Why do pharmacists take so long to fill prescriptions?

Many people and patients have often wondered and complained about the long wait they have to endure when dealing with pharmacists to purchase medicines.  Sometimes it is understandable because the waiting time is due to the long line in the pharmacies.  In most cases, though, people don’t get answers when they inquire about the long wait involved in filling prescriptions.

One common reason for the delay in filling prescriptions by pharmacists may be the required data entry issue.  Some countries or states require that pharmacies keep a digital record of patients who order or collect drugs from their respective facilities.  This step alone may take some time because all of the basic information regarding a particular patient must be encoded onto a system.  Pharmacists are also dependent on the system in use by their store or facility.  Some record management systems require so much information to be encoded before anything can be done in terms of the actual dispensing of the drugs.

Pharmacists may also take a long time to serve one patient because he/she may need to check insurance coverage and restrictions regarding a particular patient.  In this particular concern, pharmacists literally need to do something extra like check online databases or call insurance agencies to confirm the coverage status of a particular patient.  There are also instances wherein pharmacists need to check certain records regarding a particular patient or drug.  This is especially true for prescriptions that involve high-potency or controlled drugs.

Sometimes the drug and prescription verification may also take some time.  This often applies to complicated cases wherein there are special instructions or precautions involved in the prescription given by doctors.  In this way, all the medicines are verified before they are released, and all instructions are carefully reviewed before allowing the patient to leave the pharmacy or drug store facility.