Most of the prescription medication are subsidized by the Australia Government through PBS, the patient only have to pay a fixed small portion of the full medication cost. The tiny portion is considered patient's contribution and if the total contribution of that calendar year have reached a bigger amount, patients are entitled access to medications at a cheaper rate for the rest of the calendar year. The catch is, if the patients get a month supply of medication, they are not to ask for another supply before 20 days after the previous supply or the contribution, the tiny amount that they pay would not be added to the bigger amount.
She came in, first customer of the day, wanting another refill (another supply) for four of her medications. Two of them were early, it has not been 20 days since the last supply.
Me: It seems that you are early for the refill on XXX and YYY. Thus, your contribution will not count towards safety net threshold (the bigger amount). Do you want me to proceed?
Customer: This is bullshit. If you pull this trick again, I swear I would never come back to this pharmacy again.
Me: *Okay, I think you are nuts* But it has absolutely nothing to do with our pharmacy, it is the government who comes out with the rule. Even other pharmacy will tell you the same thing.
Customer: I don't care. *That makes two of us* It is not that I abuse the drugs or anything, I just do not have the time to keep coming back to the pharmacy. Yada..yada..yada..
Obviously she could not understand there is a price to pay for getting her medication too early. The dispensing computer did came out with a note - "speak carefully" before I was allowed to dispense her medication, a note left by the previous pharmacist. It could not be more true in this case.
I added another note after the encounter, just proceed with immediate supply if needed, she does not want to know the PBS safety net 20 days rule.
What she does not know, does not hurt her.
I am sure she is not abusing her medication, sometimes a pack of blister with 10 tablets might just end up in the bin for no good reason and sometimes it is the dog's fault and sometimes it is the rainy days.
If she starts pulling tricks on me, I swear she will not get any medication at my pharmacy. See the resemblance? Of course, I do not own the pharmacy and she is still getting her meds.
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