They say that timing is everything. More car accidents occur at certain times, like late weekend nights or weekday rush hours. Airfares are cheapest on Wednesdays. Did you know that timing also matters when it comes to filling your prescriptions?
Overworked medical professionals make mistakes, and pharmacists are no exception. However, as it turns out, there may be a way to tell when your pharmacist will be overworked. A study that looked at prescription drug deaths from 1979 to 2000 saw that most deaths occurred during the first week of the month.
Was pharmacy error to blame for these deaths? Many experts suspect that they could be. Pharmacies face a huge increase in demand during the first week of the month. What is the cause for this rise in demand? Social Security and public assistance payments are typically disbursed at the beginning of the month, so people who struggle to pay for their medications wait until the beginning of the month to order prescriptions. This leaves pharmacists scrambling to fill orders and consult with patients, and it opens the door for greater risk of pharmacy errors.
Wait Until the Middle of the Month
While you cannot always control when you need a prescription, if you can help it, aim for mid-month or towards the end of the month to place your order. Your pharmacist may have more time to consult with you individually, and has likely had less pressure to get your medication order filled quickly.
Have you experienced the beginning of the month pharmacy dash? Did it result in an error with your prescription? Talk to us today by clicking the live chat link on this page to learn more about your rights when it comes to pharmacy errors.
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