California Assembly Discussion on the "Working Conditions of Retail Pharmacists"

Blog Team | May 12, 2009

On Friday, April 17th, at Exposition Park in Los Angeles, California Assemblymembers, retail chain pharmacists, academics, retail industry leaders, community leaders, and consumers came together to discuss the state of the retail chain pharmacy industry.

Led by California Assemblymember William Monning, who was joined by Assemblymembers John Pérez and Anthony Portantino, the hearing explored the working conditions of retail pharmacists, the role corporate policies play in...

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In Photos: Hearing of the California Assembly

Blog Team | May 11, 2009

Professor Ramon Castellblaunch, left, and Professor Kathleen Hill-Besinque.

Andrea Zinder, left, and Delphine Pregnon.

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New Date Set for California Hearing

Blog Team | April 2, 2009

The informational hearing on retail pharmacy issues has unfortunately been moved yet again by the California Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment. Legislative schedules are always difficult, but as you know this year the enormous challenges facing the legislature have made things even more complicated.

Please join us in Los Angeles for "Working Conditions of Retail Pharmacists: Are Workers and Consumers Being Harmed?" At the hearing pharmacists will have the opportunity to discuss issues including "fast food pharmacy," pharmacist workloads, the importance of having time to counsel patients, and other important issues to California's retail pharmacists.

NEW DATE:

WHEN: April 17, 2009 10:00-12:30
WHERE: Wallis Annenberg Building, Muses Room
California Science Center, Exposition Park
39th Street & Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90037

Click here to download a map of the Science Center and the Wallis Annenberg Building.

We apologize for any inconvenience the rescheduled time may have caused. We look forward to seeing you on the 17th.

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Would disclosing error rates help reduce errors?

Blog Team | March 31, 2009

Hartford Courant columnist George Gombossy tells the story of a Southington, CT. man who, after recieving the wrong medication from his local CVS, complained to the company about the mistake. Gombossy went a step further, and asked CVS how often its pharmacies made medication errors. The response from the company was vague at best:

"All I was able to get from the CVS spokesman, Michael J. DeAngelis, were general claims, none of which he could prove or provide statistics to support.

"Our error rate is a small fraction of 1 percent that continues to decline," DeAngelis said.

What does that mean, I asked. Considering that CVS fills 580,000,000 prescriptions a year, a fraction of 1 percent error rate could mean thousands, if not tens of thousands, of mistakes. He refused to be more specific."

In his search to find out more about pharmacy error rates, Gombossy learned some surprising statistics about his local pharmacy chains:

Consumer Protection Commissioner Jerry Farrell Jr., whose agency regulates pharmacists in Connecticut, said he receives a few complaints about prescription mixups each year from patients, doctors and hospitals. For instance, he received 19 complaints against CVS pharmacists last year. Walgreens and Rite Aid had seven each, Wal-Mart had four and Target had one.

Disclosing pharmacy error rates may or may not help reduce their occurence, but it will certainly make consumers more aware that the bottle they open might not contain the right medication.

Articles about pharmacy errors such as this one fail to highlight the root cause of many pharmacy mistakes - policies at retail pharmacy chains that incentivize speed over patient safety and other "fast-food pharmacy" policies.

It is time for pharmacists to speak out to draw attention to harmful corporate policies that hurt pharmacists and patients.

Read the full article at:
http://www.courant.com/business/custom/consumer/hc-watchdog0322.artmar22-col,0,5622612.column

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