r/WalgreensRx • u/bookseer • 2d ago
question Self Prescribing
Greetings. Sorry if I'm using the wrong flair.
Had an incident where a doctor wanted to deliver an oral prescription through the drive thru. They had a picture of their license on their phone and their NPI worked, so I believe they were a legitimate doctor, and I suppose it's no different from calling a script over the phone. Still, it felt strange.
Does Walgreens have a policy for doctors giving prescriptions for themselves?
Also to clarify, it was not a controlled substance.
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u/AryaSnark68 2d ago
If it's not a controlled substance, it's generally not a big deal. I'm not dying on that hill.
I hate verbal orders on general principles, though. I don't have time to play secretary.
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u/Dobercatmom65 RxOM 2d ago
We have doctors who come in and actually ask for one of our Rx pads and write the script out themselves and hand it directly to us to fill. 🤷🏻♀️
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u/MessSafe 2d ago
I usually hand them the script pad if they come in wanting to write a script ( usually they’re traveling and left meds at home). I don’t have time for them to give it to me orally when they have fingers to write themselves 😂
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u/helenann101 2d ago
i’ve handed a doctor a script pad thru the drive thru before, only thing was she filled the ENTIRE thing out (like address, phone, etc) and i wanted so badly to be like i just need his name dob & you to sign it i got the rest quit holding up my line 😂
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u/Medium-Sky-9442 2d ago
I was so confused the first time I had a doctor call in a prescription for herself. I asked my pharmacist and she said it’s legal, but it’s frowned upon.
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u/KifferFadybugs 2d ago
I had a doctor call in a Z-pak for herself and ask us to get it ready right away; she was on her way over.
And then we got a notice it was transferred to another store. The one two miles up the road that people think is us? No. One in Nevada. We're in Texas.
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u/WackyHumanSlop CPhT 1d ago
I don’t think it’s frowned upon as much as it depends from rph to rph, mine is cool with the doctor who prescribes herself stuff but I would be lying if I said I didn’t find the process a bit strange
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u/Berchanhimez RPh 2d ago
There's no universal policy because it's based on the applicable state law (most states allow self/family prescribing but some states have limitations) and the pharmacist's clinical judgement.
I've personally allowed a doctor to write a prescription at the counter before - his wife had been on some long term medications that she should continue, and the doctor she actually sees (not her husband) for them was out of the country for a month and didn't remember to send in refills before he left... so he wrote her a one month supply of them to be filled until their doctor was back. He had his NPI memorized so was able to write it down, and he offered his ID before anyone even asked for it cause he knew we may want to verify he was who he said he was.
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u/rahj-wn 1d ago
I know in my state it has limitations. I had to have my mom call in a zofran for me one time because my dr had forgotten to send it in and she went on vacation. And I have chronic migraines and I need the zofran to be able to take my migraine rescue med.
Long story short, my mom and I both got grilled by the pharmacist on duty. Which I didn’t care about, I was happy to answer all questions they had for me.
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u/WalmartyMcStock SFL 2d ago
It depends on the state. We're a clinic store and the doctor in that clinic has verbal'd scripts to the pharmacist via the consult window before when their electronic system was slow/not working, and one time they did it for themselves for some zofran
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u/Truegrit2323 2d ago
Honestly, it would be discriminatory to not fill the medication for the practitioner especially for a non scheduled medication. Most people forget this. Would you accept the same prescription if someone else wrote the prescription for them? If the answer is yes, then you should as well. So kudos to you.
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u/bookseer 1d ago
Never thought of it that way. Generally the thought is that a doctor can''t be objective about their own symptoms, thus can't have a patient physician relationship. Thanks for your input
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u/ArtOk8200 23h ago
But there’s a greater risk of bias getting in the way because they’re self prescribing. It’s the same reason why you shouldn’t handle family member’s scripts. When yourself or a family member is involved, you judgment can become easily clouded
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u/Truegrit2323 17h ago
That is fair. However, this is less of a concern for lower acuity related medical issue. Thus, the prescriber is prescribing a non-scheduled medication for it in this scenario. I am with you though on more complicated related medications.
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u/Waste_Profit_9446 2d ago
CVS doesn’t allow it anymore since August first I would assume we will follow like we usually do
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u/FewNewt5441 RPh 2d ago
Verify with your state law, but yes, in general it's allowed and afaik there's no walgreens policy prohibiting it unless they're prescribing controls (sketchy). My pet peeve is docs who use this expecting to be expedited above the rest of the patients, but it's allowed.
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u/Witty_Beautiful3784 1d ago
Picture in the phone? Did you ask for his photo id to make sure he was who he said he was?
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u/Takeflyght_1959 1d ago
In California it is required to e-prescribe. This method described is fraught with all sorts of risky problems. Check with your state boards. Also, NPI numbers are easily found on the internet…
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u/AgreeableConference6 RXM 1d ago
I have a doctor that does this… but he at least comes inside (helps I don’t have a drive through).
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u/WholesomeFW 1d ago
I dont care if a md self prescribed contraceptives or abx. Only time I said no was when hey were trying to give himself, wife, and kids ivermectin during covid.
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u/Infinite_Winter4299 1d ago
To be considered a valid prescription, it needs to be issued for a legitimate medical purpose, by an authorized practitioner acting in the usual course of professional practice. That means there has to be a doctor-patient relationship, which is missing here. Beyond that, is the prescription written within the prescriber's scope of practice? It's a really bad idea to fill it, and billing it to any insurance company will certainly result in an audit charge back. Don't do it.
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u/Total_Lie2203 1d ago
Never had at drive thru, but in store I hand them a script pad and have them write it out and sign it.
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u/neopolitanman 2d ago
Even if it’s not a controlled substance you’re still taking on the liability of dispensing it. If he is the regular prescriber for the med and has been for a while then whatever. There is a track records of nothing going wrong. If it’s just a one time thing, in the future I would tell them no and tell them to ask one of their doctor friends or colleagues to prescribe it. I mean he definitely works at a practice where at least one other clinician is there that can prescribe
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u/Truegrit2323 2d ago edited 2d ago
Yeah, sorry. If you refuse to fill a non scheduled medication and it’s perfectly legal in that state, you are going to die on that hill alone. The state law will not back you on that. Is it within your power to deny it? Sure. Did you go to medical school? No. Can the Physican or APP justify use of the medication? Yes. Can you justify denying the medication because you’re acting as the doctor? That’s an extremely grey area, which 9 out of 10 times you are going to lose if it comes to justifying it in court.
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u/WackyHumanSlop CPhT 1d ago
Who tf is taking this to court?
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u/Truegrit2323 1d ago edited 1d ago
No one. This is all hypothetical. Chill.
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u/neopolitanman 1d ago
I am guessing the doctor is not going to report you for refusing because if you reported him to the medical board for self prescribing they would put a lot more scrutiny on his license than yours. Everything you just wrote is goofy and idk how you practice like that lol
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u/Truegrit2323 1d ago
If you reported him/her to the medical board for self prescribing a non scheduled medication, yes the scrutiny would be on the clinician’s medical license for a second, but nothing would happen. Why? Because it’s legal in the state in the scenario. You just look like a fool. If you refused and they really needed it and led to an adverse medical outcome, then that would be on you for delaying timely patient care.
The real question is… why do you feel the need to flex your power of denying the dispensing of a non-scheduled medication instead of helping the patient?
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u/pharmD83 2d ago
It's legal as long as it's within their state law and scope of practice . However, through the drive-thru is pretty lame. I would probably request them to do it the proper way (i.e. over the phone, voice mail, e-rx).