medco/GHI rant

This is what I sent to Medco recently in response to their survey.

After receiving info today from GHI, yet again, telling me never to stop taking my anti-depressants without first talking to my doctor, reminding me that it may take 6 months to see results, I am so angry that the combination of GHI/Medco has made it virtually impossible to get my anti-depressants on time, regardless of when I put the order in.

I order my anti-depressants quarterly for a 3-month supply as required. The last two times, I have had significant problems.

Here’s what happened with my anti-depressant, Cymbalta:

On Feb 3, 2009, I received a note from Medco dated 1-26-09 saying that I did not have the authorizations I needed. I’d already had the order in for two weeks and was shocked. I spoke to Larry at GHI who said all the authorizations were fine and Medco should be shipping any day.

On Friday Feb 6, 2009, I checked online and saw that my Cymbalta order was no longer there. I spoke with Liza, a customer service rep from Medco who is obviously paid to say no. She said orders don’t disappear, mine did. I believe it timed out in the system. She was absolutely no help and I ended up screaming at her because I know how important it is that I don’t miss my meds. I finally insisted on speaking with a supervisor and spoke with Akisha who was understanding, did not assume I was lying, checked out everything and set it up so that my Rx was delivered the following Tues at no cost to me. That’s all I wanted.

On May 11, 2009, I had to go through the same thing again. I spoke to Akisha at GHI who said she would call Medco with the authorization and get back to me. I never heard back, so I called again and spoke to Raymond who told me that he would be the person to put through an expedited order and had nothing for me. He not only put through my order, but also got me a 7-day supply from my local pharmacy so I wouldn’t miss even one dose. He was fantastic!

When GHI moved to Medco:

My birth control pills did not get transferred, and I didn’t find out about it until it was almost too late. I’m not supposed to miss doses of birth control pills.

I received only a 30-day supply for Allegra-D, which Express Scripts says is a “maintenance drug” and can be dispensed in 90-day increments. I had to call to find out Medco does not classify it as a maintenance drug, so I have to order and pay $54.28/month.

I pay GHI $650/month for the privilege of paying $341.75 out-of-pocket for Cymbalta quarterly.

As a technology manager, I know that the problem is Medco and GHI’s systems don’t properly communicate. If I were the boss, I’d have to say, “then find a provider our system does speak with.” I can’t even get a price until my order arrives.

Honestly, I can’t wait to dump both GHI and Medco. Dealing with healthcare should not make me ill. Please do something to improve communications between GHI and Medco so others like me don’t have to suffer.