Harrowing Hospital History

Normally I do not like to write about personal issues on my book blog here, but the past 18 months to two years, the hospital pharmacy that fills my prescriptions has been less than stellar. Here is what I’ve been dealing with at Harborview Medical Center‘s pharmacy at 9th and Jefferson in Seattle WA. If anyone has an ‘in’ with any government official or office that regulates hospitals, hospital pharmacies, pharmacies, the Harborview board of regents, attorney general’s office, etc, please feel free to forward this on.

We left a copy of what refills the pharmacy has on record for my pills which shows between 0 and 3 refills. You stated that all the prescriptions had six refills left, which is obviously higher than what the harborview pharmacy stated. This has been the issue, on and off, for the last 18 months, and consistently for the last six months. Each month they state that all the prescriptions have run out and have to rush to get new prescriptions from my doctors, only to start over again the next month.

Another issue is after ordering refills on harborview’s online refill website, they never get filled at harborview’s pharmacy. Consist

ently, the pharmacy asks me to return the next week/day/etc and see if they have been ordered and filled because ‘someone at the pharmacy’ isn’t doing their job. The past two months i’ve stayed my ground and made the pharmacy manager, “Bob” (who never gives a card or his last name) fill my prescriptions before I leave. The clerks are rude and uninformed about harborview’s pharmacy rules and regulations, often chivvying elderly and sicker patients off and out the door with the exact same issues.

Now, my kidney transplant is failing, I believe, partly due to the lack of work ethic and skill at harborview pharmacy. This ineptness cannot and will not continue. I will not die because of Harborview’s pharmacy manager, employees and doctors offices cannot get in sync.

I plan on sending my report concerning how I’ve been dealt with at Harborview’s pharmacy for the past two years to the hospital director, the board of regents, whatever government agencies regulate pharmacies, pharmacists, technicians, the state attorney general’s office and whatever else agency and organization that needs to be involved.

The pharmacy regularly has inaccurate records of prescriptions, numbers of refills and patient records. I don’t know what is going on between harborview’s doctor’s offices and the hospital pharmacy, but I believe several government investigations will get to the bottom of the issue.

Signed, A Harrowed Harborview Patient.