I really wanted to like this pharmacy, but am afraid I can't share the local love due to recurrent insurance billing issues which arise EVERY time I get my monthly prescriptions filled. Very simple-- I have two types of insurance. Two of the three prescriptions are covered by my primary with a zero copay. The other one is covered by the secondary with a 1.20 copay. Total for the same three prescriptions monthly should be 1.20. I am not kidding-- EVERY time I go in, I'm met with "your insurance doesn't cover this", and have to wait additional time for them to straighten out things (if that even happens-- one time I just paid what they were asking, then had to call my insurance, the insurance had to call the pharmacy, explain to them how it should be billed, also tell me to tell them how to put it in the system, then call me back or wait for a call back from the pharmacy, etc., etc.) Since when is figuring out the pharmacy billing system the job of the patient??
I'm also really confused as to how their system generates error codes-- one time they tried to bill me full price for birth control, because the apparent insurance error code stated 'patient is pregnant', and therefore would not cover it. Honestly, wtf? I've never had anything like that happen at any pharmacy, ever. Not to mention, it's birth control-- FFS, why would I be pregnant? I'm convinced there's a random denial-of-coverage error code generator built into their system-- "Nope, sorry. Your insurance won't cover this. It says 'patient deceased', so you know, you're dead. You'll have to call your insurance. Would you like to pay full price instead?"
Let's just say today was the last straw-- I received an automated call from the pharmacy stating that I had an Rx ready to be picked up. Okay, they have everything all ironed out from last time, right? Wrong. This time, the system was showing them yet another error code: "patient not found" (same insurance I've had for years), so I had to wait an additional 25 mins for them to verify eligibility-- mind you, this is the same Rx I had JUST FILLED LAST MONTH with the SAME INSURANCE-- a refill! Personally, I believe the owner doesn't like dealing with insurance because it takes money out of her pocket, which is unethical. Furthermore, I think the techs are "trained" to reflect this-- (really, EVERY tech hired can't be utterly stupefied by the billing process as I've experienced on a recurring monthly basis.)
Another irritating thing about this place is how the owner's mug is plastered everywhere, on posters, pamphlets, walls, website. It's a completely egocentric turn-off. Are you a pharmacist or some kind of legend in your own mind?
I plan to follow up on this--your shitty boutique pharmacy shouldn't be listed as an AHCCCS pharmacy if you're not willing to fill AHCCCS-covered prescriptions. I've been very restrained, and I will not be hassled or haggled every month. It's $1.20, and my insurance does indeed "cover it". In fact, it covers the shit out of it.
If Melrose Pharmacy just simply stated that they only serve people who pay out-of-pocket, I would have known to go elsewhere. If you're not making money, just close your doors. Being economically selective should be ethically out of the question for you. It's a pharmacy, not a friggin' country club. (And to think I traveled out of my way to support this place!) Back to CVS for me, gladly. They don't have a certain socioeconomic "type" they exclusively serve. read more