CVS Will Automatically Refill Your Prescription, Consent Be Damned
CVS pharmacies apparently don't need consent to enroll customers in ReadyFill, a program that signs customers up for the maximum allowable number of prescription refills and then robocalls them when their drugs are ready. According to a veteran pharmacist, the automatic enrollments began after CVS' corporate office set specific performance targets that would affect bonuses for managers and pharmacists. Inside, the pharmacist tells us what ReadyFill is, how it works, and how to escape those annoying robocalls...
1) ReadyFill is a voluntary opt-in program for maintenance medications to be refilled when you're about to run out. Nearly every pharmacy has something like it, CVS took it company wide in the middle of last year. It's a fine idea in theory.
2) You receive a call when it's ready (which is actually three days after it's filled in the case of ReadyFill prescriptions since they're filled slightly ahead of time). If any filled prescription is not picked up, a reminder call is made on day three and day seven. Most people like this.
3) There are also two other types of calls that happen. There are robo-calls that supposedly remind people that medication is due to be refilled. This sucks because the pharmacy has no idea who is getting robocalled, and this person will usually call the store up and talk to a confused technician who can only guess at what you might need refilled. These calls are also apparently misinterpreted that the medication is ready, which it's actually not so sometimes people come in expecting to pick it up and are upset when the pharmacy has no idea what they're looking for.
4) The second type is store-generated calls about refill reminders. The criteria used to be that a maintenance medication had to be coming up due for refill and there also had to be at least one medication that was overdue. Earlier this year they added a category of just overdue medications. In high volume stores, this can be over 100 people that have to be called. Every single employee hates these. They're incredibly stupid because people generally stop taking a medication for a good reason, but we're supposed to ask people if they want to refill it. One store once called a customer that had died. Oops.
5) Okay, back to ReadyFill. What happened at the start of this year is one of the internal performance metrics for each store became the percentage of prescriptions enrolled and filled by the ReadyFill program. Since this (officially referred to as the Execution Scorecard) actually affects things like pharmacist (and upper management, natch) bonuses, a few stores took it upon themselves to automatically enroll *everything* that they could possibly enroll in this program, regardless of whether the customer wanted it or not and of course without their knowledge. I know this happens beacuse my father fills his medications at a store different from the one I work at and when he tried to refill his drugs over the phone the automated system told him it was already finished. He didn't seem to mind it but I know there are customers who are going to be livid over this, and it's just to satisfy an internal metric. Oh, and the refill reminder calls in #4 are also part of store execution, which is the only reason stores bother with them even though they're hated.
I approached my district manager with the fact that the store was auto-enrolling prescriptions, which I felt could be an issue down the line. He didn't care because as soon as they started doing that, they started making the number needed to satisfy the metric.
Please, please, please, if you are annoyed with the phone calls or were enrolled in ReadyFill without your knowledge, take it to corporate, not the store. It's a pipe dream, but if enough people call and say that they're pissed off by what they view as "world class customer service programs," (really it's "sneaky ways we fill your prescription and hope to collect insurance payment plus your copay") maybe they'll cut back some. I would even go as far as to threaten to take all your business to another pharmacy if the calls continue.
PREVIOUSLY: "Why Is CVS Automatically Refilling My Prescriptions?"
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Comments:
It is because of CVS' terrible organization (and worse customer service in our area) that prompted me to switch all of my prescriptions to a locally-run place.
I just hope it can stay in business.
I've just switched all of my prescriptions to the new CVS in town and the calls have started. The calls have started and if they don't stop shortly I will begin the process of moving my prescriptions somewhere else. What a pain!
I have never encountered this at my local CVS on Queen St in York PA. The 1st time it happens will be the last time. I never go back to a business that does me dirty.
All my prescriptions are apparently now on the autofill with CVS, which I believe I agreed to back in the spring.
However, I have NEVER received a call from them. I'm wondering if they have my landline number (which no longer exists) on file as the number to call. That was what they would have originally been given when I began getting prescriptions filled there.
Target is doing this as well. I get the phone call once a month the the 612 area code, even though the refill count has been exceeded from the original prescription.
Wonder how long they can get away with this before the FDA pulls their license.
How screwed is the system that fills prescriptions behind your back when it is not needed or necessary, but also prohibits patients from calling their pharmacy to make sure a prescription is ready to pickup as to not have to wait 20-40 minutes for 10 pills to be plunked into a bottle (thanks Rite Aid!)
