Rage Against The Machine told me my anger was a gift, but I never really believed it until today. I do remember being angry. I was angry because a certain rent-a-doc pulling a shift at the public health clinic had sent his patient to me with a prescription for Prevacid in hand.
Follow me here. Public health clinic = poor people. Not a hard connection to make, but one that seemed beyond the comprehension of the rent-a-doc. Those of you in the profession probably know where I'm going with this.
I pulled the woman aside. She didn't want to look me in the eye. I tried to speak to her but got only a soft spoken "no habla ingles"
I was mad. I wasn't gonna let this one go. I paged for the janitor to come to the pharmacy to act as a translator.
"Ma'am, this prescriton is very expensive...."
"señora, esta receta es muy caro"
"She says she'll pay, her husband's stomach really hurts." The janitor really looked kinda annoyed to be doing this. I didn't care. I wasn't letting this one go.
"Ask her if her husband has tried anything that didn't help" On the other side of the pharmacy a wrinkly white dude with a pinkish hue was giving my tech a hard time over why his prescription for Viagra was taking so long to fill.
After a few minutes of misunderstanding she showed me a bottle of store-brand Maalox that "wasn't working anymore."
Those of you in the profession know what I did next. Prevacid runs about $160 a month. A deductible to meet meant she was gonna pay full freight. I grabbed a box of $30 Prilosec from the antacid aisle and sent word through the translator for the woman's husband to take it regularly for a couple weeks.
This actually happened a long time ago. The main reason I remember it was because of how much of a dick the pinkish white man was being when I got back to the pharmacy. The pinkish white man came very close to being invited to never come back.
The little pink man burned the incident into my memory, but I got a reminder yesterday when I looked up and saw the woman standing in front of me with the janitor.
"She says you're a good doctor" The janitor said. "She bought her son's Christmas present with the money you saved her. "
Holy crap. Every once in a while you win one. 15 years of how much longer, why does it cost so much, where are the paper plates, pointless prior auths, and early narcotic refills, but every once in awhile me and the Miami Dolphins can win one.
Tomorrow I go back to being the health care equivalent of second string Miami Dolphins right guard Gene Mruczkowski, a well compensated, highly trained professional who had to work like hell for the right to become a doormat. I'll bet Gene has a thing for scotch.
None for me tonight though. Every once in awhile you win one.
12 comments:
Truly awesome, congrats. That boy may not remember the gift in 10 years but the few moments of joy he got by getting a present can never be replaced.
Woot! It's not often we get to find out the consequences of our kindness to strangers.
I've been reading you for a long while -- I think you're a first stringer all the way.
i like it when you are angry and ranting much better. this sappy stuff gives me heartburn.
please pass the prevacid.
Yup! I love it when that happens. And it has happened to me. 3 times. In 18 years......
I love you drugmonkey.
High-five, Drugmonkey. You did a good deed, and you will be rewarded. Let's hope that your reward involves Obama getting into the White House.
MJ
I must be f***ing hormonal because I almost started to tear up.
Yay! I work in a public health type clinic, and see patients all the time who have been prescribed ridiculously expensive drugs by previous clinics. I'm so glad that she came back to say something to you. It really means a lot!
One good attaboy makes up for a whole lotta ah shits, doesn't it?
Master of All Things Pharmacy,
The serfs are tearing up. I hope the luuuzer with Viagra didn't get any that night.
LD/50 Rat
Very impressive story! Thanks for sharing!
i wish we had a janitor to translate...
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