Most CVS pharmacies are high volume stores, and pharmacists are asked to fill as many prescriptions as possible. When pharmacists and technicians rush, they often make mistakes. Sadly, medication mistakes may be innocent in nature, but these types of errors have serious health consequences for CVS customers.
Read these examples below posted to a consumer affairs blog to see firsthand the type of CVS prescription errors that have been made this past year and just how dangerous these mistakes are to patients who rely on getting the right prescriptions from their CVS pharmacy.
- Zeina, of Dearborn Heights, MI, wrote that she almost lost her 3-year-old daughter due to a pharmacist giving her the wrong drug. The doctor prescribed her daughter Claritin 10, but the CVS pharmacist filled Clonidine (a blood pressure medicine). After her daughter was on the medication, Zeina noticed that she was always tired and sleeping 18 hours a day. A doctor discovered the medication error caused by the CVS pharmacist. Because of this, her daughter spent seven days in the hospital due to this prescription error.
- Lenora, of Houston, TX, wrote that her mother received the wrong medication from her local CVS pharmacy. She noticed her mother dosing off more than usual and went to read the bottle to call in a refill for her mom, but another person’s name was on the prescription bottle. The pharmacy not only gave her a wrong drug, but someone else’s medication.
Why Do These Medication Mistakes at CVS Continue to Occur?
It’s simple. CVS seems to value speed over safety. In fact, there have been many investigations into pharmacies over this concern. An investigation by North Carolina’s WCNC-TV cited that CVS pays their pharmacists bonuses for how many prescriptions they fill. The station stated they received the records showing that over 80 percent of pharmacists’ incentive pay was derived by the number of filled prescriptions, causing a demand for higher prescription volume.
Some CVS pharmacies have been cited by different state pharmacy boards for working conditions that cause pharmacists to be so busy that they make mistakes and put patients at risk. It has been reported that about 150 prescriptions filled per day is a safe benchmark for avoiding medication mistakes; however, many pharmacies fill 200 scripts or more per day.
Our pharmacy error lawyers at Kennedy Hodges are concerned that more cases of pharmacy malpractice are happening because of the demands put on pharmacists to fill more prescriptions to increase profits. If you or your loved one were injured by a CVS pharmacy, call us today for a free consultation at 888-526-7616 and a FREE copy of our report, How to Make Pharmacies Pay for Injuries Caused by Medication Errors.