At Walgreens, Complaints of Medication Errors Go Missing

He said that CVS had “almost completely eliminated pharmacist overlap” — meaning that only one is on duty at a time — and that pharmacists at his store worked about 20 to 30 hours per week unpaid so their colleagues were “not left in an impossible situation.”

He also said that internal reports for less severe errors were sometimes not completed because of a lack of time created by staffing issues.

CVS faces up to $75,000 in fines and possible suspension or revocation of the Owasso pharmacy’s license. The matter is scheduled for review at the pharmacy board’s meeting in May.

A CVS spokesman said the company looked “forward to addressing the allegations” at the upcoming hearing, adding that “our record of patient safety is outstanding and we are committed to continuous improvement.” CVS and other chains have declined to provide their error rates.

In a letter to employees after The Times’s article last month, Larry Merlo, the chief executive of CVS Health, said he was “deeply disappointed by the article’s portrayal of our company and industry.”

But this week, a company spokesman said that in response to the article, CVS planned to examine its metrics, both the quantity and how they are used to assess pharmacists.

A group called Pharmacist Moms, which says it represents 32,000 female pharmacists, also responded to the article, posting a letter on its website and social media accounts that said, “We feel strongly that patient safety may be compromised due to the overly stressful working conditions at chain pharmacies.”

The group’s founder, Suzanne Soliman, said in the letter, “Pharmacists work in difficult and demanding conditions and are often unable to voice concerns over patient safety.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/21/health/pharmacies-prescription-errors.html