Okay...honestly...America has going 'performance metric' crazy. I'd honestly like to know what 'performance metrics' the people who's job it is to set these 'performance metrics' are measured by...'cause they ain't effective in identifying workers who create effective 'performance metrics'...we're through the looking glass here, people...time to wake up and smell the fresh brewed irony.
My husband's mail-order pharmacy's robot calls to tell him that they're processing his prescription, and then calls to tell him that they've mailed it. Very annoying, because sometimes the calls come in when we're sleeping and they wake me up. Haven't these people ever heard of email?
@Garbanzo: Oh, and he's looked all over their website for the option to "STOP FUCKING CALLING US" and there doesn't seem to be one.
I like the workers at my local CVS but I can't afford to get my meds there. Kroger and Walmart both beat CVS on pricing, in some cases by a huge margin.
But I can see where this auto-fill thing would make it harder for people to move their prescriptions too. Mrs. Smith decided to take her business to Kroger. Kroger tries to file the insurance coverage and finds out the drug has already been filled for that month, back at CVS. Grrr.
Not sure about Kroger but Walmart offers an auto-fill thing as an opt-in, with an option to submit a credit card number and prepay for whatever copay might be left.
Waiting for them to automate and force the issue.
Actually, I am waiting for them to install robots in the pharmacies. It must infuriate corporate to have actual human workers filling prescriptions.
One cool thing Walmart has done is have common doses of generic meds prepackaged. Instead of having to dispense and count out so many tablets, here's a Walmart custom-branded bottle of 30 or whatever, straight from whoever is supplying the actual drug.
I have noticed they never apply the final prescription label until the drug is actually picked up. If someone no-shows, it can be put right back for sale.
That plastic bag is not a toy!
Someone please save Confused Kitty!
"voluntary opt-in"
More like voluntary opt-out or involuntary opt-in, because I honestly can't see anything about it that is "voluntary" and "opt-in" at the same time.
@Garbanzo: mine does that....sometimes. it's annoying when they call the cell phone bc they won't leave a message.
What if I tell the pharmacist that I don't have a phone? How can they robocall me, then?
@LastError: So what if someone moves to a new area, and there is no CVS there, while the old CVS store hundreds of miles away already filled it? Sounds like a breakdown in the system if it cannot now be filled somewhere else.
I don't understand, if robo calls are happening (I assume for people not enrolled in auto refill) why step 4 needs to exist at all?
@pecan 3.14159265: I filled a prescription at Target a little over a month ago. The tech asked me at least 3 times whether I wanted auto refill. I repeatedly explained that it's a new medicine for me and it might turn out to be the wrong type of drug or the dosage may need to be changed, so NO. She eventually stopped playing dumb and allowed me to pay for the prescription and leave.
I haven't gotten a robocall from them, but if I get nagged like that again I'm going to be complaining up the line.
@Rey: I used to get one of mine filled at a local place. I called to see if a script was ready and was told nothing was called in. It should have been so I called my doctor who had documented when it was called in. I called back and thankfully got another person who actually looked into it. Yep, called in two days before, filled, and waiting for me. When I got there, I asked for the manager. I was told he wasn't "but his brother is right here". So I told the manager's brother about the problem. The girl who said it wasn't there glared at me for awhile and then went back to filling scripts.
Oh, and then there was the other locally owned place my mom got one of her scripts filled at. The pharmacist was chasing one of the techs around trying to take her photo with a camera phone. The tech who was filling her perscription yelled to anyone who could here "Is this the right stuff". A couple of minutes later, the pharmacist came over to say yeah it was but you don't pour it into a bottle, just put the little sticker thing on the original bottle.
Never again with local family owned and run pharmacies.
I'm starting to believe that complaining doesn't do anything though.
The other day I wanted to make a complaint to Cox about the automated system they have when you call. I told the lady that while I understood that they have the system in place to weed out the truly ignorant, most people at this point do understand what it takes to reset a modem or check wires etc, so that the majority of people are actually inconvenienced by these messages. She told me that there was no way they would take my complaint seriously, but that she would note it on my account. OK.. that doesn't really help anything at all, but thanks for noting it. Now CSRs in the future can tell that I have little tolerance for the machine that takes 5 minutes just to get to a real person and that helps them because...
yeah they have been doing this to me for some months now. Ihang up on them.
