Pressure to Fill More Prescriptions Leads to Increased Error-Rate

Pharmacies are businesses. They exist to make money. When a pharmacy wants to pad the proverbial “bottom line” this usually means cutting corners elsewhere. In a frightening news report out of Houston, reporters spoke to several former pharmacists and pharmacy experts who told them that the public has no idea what is going on and how common pharmacy errors really are.

According to one former pharmacist, recently some pharmacies like CVS have started using “metrics” to track the efficiency of pharmacists, encouraging them to fill more prescriptions per hour. The ultimate goal of these metrics is to allow management to cut back on the cost of staffing, only having the necessary number of pharmacists and pharmacist technicians on the floor at one time.

However, when pharmacies try and walk this fine line, they often push their pharmacists too hard, creating a dangerous situation where errors are much more likely to occur. As one former CVS pharmacist recalls telling his management team, “I kept saying we’re going to hurt a child or hurt a senior citizen.”

Pharmacy Error Cases

Due in part to the recent push pharmacists are facing to be more efficient, we are seeing more and more cases filed against pharmacies and pharmacists claiming that the pharmacist’s error resulted in serious injury or death. These cases—often called misfill cases or prescription-error cases—can result in a large settlement or jury verdict for an injured or aggrieved plaintiff.

Pharmacists and the pharmacies they work for owe a duty to all their patients to fill each prescription with diligence and care. However, under the current pressures in the industry, pharmacists are not always taking the amount of time they need to fill each prescription accurately.

When this happens, the chance that someone will ingest a dangerous and unprescribed medication increases dramatically. While a pharmacy error does not always result in serious injury or death, the potential is certainly there. In fact, the FDA estimates that there is one death per day due to a pharmacy error. In addition, there are over 1.3 million injuries each year from the same.

Were You Injured by a Pharmacist’s Mistake?

If you or a loved one has recently fallen victim to a pharmacist’s negligence, you may be entitled to monetary compensation to help you pay for your medical expenses, both past and future. In addition, you may be entitled to an additional award amount to help you cope with the pain and suffering the injury caused you. To learn more about pharmacy error cases, and to speak with a dedicated attorney about your potential case, contact one of the skilled attorneys at the Maryland personal injury law firm of Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers. The attorneys at Lebowitz & Mzhen have decades of combined experience litigating all kinds of medical malpractice cases. Call 410-654-3600 today to set up a free consultation.

More Blog Posts:

New Zealand Man Dies Due to Pharmacist’s Error, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer Blog, September 3, 2014.

Pharmacist Overprescribes Blood-Thinner, Causing Man to Cough Up Blood, Pharmacy Error Injury Lawyer Blog, October 9, 2014.

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