Did anyone take Penn.com course?

[Guest guest]

I am thinking about taking Pharm Tech online training from

Penn.com. Price is reasonable as compared to other online

places but... $500 for study materials?

Wouldn't studying from a good Pharm Tech book by myself be the same

and MUCH cheaper since I only would need to buy one book for approx

$40 (which I already have by the way)?

Just wondering if investing in this course is worth the money.

They also give me a diploma after finishing the course, but I am

pretty sure none of the pharmacies would care to see.

Thank you for your input.

Anneka

[Guest guest]

Anneka,

I took the online Pharm Tech program through Penn a few years

ago. It did thoroughly prepare me for the PTCE, however, I do think

that you can get the same bang for your buck if you have a good

pharm tech book and you study the guidelines given on the PTCB

website. By the way, the diploma isn't of much use

--Wheelock

>

> I am thinking about taking Pharm Tech online training from

> Penn.com. Price is reasonable as compared to other online

> places but... $500 for study materials?

>

> Wouldn't studying from a good Pharm Tech book by myself be the

same

> and MUCH cheaper since I only would need to buy one book for

approx

> $40 (which I already have by the way)?

>

> Just wondering if investing in this course is worth the money.

> They also give me a diploma after finishing the course, but I am

> pretty sure none of the pharmacies would care to see.

>

> Thank you for your input.

> Anneka

>

[Guest guest]

Thank you for your input on Penn course. You just confirmed my

decision that I won't bother with any online course but instead study on my own

using online study materials.

Anneka

[Guest guest]

Jeanetta,

Most CC these days are between $500 and $1200/ semester (depending on the

state). Ours is approx. $700 before books and fees. My program equates to 2

semester core classes and 1 semester pre-req's (not counting classes to get

them to english and math level).

I try to " help " the students by having my books " packaged " - they are all

from the same publisher - buy all of them the first semeste, so there is no

additional cost for textbooks the second semester. This reduced the students

cost for books over $100 from the texts I used previously.

I require my students to wear a uniform, and they are required to have 2

different styles - one is kakhi's w/ an embroidered polo, the other is a set of

scrubs - top embroidered or a program patch must be purschased. As well as

CLEAN, white shoes - the cost for uniforms is approx. $65 (not counting the

shoes). The uniform supply gives them a discount on the scrubs when bought as

a set.

There is also the state board costs and PTCB exam - I tell the students up

front - $25 application fee for the state for training permit, $50 fee for the

background check, $100 for application for a state certificate (once program

and 600 training hours are completed) and $129 for the PTCB exam.

So - for 3 semesters - the cost I estimate is $3500 - 4000. 10 years ago -

it cost me approx. $1200 total for the two semesters.

Comparison - I previously taught at a Career College. The 9 month program

cost the students approx. $9000 - 12000. So - a community college, even with

additional semesters for pre-requisites (which most of these would transfer if

the student later chose to continue their education) is still much more

affordable.

Respectfully,

Anne LaVance, BS, CPhT

Program Director - Delgado Community College

New Orleans, LA

TEXPERT

************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.

[Guest guest]

PASSING the PTCB or ExCPT is ONE thing, but BEING a TECH with

knowledge and experience is ANOTHER! So IF you CAN go to a school or

tech program. GET mock labs and an EXTERNSHIP.

IF your state allows you to just get the PTCB then you can work EXPECT

to NEED to LEARN MUCH on the JOB. ASK questions on the job!

Respectfully,

Jeanetta Mastron CPhT BS

Pharm Tech Educator

Founder/Owner of this site

> >

> > I am thinking about taking Pharm Tech online training from

> > Penn.com. Price is reasonable as compared to other online

> > places but... $500 for study materials?

> >

> > Wouldn't studying from a good Pharm Tech book by myself be the

> same

> > and MUCH cheaper since I only would need to buy one book for

> approx

> > $40 (which I already have by the way)?

> >

> > Just wondering if investing in this course is worth the money.

> > They also give me a diploma after finishing the course, but I am

> > pretty sure none of the pharmacies would care to see.

> >

> > Thank you for your input.

> > Anneka

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Dear Ania,

I encourage you to take a class that gives you a chance to make IV's or fill a

cassette or dispense a retail prescription drug and make labels and compound a

drug in addition to your study for he PTCB exam.