As a CVS manager I can say I am APPAULED at the response this pharmacist got from their D.M. Ours has threatened us (us the managers, like WE are back there secretly enrolling these people) if anyone is caught enrolling everyone that comes in. SUPPOSEDLY it's being watched, but apparently not in some places as much as others.
I've gotten calls about whether or not I needed certain scripts filled (and usually I do), but I also have some that are mail order. The ones at CVS are either known to be temporary, or are trials to see if I'm responding or I need to switch to something else. They've also tried to sell me on the ReadyRefill, which I have politely declined.
The KMart in Terre Haute, Indiana does this too. I don't know if all of them do, but it drives my dad up the wall because he's got a prescription that is as needed, but KMart assumes he uses one per day, and he certainly isn't feeling like writing KMart a check for $100 every two weeks.
@aftercancer:
I had the same problem with Express Scripts. I called three different times to ask them to stop calling me. So they finally stopped calling my cell phone. Now they call my office. I vowed to never do business with them again.
I've opted out of the ReadyFill program twice by calling CVS corporate and speaking personally to an agent whose sole job it seems was to enable the opt-out. Yet the calls started up again last week (I have one on my answering machine right now.)
Each time I've opted out I've specifically told them that I am also on the Do Not Call registry and do not want them to call me again... at all. My understanding of the rules of Do Not Call is that they can call you (first time) if you have an "ongoing business relationship" with them, but if you tell them you do not want them to call you again, they've got to abide by your wishes. Both times the person I spoke to apologized and said it was due to a "computer glitch" and I shouldn't have been called. Sounded like they were reading from a corporate-prepared script. When I check with the pharmacy itself they tell me that I'm marked for "do not call" in their system but yet the calls continue to originate from the local store.
The problem is that the FTC takes no action on this stuff, especially where a large national corporation with plenty of hooks into Washington is concerned. I think it's time to hit CVS where it hurts, in the corporate pocketbook. Move your prescriptions to the locally owned pharmacy down the street if you're able to, and make it a point to tell the CVS manager why you're doing it.
I grew up in Rhode Island, where CVS is based. So even though I've moved far away, I really, really tried to remain a CVS customer. I don't know, some sort of sense of loyalty.
But I just can't do it anymore. Every damn time I go into a CVS, there is a line 15 people long at the pharmacy counter. On staff there is either one competent but extremely harried and overwhelmed technician, or (more likely) ten bored and rude technicians who couldn't care less. Either way, you wait and wait and wait.
And there's always a problem, always a reason that your prescription takes longer to fill than they originally promised. Or they simply lose it (it's happened to me at least 3 times over the years). Just thinking about CVS gives me a headache.
I've switched to Rite-Aid and they've been awesome. No phone calls about my prescriptions (yet?), no long lines, the employees have been polite and efficient. One time Rite-Aid didn't have my medicine in stock and faxed the prescription to a different Rite-Aid in the next town, because they did have it in stock. And when I got to the second Rite-Aid, 10 minutes later, my order was nearly ready! CVS would have told me I was SOL, and they would have had an attitude about it.
It's a shame. I don't think I've ever tried a company so many times despite bad customer service. But I'm done now.
@scoosdad: The do not call registry can't protect you as the calls are not promotional as it is generally understood. They are informing you that the scrip you (at least in theory) authorized.
Otherwise they couldn't (and wouldn't) use robocallers.
The do not call registry is powerful but using it when it isn't applicable tends to just confuse corporations.
The last time this came up, reader scoosdad had a tip with the numbers to call to opt out of Readyfill and the robocall reminders. Here's the link:
[consumerist.com]
The numbers are 888-470-5534 for Readyfill and 866-514-4965 for the robocall reminders. I used it and haven't bothered since with annoying calls.
@LastError: The RiteAid near my house has a pharmacy robot. It's pretty cool to watch. It counts out the requisite number of pills from its huge storage cabinet of drugs. But there's still a human pharmacist and human pharmacy techs that deal with the customers and the insurance companies. Also, the robot only handles pills. Liquids, ointments, inhalents, etc. are still 100% handled by humans.
@dohtem: On two separate occasions we've had cats get the handles of those kinds of bags looped around their necks. It's terrifying for them because the bag makes a loud rattling and snapping noise as the cat runs, and no matter how fast the cat runs it can't escape. Our one cat still had her tail fur puffed out from fear 6 hours after merely witnessing this happen to another cat. Now we try to remember to cut the handles of plastic shopping bags as soon as they come into the house.
