The Prescription Filling Process

Before proceeding to other topics I thought it necessary to actually explain the process of filling a prescription in the pharmacy. While different pharmacies may differ slightly the general process is the same.

     1.   Customer drops off the prescription at the pharmacy

     2.   Pharmacy technician should ask if filled at the pharmacy before

     3.   If not the customer’s personal information needs to be entered in to the computer

• Name
• Date of birth
• Address
• Phone number
• Any allergies to medications
• Insurance information

     4.   If so the technician will proceed to inspect the prescription to verify crucial information

• Customer’s name and spelling
• Customer’s date of birth
• Date doctor wrote the prescription
• Name of medication
• Medication strength
• Proper and legible directions (Sig – from Latin word Signa meaning “write”)
• Quantity of medication
• Number of refills prescribed
• Doctor’s Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) number
• Doctor’s signature
• Prescription’s security feature (differs from script to script)

     5.   Pharmacy technician types prescription in to system to be filled

     6.   Prescription joins queue to be filled in proper order based on time entered

     7.   Generally people who wait for the prescription in store gain priority

     8.   Pharmacy technician prints out label

     9.   Drug stock bottle pulled from shelf

    10.  National Drug Code (NDC) on stock bottle compared to NDC on label to ensure proper drug
           has been pulled

    11.  Pharmacy technician counts (in intervals of five) proper dispensed quantity

    12.  Some drugs may be double counted to ensure proper dispensed quantity, e.g. controlled
           medications

    13.  Counted medication dispensed in to vial which is then capped and labeled

    14.  Prescription vial and label passed to pharmacist to be verified

    15.  Pharmacist verifies the prescription has been properly inputted against a copy of the
           prescription hard copy

    16.  If no mistakes were made the prescription is then bagged, ready to be sold

During the entire process the pharmacist and technicians must field phone calls, answer questions, and assist other customers.