Respectfully,

Jeanetta Mastron CPhT BS

Ania <argusia@...> wrote: Thank you

for your input on Penn course. You just confirmed my decision that

I won't bother with any online course but instead study on my own using online

study materials.

Anneka

[Guest guest]

I encourage you to take a class that gives you a chance to make IV's or fill a

cassette or dispense a retail prescription drug and make labels and compound a

drug in addition to your study for he PTCB exam.>>>

I would like to do that but online courses do not offer hands-on experience and

a course offered at a local college is way too expensive for me. I wish there

was a way to study online and then get on campus experience, in a real class/lab

setting. I wish.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Anneka

[Guest guest]

A local community college should cost about 15 to 50 dollars per credit plus

books, parking and study body fees.

Private vocational would cost more.

Jeanetta

Ania <argusia@...> wrote: I encourage

you to take a class that gives you a chance to make IV's or fill a cassette or

dispense a retail prescription drug and make labels and compound a drug in

addition to your study for he PTCB exam.>>>

I would like to do that but online courses do not offer hands-on experience and

a course offered at a local college is way too expensive for me. I wish there

was a way to study online and then get on campus experience, in a real class/lab

setting. I wish.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Anneka

[Guest guest]

A local community college should cost about 15 to 50 dollars per credit>>>

It used to be about $50. Now our local comm. college charges almost $100 /

credit hour.

Anneka

[Guest guest]

Community Colleges around here are $125 per credit. But of course this is MA.

Doug

---- Jeanetta Mastron <rxjm2002@...> wrote:

=============

A local community college should cost about 15 to 50 dollars per credit plus

books, parking and study body fees.

Private vocational would cost more.

Jeanetta

Ania <argusia@...> wrote: I encourage

you to take a class that gives you a chance to make IV's or fill a cassette or

dispense a retail prescription drug and make labels and compound a drug in

addition to your study for he PTCB exam.>>>

I would like to do that but online courses do not offer hands-on experience and

a course offered at a local college is way too expensive for me. I wish there

was a way to study online and then get on campus experience, in a real class/lab

setting. I wish.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Anneka

[Guest guest]

What state?

I had heard it was going up, but didn't know that much!

Jeanetta

Ania <argusia@...> wrote: A local

community college should cost about 15 to 50 dollars per credit>>>

It used to be about $50. Now our local comm. college charges almost $100 /

credit hour.

Anneka

[Guest guest]

WONDERFUL input and sharing!

What a great bunch of members we have on this site!

Love to all

Jeanetta

lakesidecpht <lakesidecpht@...> wrote:

Ania,

Contact the financial aid departement at the college you want to go to.

There are alot of programs that can help you pay for your coursework

and they will help you find and apply for them. Some Pell grants don't

even have to be repaid and student loans have fairly low interest rates

and don't require re-payments until 6-9 months AFTER you graduate.

Typically you have to take at least 6 credits per semester to get some

of this funding but 2 gen ed courses should cover that. If you have to

wait until fall to get started on the core pharmacy tech courses I

recommend taking the gen ed courses now and getting them out of the way

so you can focus solely on the pharmacy courses.

The technical college course I took cost over $3600 - without books and

lab materials. I was able to get grants and loans to not only cover the

program costs but also books and living expenses so I didn't have to

work at all while I was in school. My opinion is that money is never

wasted if it's spennt on education and although school isn't a

requirement to work as a tech, having the classroom experience was a

huge help.

>

> A local community college should cost about 15 to 50 dollars per

credit>>>

>

> It used to be about $50. Now our local comm. college charges almost

$100 / credit hour.

>

> Anneka

>

>

[Guest guest]

YES now we are TALIKING!

CC is a bargain!

The voc school that I teach at is $13,000, in l998 it was only $5000!

Jeanetta

InstructorCPhT@... wrote: Jeanetta,

Most CC these days are between $500 and $1200/ semester (depending on the

state). Ours is approx. $700 before books and fees. My program equates to 2

semester core classes and 1 semester pre-req's (not counting classes to get

them to english and math level).

I try to " help " the students by having my books " packaged " - they are all

from the same publisher - buy all of them the first semeste, so there is no

additional cost for textbooks the second semester. This reduced the students

cost for books over $100 from the texts I used previously.

