The trip is over and now all the daily activities begin again. Cooking, washing dishes and the one chore I dislike most .... ordering refills from the pharmacy.
Humana mail order pharmacy. While it is a fact that you can download the app on your phone or even do it on-line, I have found that it is easiest to just bite the bullet and call. The web site is not as easy as they would want you to believe to navigate and for whatever reason, it will require a phone call any way.
We both need refills. I treated myself to a second cup of coffee as I readied myself for the ordeal I was about to go through. This was going to be a two-call event. I have tried to accomplish both our refills with one call and that ended up making me want to cry. First call was for HeWho's card was not in my possession. If I am lucky, I will not have to recite his member numbers.
Member seems like an odd thing to call us. It makes me feel like we should have a say in how the business runs. We don't, despite all the brief questionnaires we are encouraged to answer everytime we call. The calls are recorded for quality purposes. Should they listen to mine, they would have no problem pin-pointing deficientcies in their operations.
The long annoying prompts cannot be skipped over. From experience, I can tell you that should you try, it will start at the beginning again. I don't care what day of the week or time of the year it is, the prompt always begins with a long diatribe explaining that the call volume is higher than usual. Alternative suggestions are given on how to order your refills. Then you are asked to stay on the line if you insist on making your requests for refills. The next prompt announces that you have reached Humana Pharmacy. Do not make any comments here, you know, like "gee, I hope so". This will send you back to the beginning. You must wait until you are told to state your reason for the call, after the example, "Like, I would like to refill my blood pressure medication", then you may speak. This is where I yell "REFILL" from the kitchen sink where I am washing dishes. The automated voice then says, "Okay. Please verify your date of birth." ( I am not verifying, they are!). I toss out the birthdate of HeWho, as it is his refills I am ordering. They repeat it back, and this is when I verify that it is correct. The voice then tells me that from the information I have provided the computer indicates that there are 8 prescription that qualify for refill and asks if I would like to review them, or would I like to simply order all of them. Of course I want to review them, he only needs one of them refilled. He has discontinued taking four of the eight and once a prescription leaves the facility, it cannot be returned.
I continue washing dishes and saying, yes and no to the voice. Then it repeats my order and then asks if I would like to hear it again. I agree that it is what I want and that no, I don't want to hear it again. After that the voice tells me the co-pay and asks if they should use the card number ending in 40**. I agree they should. The voice makes me verify my address and then asks me if I need a minute to find something to write down the confirmation number. I don't, as I have no intention of recording that number, having once used it to reference a pending order that had not arrived and it seemed to cause all manner of chaos with the live person I got on the line. Before the phone call ends, they ask if I might be willing to answer a few questions before I hang up. NO, no questions. I know from experience that they want me to rate service on a sliding scale with 5 meaning "most likely" and 1 meaning "most unlikely".
By now the dishes are done and my kitchen is sparkling. I dial the number again for my prescriptions. I load the washing machine and unload the dryer as I wait for the prompts to end so that I can give them my birthdate. Experience has taught me not to venture too far from the cabinet that holds my pills and my insurance card. After my birthdate I am asked for my zipcode, then my member number. This annoys me and I eat some Tums. I am going through the same agonizingly slow process again and when asked if I want my list of prescriptions repeated I lose all self control and yell at the phone, "For the love of all that is Holy, will you please just send me my pills and stop tormenting me!" "Would you please repeat that?" "NO".
I hope they listen to this. I understand that we are old and that they have most of the Medicare accounts, but why take a simple refill request and make it an event that no one ever looks forward to? If thay have the prescription number, it will tell them who you are. It shouldn't be associated with anyone else and they can them verify you are who you are with your birthdate or address. Why do they have to make it such a headache. I sent them an e-mail saying all of this after receiveing an e-mail from them telling me my prescription was not due for a refill until the next week. The automated voice on their end had suggested I add it and said that it would automatically be refilled six days later. Why did they then send out an email with an accusing tone that suggested I did not know how to order refills? Why?
5 comments:
My husband goes through this all the time. So aggravationg. I shout at the machine too and it sends me back. I'm waiting for it to say, "Please don't curse."
So are you still in the park and when is your resettlement in NC?
Tales like this make me so glad I live a short five minute walk away from my chemist. I hand in my prescriptions, he says they'll be about ten minutes, I go across to the supermarket for milk and a newspaper and then go pick up my pills. I'm away from home for about twenty minutes with no phone call hassles.
I like the IDEA of living in the middle of nowhere, far away from the madding crowds, but I much prefer the convenience of the suburbs.
That dang Humana calls Hick three times a day (or more!), five days a week, saying it's time for his annual medicine review. He's already done it twice this year. So their definition of ANNUAL must be different than ours. Hick says they're only trying to strong-arm (strong-ear?) him into using their mail order service. Which we can't do, having our mailbox a mile away, out on the county road for ne'er-do-wells to help themselves to packages.
I have Humana too. And I have the exact same complaints. Back when they had humans, a refill would take maybe 5 minutes. Now you're lucky if it takes less than 10. Has any business been improved by Voice Mail? I don't think so!
Did you change your ZIP Code and address with them since you’ve moved?
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