Problems with Walmart med transfer

[ctpres]

Apparently every time you order/transfer meds at a new Walmart another profile is created in the main database. Seems we now have too many and latest transfer request created problems. Associate advised us to get with home base Walmart to clear out the extras.
Anyone familiar with Walmart system and have a better solution?

[clutch1]

We have used Walmart for 7 years in Idaho and Arizona with no problems. They have always been courteous and helpful. We usually try to be there when the pharmacy opens so the wait time is minimal.

[DKAvery]

I'm afraid to admit that I work at a Walmart Pharmacy :E

I'm not certain what problem you ran into, but I don't think it was because of too many new profiles. Each "region" acts like an entity ... which means I can see and pull prescriptions from other stores in my region. I can also pull Rxs from other store not in the region, just takes a phone call. I couldn't care less if you had a profile in a hundred other stores.

There are some government rules which you might have run against. Some states limit things being pulled across state lines. Not sure why they do that, but there are a few states where I cannot get a prescription.

Some states also limit how and when a prescription can be transferred. Example, in Texas "controlled" drugs like pain killers and stuff can only be transferred once. After that you are out of luck or have to get the doctor to call in a new one to the new store.

If you have monthly drugs I'd suggest mail order, and use the forwarding service so your order follows you. That way you can order your RXs over the internet or by phone. Just make sure you have a buffer in case it takes several weeks to reach you.

If you need one and can't do mail order, then any Walmart should be able to help you. Keep in mind that if the order has already been filled in one location, the new pharmacy will have to call the old one, wait for the old one to "unfill" the order and then transfer the RX to the new store. Depending on how good/busy the old pharmacy is, it might take a day or two.

If you are still having problems, send me a private email and I'll do what I can to see what is causing your delay.
Regards,
Donna

[BarbaraOK]

Look at using Express Script if your physician will write 90 day scripts with 4 refills for the year. Every thing is done online - very, very easy to use.

Barb

[ctpres]

was_butnotnow wrote:
I log into my Walmart account and select prescriptions. It lists my scrips and I hit refill and it gives me a choice of which store it want it filled at or if I want it sent via mail for free. I just tell it the zip code and it gives me a selection of stores to choose. If I'm out of refills I call my DR and give them the ax number fo the store I want it filled at. Then it is in the national Walmart system.

WOW I did not know about online med ordering. If that works - problem solved. THANK YOU!

[was_butnotnow]

I log into my Walmart account and select prescriptions. It lists my scrips and I hit refill and it gives me a choice of which store it want it filled at or if I want it sent via mail for free. I just tell it the zip code and it gives me a selection of stores to choose. If I'm out of refills I call my DR and give them the ax number fo the store I want it filled at. Then it is in the national Walmart system.

[Dave_E]

In our travels we have used Walgreen extensively. we tried using others , with the results of us going back to Walgreens which has the easiest system to use. I ran out of a prescription in a town in tx and didn't realize the doctor had to be called to renew, talked to he pharmacist and he gave me a three day supply to tide me over until they could call the doctor this was on a Saturday and the prescription was ready Tuesday afternoon. Great service and no hassles....

[Pop-Pop_C]

We have been "Fulltiming" for 2 years. We use "Walgreens", have not
Had any problems so far. We base in Tx. All we do is put In our RX# and where we want topic kit up.

[Halmfamily]

If your insurance allows transfer to your scripts to Walgreen's, over 8000 stores across the country. As others have said have your doctor write your scripts for 90 days with four refills. Your profile then can be viewed by any Walgreens pharmacy. If you have a smart phone, get the Walgreens app and you can simply scan your bottle at the time of your refill, pick the location nearest to you and go pick up your meds. Any Walgreens can easily transfer your meds from Walmart as long as it is not a controlled substance. And yes I am a Walgreens store manager. Be Well.

[2gypsies1]

As full-timers who travel constantly, we've used Wal Mart pharmacies all over the country for 16+ years with no problems. We have always gotten good customer satisfaction at the pharmacy and in their stores.

[RoadLife]

huh. At the WalMart here in Santa Fe they told me the same thing - I had too many profiles. The woman behind the counter fixed it, reducing it to one profile. It sounds like your WalMart person didn't know how to do it. Next time ask to talk to the pharmacist or manager.

Besides, its not a problem for us. It is a problem for them - cluttering up their system.

[gotsmart]

I've never heard of this 'creating profiles' problem. I haven't run into it - yet. I use 5 different Walmarts in western WA in my travels and the only issue I've had is when I get a script refilled at a Walmart that didn't fill the original prescription.

If the original prescription is at store #1 and I get it refilled at store #2 then store #2 has to transfer the prescription (the RX number on the bottle) to their store, before filling it. If I call store #2 I have to leave a voicemail message or talk with someone. As far as I can tell, the automated refill option over the phone only works at the Walmart store that last filled the prescription.

If I go back to Walmart store #1 for the next refill then store #1 has to transfer it from store #2. Why? I don't know. It may be that Walmart has a policy that each of its pharmacies needs to take ownership of the prescriptions that they fill. The only other reason I can think of is that the RX number is not unique enough to be used in a national database and Walmart doesn't see a need to update its pharmacy software, so it puts the burden on each store's pharmacy to do the work.

[BarbaraOK]

Why not use a mail pharmacy like Express Scripts. We get a prescription for 90 days with 4 refills for each of our meds and then get our refills online sent to our address (or another address if we are going to be there for a while) and never have to worry about transferring prescriptions. Or go with Walgreens and have your physician write the script for 90 days with 4 refills. Either way, much better than monthly refills.

Barb

[ctpres]

sch911 wrote:
You should not be asking them to create new profiles, but rather have them transfer your existing profile to the new store. Perhaps that is your issue?

We don't ask for new profile, in fact we never heard the word "profile" from Walmart until yesterday after two days of store visits and phone calls to our Doc and the local Walmart. We just ask to get prescriptions filled and answer questions. I would guess if we asked Walmart to transfer profile to a new store several time a month that our doctors would have an even bigger problem keeping up with where to send renewals. Not to mention problem of getting renewals from doc before we know which Walmart will be our next stop. There must be some key word or way to ask for transfer at each Walmart to prevent this problem. If anybody knows a way around this - let everyone know.

[sch911]

You should not be asking them to create new profiles, but rather have them transfer your existing profile to the new store. Perhaps that is your issue?