@yasth: That's OK. I have a very evil way of dealing with their unwanted calls anyway. My VOIP provider has a feature that lets me specify a phone number to automatically foward specific incoming calls to. Their calls to me always originate from the local pharmacy's published number.
Let's see, who can I forward their calls to? Hmm, anyone have Tom Ryan's private direct dial office number? Or better, his home number?
I'm also getting pissed off at getting CVS' reminder calls - especially when they wake me up on a day off when I'm sleeping in.
The reason I stay with CVS is they actually have prescriptions ready for pickup at the time promised. The Kroger near my house doesn't seem to fill anything until I show up (even if its a day after calling in the refill). I'm guessing this is a ploy to get me to fill up a shopping cart while I'm waiting "about 15 or 20 minutes" until the Rx is ready.
@tbax929: i programmed the robocall numbers from express scripts into my cell and let it go to voice mail because i see it come up at 'ESI automated' [my choice, i programmed their real human calling me number in as something else]
i love how express scripts called me today to leave me a message that they are filling my latest refill. according their website, my order shipped fedex on sunday. [which means they submitted the pick up request to fedex on sunday]
so probably wednesday i will get a robocall that my order is "being shipped soon." and it will likely arrive thursday
seriously out of sync - robocalls to reality and annoying but i haven't been able to get them to quit calling either.
@dohtem: plastic bags are made of fish oils, if you ever wondered why your cats are trying to lick and chew on them. i've known cats to go to great lengths [my cat, for example] to get plastic bags to lick. now i keep the bags in a container designed to let you pull out one at a time and i hung it 5 feet up the wall.
@scoosdad: oh to have some real fun with them, route their calls back to their own phone tree. send them in circles for hours
@jayphat: appalled
I'm actually shocked. Calls from a CVS store pharmacy. It's a concept that is difficult for the mind to accept, like a well-made French car or no-lead Chinese anything. Seriously, your CVS actually calls people? Wow, one of the reasons I won't use them is "What part of these have been filled, please call us" do you not understand?
Was the prescription written for a 90 day supply when your insurance only covers 30? If so, those aren't exactly 'refills'
@Skaperen:
I work in a CVS, and this happens all the time. Not just Ready Fill, but people transferring scripts. So you go to Pharmacy A to transfer a script. It has already been filled at Pharmacy B. If the two pharmacies are from different chains, Pharmacist A has to call Pharmacist B anyway to get the copy, a verbal copy of the prescription that the pharmacist will then write on their end. If the prescription is already filled, pharmacist A will just ask B to back it out. At CVS, this takes about 30 seconds, and most of that is just waiting for the insurance company to respond.
If it's a store to store transfer, it's a little easier. Techs can do it in that case, but you still have to have someone back out the prescription.
Step 4, what we call PCI "Patient Care Initiative" is a list that prints out with people that have medications that are due for refill soon or have medications that are past due. The idea behind it is if people are taking their meds as prescribed, then the patient will be healthier. This is all for the patient.
On paper, this sounds like we really care. And maybe we do. You'd be surprised how many people don't take their meds like they should, and for some medications, the days supply is ridiculous. Asthma inhalers are written as a 21 day supply, and there's no way in heck anyone is going to go through a prescription inhaler in just three weeks.
In reality, CVS just wants more refills that they feel they wouldn't have gotten anyway. (Even though 90% of the time, people say "I was JUST about to call for the refill.) Bleh
@thepill:
Sounds like you've got some pretty bum CVS stores up there. In Florida where we work, if we don't have something in stock, we generally will call up to three places to find it, including competitors. We're always sending patients to Walgreens or Publics, the local grocery here. And in turn, those pharmacies send patients to us when they don't have something.
@catastrophegirl: Really? How did I never know this?? I have always wondered why my cats have been crazy about chewing plastic bags, but never actually looked into it. Also, I have a psycho cat, and I don't think 5 feet would be high enough to keep a plastic bag away from her.
The kitty made me read this story!
If that kitty is filling my prescriptions, I'll enroll in auto refill anyday.
Target actually does a pretty good job about auto refill. They won't do it unless you tell them to, and they'll robo call you to remind you that your script is ready. The only problem is that since it's a robo call, if you don't pick up, it'll leave a voicemail and then call again another time.