I require my students to wear a uniform, and they are required to have 2

different styles - one is kakhi's w/ an embroidered polo, the other is a set of

scrubs - top embroidered or a program patch must be purschased. As well as

CLEAN, white shoes - the cost for uniforms is approx. $65 (not counting the

shoes). The uniform supply gives them a discount on the scrubs when bought as

a set.

There is also the state board costs and PTCB exam - I tell the students up

front - $25 application fee for the state for training permit, $50 fee for the

background check, $100 for application for a state certificate (once program

and 600 training hours are completed) and $129 for the PTCB exam.

So - for 3 semesters - the cost I estimate is $3500 - 4000. 10 years ago -

it cost me approx. $1200 total for the two semesters.

Comparison - I previously taught at a Career College. The 9 month program

cost the students approx. $9000 - 12000. So - a community college, even with

additional semesters for pre-requisites (which most of these would transfer if

the student later chose to continue their education) is still much more

affordable.

Respectfully,

Anne LaVance, BS, CPhT

Program Director - Delgado Community College

New Orleans, LA

TEXPERT

************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.

[Guest guest]

hello every one im at pennfoster .com i have been somewhat satified with the

course althought im not finished i just got the lsat books i needed to complete

my couse and im pretty happy with the couse if anyone has any questions feel

free to ask ..thanks

---------------------------------

Need Mail bonding?

Go to the Q & A for great tips from Answers users.

[Guest guest]

not sure what is considered too expensive, but college

is expensive and the programs around here are 7-12

thousand dollars. (depending on the school) Most

people have to take out financial aid loans for any

course of study.

--- Ania <argusia@...> wrote:

I encourage you to take a class that gives you a

chance to make IV's or fill a cassette or dispense a

retail prescription drug and make labels and compound

a drug in addition to your study for he PTCB exam.>>>

I would like to do that but online courses do not

offer hands-on experience and a course offered at a

local college is way too expensive for me. I wish

there was a way to study online and then get on campus

experience, in a real class/lab setting. I

> wish.

>

> Thanks for the suggestion.

> Anneka

>

>

>

> [Non-text portions of this message have been

> removed]

>

>

" If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be. "

- Yogi Berra

ONLY AFTER YOU'VE LOST EVERYTHING ARE YOU FREE TO DO ANYTHING

if you have the time to click on an e-mail link like this one:

http://www.sendmoreinfo.com/ID/2425657

you really can earn some extra cash!

even easier just get paid to surf! http://www.agloco.com/r/BBBP9226

________________________________________________________________________________\

____

Need Mail bonding?

Go to the Q & A for great tips from Answers users.

http://answers./dir/?link=list & sid=396546091

[Guest guest]

Dear ,

I am glad to hear some one say that they are happy with the course, is

it online? You feel you got your money's worth. Now this is a good

thing.

The main thing that an educator, like Anne, myself or others, are

concerned with is the hands on put into action AFTER the didactic

directs. Since there is no hands on in the home study or online

courses we feel it is not the bet choice. YET I commend you for going

to school in a state that does not require education at all. In other

words some education is better than nothing.

Do you feel this course is training you to 'simply pass the exam' or

to become a pharmacy technician? If so why? If not why not? Can you

share with us what you do if it is online and how you do it or learn?

Types of exercises or reading etc.

Thanks

Jeanetta Mastron CPhT BS

Pharm Tech Educator

>

>

> hello every one im at pennfoster .com i have been somewhat satified

with the course althought im not finished i just got the lsat books i

needed to complete my couse and im pretty happy with the couse if

anyone has any questions feel free to ask ..thanks

>

> ---------------------------------

> Need Mail bonding?

> Go to the Q & A for great tips from Answers users.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Can you

share with us what you do if it is online and how you do it or learn?

Types of exercises or reading etc.>>>

Those are great questions Jeanetta. I would also be very interested in seeing

answers to them.

>>>Since there is no hands on in the home study or online

courses we feel it is not the bet choice. In other

words some education is better than nothing.>>>

Even though I am only a student, I also think that the lack of hands-on

experience is a big minus for all those online courses, but as you said,

" ...some education is better than nothing " . I agree totally.

Anneka

[Guest guest]

Hey Jeanetta & Everybody,

I have a question for both the educators and students that make

this 'place' such a great 'place' to be...

(WHAT A WONDERFUL 'BODY OF KNOWLEDGE' AND EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYONE!

