individual. Actually, not just at one point, for the most of my life.
Through various means I have climbed out of that shell, so trust me when I say that when someone asks you a question that you don't know, one can have a tendency to panic or not want to take the steps needed to answer it.
Never once though did I make up a false answer just to pacify a customer.
A few nights ago I was kickin' ass at the register at Big Evil, like I usually do, when I overheard the conversation of the elderly couple I was checking out. They were both upset as she now needed a walker to get around, but they didn't have the money to spend on one.
I inquired what precisely they were looking for, and the husband informed me that they had just been to the pharmacy and asked if Medicare would cover it. Apparently two of the people behind the counter told them Medicare only covers drugs and in no way covers something like a walker.
Sigh.
They were both very upset for obvious reasons, even more so because they had already looked at the prices for various walkers.
Immediately I stopped scanning their items and whipped out a piece of paper. I told them the steps that they would need to take; getting a Rx from a doctor, what part they would have to pay for, how to get their supplemental to cover the rest of need be. I told them about the differences in basic walkers and the four-wheeled variety and how Medicare will pay much less of the four wheeled variety if they choose to go that route.
I also told them their best bet is probably to find one of the local medical supply companies in town as they are often more specially trained in that area and would be able to help them with any other problems they may have.
To say they both looked flabbergasted was an understatement. He asked how I knew all of this, and I explained my current situation.
To which he replied, "Well why the hell aren't you working back there with those numbskulls?"
As they were leaving I explained that if they had any more questions, I am found here most nights and would be more than happy to assist them further.
It was my first taste of pharmacy in two months and I relished it. Although I was left wondering just why in the hell they would tell them that sort of thing to believe with.
My guess is that either those people were vastly misinformed, they simply did not know the answer or they did not want to answer. That time of night there is only a tech and pharmacist on duty, so I know a RPh was involved at some point.
And that bothers me. Makes me wonder who else they shoo away when they don't want to answer something.
Now, I'm real excited to start working over there...
3 comments:
Wow.
I always send patients to medical supply stores for that sort of stuff because every time we've tried to bill it via retail we always get rejected claims. Then we spend an hour on the phone with the insurance company just for them to tell us that we can't bill for medical supplies. I can't imagine why it would have been so hard to direct them to a medical supply store if they knew it could be covered somehow. I can't imagine why they wouldn't know that.
I have worked with a few ex-Walmart techs and by and large they can't do much of anything. Maybe it is just the few I have worked with, but that has painted the picture of "WTF" in my mind.
The company I work for can't bill for these products, but I know exactly where to send them and who to ask for. Anything else is just a disgrace, and shows the lack of pride in ones job/career.
A large part of it is because a lot of retail pharmacies can't bill stuff like that for various reasons. It's discouraging to have to tell people we can't do it, but it's the reality of the situation. However, it is discouraging to find that the techs couldn't give them a place to start like you did. As the first comment stated, we at least would send them to a place that could help them.
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