Things my job has taught me...
I've worked at the same place for four years this November. Honestly I've only had three jobs so it's not like I have a history of job hopping or anything. Thus it is no surprise I've been at this place (I plan on not mentioning the actual company since I'd rather not have bomb threats like our other office) for quite some time, despite how frustrating it can be at times. I'm not a huge fan of talking to doctor's offices all day. I'd rather just read their hilarious faxes and know that when I deny their request they can't yell directly at me. On the bright side I've found that my job has taught me a TON of things. Name a medication and I can not only tell you what it is used for, other drugs similar to it, the dosage forms and strengths. There's some medications I know more about than others. Obviously I do not know much about hospital medications or things used most commonly in children. I deal mostly with the elderly, name a heart medication or something for diabetes, arthritis, high cholesterol, etc. and I am very likely to know far too much about it. Anywho the other thing I've learned in my four years at *********** is that just because they're a doctor or pharmacist does not mean they are smart. In fact, quite the opposite. Most doctor's are cocky and do not know nearly as much as they think they do. Here's a list of my favorite things I've encountered while talking to the supposed educational folk of our society:
  • Doctor prescribing Metformin 5,o00mg a day. The max dose is 2,000 a mg a day and this med is quite harsh on the kidneys. Oh yeah, this patient has kidney failure... Not only should they not be on this medication but a dosage that high??
  • A request for Oxycontin 80mg twenty tablets a day. Yeah I tried Oxycontin 10mg once after my wisdom teeth were removed. I about died from the nausea and vertigo. Either this patient is selling the drugs or they've really built up a tolerance and are on a dose that would kill most individuals.
  • Fax request for an eye drop, being used for an eye condition (amazing I know). However the fax says "apply sublingually once a day." Yeah, sublingual is under the tongue. How exactly does putting eye drops under your tongue treat glaucoma? No one knows
  • I always love when a doctor is uber upset because we won't cover a brand name medication. This is a government reimbursed insurance plan, do you really think we're going to cover everything? Seriously now...
  • Patients requesting an early fill override on their medication because they dropped it in the toilet. Okay... Now why was your toilet lid up? Why were you taking the meds in your bathroom? How clumsy did you really have to be to get an opened bottle of pills into the specific portion of the room that is taken up by your open toilet bowl? Were you a pro-basketball player in another life?
  • I inform the caller that the medication cannot be covered unless the patient tries _____ first. The callers response "I know, so can we try for a prior authorization." My response "we just did it, DENIED." Is it that hard?
  • A doctor signs his name at the bottom of our fax form with a star. You know the one you learn to draw in kindergarten where you don't pick up your pencil until it is complete? Yeah, doctor, how easy would that be to fake when forging one of your prescriptions? Well, a kindergarten could do it.
  • Patient's who think they can obtain Suboxone (a medication used for opioid addiction) from one doctor, Lortab from another doctor, and Oxycontin from a third doctor all without someone noticing they're "doctor shopping" for opioids... If you are going to doctor shop and use different pharmacies try not using the same insurance company to pay for all of them. Someone can see those claims, and guess what? We're not stupid.
  • Doctors who think that by being jerks, harassing, and threatening us will make us more inclined to approve their request. Here's a thought, be nice to me and I'll be nice to you. Amazing concept, I know. I just made it up... *insert sarcastic voice here*
  • Pharmacies who demand we allow them to dispense a 3 month supply of Oxycontin. Yeah that is a controlled substance level two, that means it is illegal to dispense more than a 30 day supply. "but we do it all the time!!!" Okay, let me just get the DEA on the line and have you repeat that statement.
  • Doctor: "The drug rep said the medication was far better than the generic counterpart." Did you ever consider that they're trying to sell you a product? Meaning they'll do whatever they can to make a buck, including lying to you?
  • Caller: "You mean I have to have the doctor's DEA for verification?" Me: No that part in the recording where they say a DEA will be required for all calls was put in there for the fun of it....
  • Patient's who are adamant they get all their medications in brand name only. The reason a generic was approved by the FDA was because it is exactly the same as the brand name, in fact they're often manufactured on the same conveyor line. They're also a lot cheaper, and nobody likes saving money so make sure you throw it away on the higher cost stuff.
This list could pretty much go on forever. However it is getting a bit late and I have to work tomorrow. I better go to bed so that I can be well rested to cope with societies finest and most intelligent individuals. Now you know why I don't trust doctors.... But on the bright side it is quite enjoyable to be a part of these hilarious moments in medical history. Good night!!
9:09 PM | Category: | 0 comments

Again, I apologize for the overdue post...
It seems like I'm always beginning my posts with an apology for the delay between posts, and of course this one is no different. I'd probably blog more if I could do it while at work. I can view blogs on my work computer but alas the oppressive man that is a corporate company will not allow me to log in. The company has this really fantastic set up where if you open up an "inappropriate" webpage they send information to some department within the company that keeps track of all the naughty sites you're trying to access, while throwing up a huge sign on your screen to let you know you were caught not working. Oh well, it cannot be avoided, it happens to the best of us. At least I'm being flagged for logging into blogger instead of surfing the web for porn right? I seem to have a lot of downtime at work and it would be great if I could use that downtime to entertain family and friends (or the lack thereof). However it is not meant to be, so there is my lengthy justification as to why I have not posted anything here.