SUCH GREAT PEOPLE WHO GIVE SO MUCH OF THEMSELVES!)

If you have attended any kind of 'formal' education for Pharmacy

Technician (That you paid for) whether it is from an Internet based

school, a Community College, a private University program, or a

Technical College...

Or if you are an instructor in a 'brick and mortar' CPhT program...

What have you been taught OR what do you teach about submitting

insurance claims....?

Especially for Retail Technicians???

I really wonder if this could be taught other than in an abstract

manner during Technician education.

I can tell you what BIN or PCN 'means', but I don't feel very

comfortable discussing in a public forum even the small amount of

information that I have about how/why/etc. an electronic claim is

submitted with an ANSI RxBIN, or in my case a Condor Code (CVS PDX)

for a myriad of reasons.

When you are looking at a customer's insurance card for those 'hints'

that you have learned as to how to input the correct information into

your computer before you submit the claim electronically so that it

won't 'REJECT', you can quickly learn the correct way to

input 'routine' ins. info. into a customer's profile so that you

won't get a 'REJECTION'. After a couple of weeks as a Tech in Retail,

you will have no problem with state Medicade or 'Easy INS' like

Humana Choice. Soon enough, you will learn how to get those pesky

discount cards to 'go through'. There is always a 'challenge' every

now and then with insurances that will either make you feel confident

or give you a pain in some part of your body.

How would an educator teach a student Technician how to 'properly'

submit claims via electronic or any other means?

If you are an educator, do you prepare your students to 'understand'

or 'not be afraid that you are going to have to make phone calls

sometimes to process retail claims and don't ever let the customer

see the 'fear' or 'frustration' in your eyes when you look at an

insurance card that you have never 'processed' before and think 'I

have no clue...'?

I have a good example relevant to this issue that I experienced at

work today (J, what a surprise! The following is a TRUE OTJ

experience I had at 'Drop-Off' today! I couldn't 'make up' the

following example which is why I 'wonder' how or if these kind of

things are taught.):

I had a man come in today with an ER script for his wife here in

Corpus Christi, Texas.

He had never been to my pharmacy or any other in our chain.

He had a 'new' insurance card that he had never used for either

himself or his wife.

The script was signed by an Intern (INVALID DEA #, BUT THAT'S A STORY

FOR ANOTHER DAY!) under the supervision of an Attending MD from San

who is 'teaching' right now probably for her CE or state

licensure requirements (ONCE AGAIN... A DISCUSSION FOR ANOTHER DAY).

I 'found this out' because I had to call the hospital and talk to the

ER nurse, then the Intern who seemed quite bothered that I couldn't

figure out why his DEA # is not 'working' in my 'computer system',

and finally I got the Attending MD on the phone who gave me her DEA

number to use as the prescriber on this script.

Problem solved, I thought to myself...

Then I got to the patient's insurance card and:

CAREMARK BC/BS of LOUISIANA!

OOF...

I have never seen this one before!

I looked for 'clues' on the card, and I could 'figure out' that I

needed to somehow process it through Caremark.

I was able to search for the correct 'Third Party Number' that my

Pharmacy's computer 'needed' to 'send' the claim to the

right 'electronic place' via the correct 'rout'.

BUT after I 'did my best' to properly submit this claim for Amoxil

and Lortab, I got a 'REJECTION'....

Now, it's time to call the number on the back of the insurance card

to talk to someone at the Retail Pharmacy 'Help Desk' to help 'walk

me through the claim' and I just had to ask where the lady who is

helping me is located.....

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA!!!!!

She 'walked me through' the claim which REJECTED because Caremark

BC/BS of LA requires the last letter before the members ID number and

the RxGroup that I inputted and should have thought twice about is

incorrectly printed on about 5,000 BC/BS of LA members' cards as BLCA

instead of BCLA.

The patient lives in Freer, TX which is inbetween Houston and Conroe,

and he and his wife were down here in Corpus Christi visiting

relatives...

IT JUST KIND OF MAKES YOU THINK:

How many people in how many cities in how many states did I have

to 'consider' or 'contact' so that my customer could get his wife's

meds.?

This is an exception to the rule of how 'Drop Off' normally 'works',

but Retail Technicians have to somehow be 'given' a 'skill set' as to

how to 'make these kind of situations work'...