So, what's happened the past few months?? ... Well we moved into our house and have attempted to get everything put together for an open house. Yeah we've been pretty slow at getting it all put together, but it'll happen one day. I think we only have closet doors left to paint and blinds to put up, and of course the tedious job of cleaning everything so it looks nice for visitors. I find myself spending more time working on the backyard than the inside of the house. Although I'm pretty sure the backyard doesn't look like much has been done. Next year I'll have my work cut out for me literally destroying "Old Man Winter's" previous yard doings. Yeah that's what we've decided to call the previous owner. His name was Guy, which is a wretched name for a male if you ask me, and he passed away in his old age. We've found more than enough of his "handiwork" around this place. He clearly was a do-it-yourself kind of guy but also must've lacked the ability or knowledge to Google how to actually do these projects. I cannot tell you how many times we've stood back and said "what was he thinking?!" Of course we can never come up with a valid answer, other than he must've lost a lot of screws (or marbles) while trying to better this place. Oh yes, we will be having a house warming party, possibly sometime in August, pending on Dan's travel schedule. Look for announcements and send me your address if you want to come. I'm making the announcements by myself, which is a tad bit ridiculous since my creativity is in the negative zone. I do not scrapbook, nor do I ever plan on doing such, so why I chose to hand make these invites is beyond me.

The ferrets love their new room! Yeah that's right, you knew I was going to talk about them somewhere in here. They have a whole room to themselves and it is far bigger than their last room. However they are ferrets and no matter how much space you give them, they want more. They are desperate to get out of their room, and we typically let them roam the whole house on a daily basis. Recently that came to an end since Ferrah decided she would weasel (yeah pun intended) her way into our heating vent in the up stairs bathroom. None the less that was a very frightening experience and I choose to avoid another such instance. They've enjoyed meeting the neighbors and love having long grass to roam in that doesn't contain dog poop like that of the old apartment complex.

We also decided the IRS is not that bad of an entity. Not only did they pay off what my husband owed in taxes but they wrote us a check for $6000, all because we bought a house! It's not like we wanted to stay in that crappy apartment with shabby management for a whole lot longer anyways. The first time homebuyers return was just an extra push for me to get my anxiety ridden butt into gear and get out of that place. We pay no more than we did in rent or utilities, yet we have more space and a room more conducive to our fur kids. Yeah they're never going away. If you don't like them than you are one unfortunate person and there is the door. I cannot imagine my life without them, nor am I willing to try such a life. Them fuzzy butts are here to stay, forever!!

Yesterday was my 22 birthday. Yay me! I love birthdays but it seems like very few people agree with me. My cute little cousin and aunt called me to sing happy birthday to me. Which was one of the highlights of my day. I also got an iPhone 4 and may be going on a shopping trip with my husband. My wonderful mommy got me a sewing machine!! Yeah this may sound a bit weird but I'm so excited, she probably is too. She used to try and give me sewing lessons since she is a master seamstress but I never thought sewing would come in handy. They have these new crazy things called stores that sell clothes, so its not like I need to make my own. However these little furry children of mine have made me want to sew! They love fleece sleep sacks, hammocks, and cage bedding. Up until now I've purchased all this stuff from others but it is getting a tad bit expensive and often times it isn't exactly what I was looking for. I found that for less than $25 I could make them a whole cage lining set, but I didn't have a sewing machine or the sewing skills. Sure I've made pillowcases and pajama pants but a whole cage set? I will start out small, with things like sleep sacks, then work up to the pan and shelf liners. How hard can it be? Fortunately ferrets do not care if I make a straight line or not; which is good since I doubt I will make many of them. Also no one will be evaluating my ferret bedding sets to make sure they were properly put together. Thanks mom for the sewing machine!!! I can't wait to make things for my four legged babies and maybe one day I can make other great things. Yeah that's right guys and gals, I've turned into quite the domesticated wife.

Well, wasn't that a long post? What can I say, I had a lot to get off my chest apparently. Plus I figure the longer it is the more time I have until you all require another post. Ha! See, I have my manipulative ways! Mwah ah ahah!!
8:02 PM | Category: | 1 comments