So how have you learned or how/are these kinds of

insurance 'nuances'/'issues'/'DOES PROPECIA WORK IF YOU PULL YOUR

HAIR OUT?????? ;)'....

Taught in Pharm. Tech. Ed. Programs of Study?

I have to apologize for 'making a short story long' but perhaps the

students, Techs, and Pharmacy educators who participate in this site

can learn something from this discussion.

We can all have a good laugh at the following 'Drive-Thru Experience'

with a REALLY REALLY REALLY upset elderly lady who 'burned-rubber' as

she drove away because her husband is 'SO AND SO' in the D.O.D.

(United States Department Of Defense. Corpus is a 'military town')

and she really does not care whether or not TRICARE has a mandatory

generic plan and only BRAND NAME ROWASA is 'An acceptable option':

" Young man, I spent 2 hours at the Base Pharmacy to learn that they

can't even order MY Rowasa (She did't say PR retention enema which is

what the script was for) and I called earlier and talked to you and

you said that you have it in stock. I do not want the Mesalamine,

son, I will only take the brand name. I want you to call whomever you

need to call to get this paid for. Do you know how long it took me to

find a Doctor to write Brand Necessary on that prescription in your

hand? I'll call you and my Doctor tomorrow! "

It took a couple of days, but TRICARE 'let her have it' at the

highest payment tier ($22.00 for Retail)...

Perhaps she has Colin or Condi Rice on her 'speed dial'????!

Have fun becoming a 'problem solver'!

Best Wishes From Tropical Texas,

Christian B. Oliver CPhT

> I encourage you to take a class that gives you a

> chance to make IV's or fill a cassette or dispense a

> retail prescription drug and make labels and compound

> a drug in addition to your study for he PTCB exam.>>>

> I would like to do that but online courses do not

> offer hands-on experience and a course offered at a

> local college is way too expensive for me. I wish

> there was a way to study online and then get on campus

> experience, in a real class/lab setting. I

> > wish.

> >

> > Thanks for the suggestion.

> > Anneka

> >

> >

> >

> > [Non-text portions of this message have been

> > removed]

> >

> >

>

>

> " If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be. "

> - Yogi Berra

>

> ONLY AFTER YOU'VE LOST EVERYTHING ARE YOU FREE TO DO ANYTHING

>

> if you have the time to click on an e-mail link like this one:

http://www.sendmoreinfo.com/ID/2425657

> you really can earn some extra cash!

>

> even easier just get paid to surf! http://www.agloco.com/r/BBBP9226

>

>

>

>

______________________________________________________________________

______________

> Need Mail bonding?

> Go to the Q & A for great tips from Answers users.

> http://answers./dir/?link=list & sid=396546091

>

[Guest guest]

Here is the DEAL Christian:

At this moment in time there is NO school or other program that can simulate the

retail adjudication process. But the schools and programs CAN prepare the

students for an on hands expereince. The schools/teachers CAN discuss and give

examples of their own experiences and those that they learn about ( from techs

like you). We do teach them that they will have to look for codes and numbers,

we give them mock cards, we teach them communication skills and HIPAA, we teach

them how to start and enter data into a pt profile and we explain the most

common reasons for rejection or non adjudication. We also teach about REAL DEA

# 's and the fallacy of believing because it is a match that the script is

valid. We teach about the security features of a SPF and what the tech has to

check for and the LEGAL requirements on that prescription so that if the

electricity went down due t a storm, Katrina or othewise THEY could infact write

a label from sccratch with all of the legal components

on it. (*would be easier if all pharmacieshad a manual typewriter in the

closets, but most got rid of them long ago).

We can not teach every drug, nor every scenario. And we can not teach

interaction in real time with a real insurance company or doctor. BUT we do ROLE

Play and that is something that NO BOOK can offer. We also have EXTERNSHIP also

known as INTERNSHIP in which a student can not graduate until he/she put into

practice under the direction of a tech and pharmacist of an approved site

with hands on experience from the mock labs.

So educators DO believe in BOTH EDUCATION and TRAINIG must take place. In the

past and currently in 48 states ONLY training exists without any prior formal

discussion or education. And THIS is not working as well as education first

training second.

I hope that I have answered your question on behalf of all educators on this

site.

I CAN also say that 99% of all PTCB Prep ONLY courses do not teach this at all,

only that rejections do occur and that they are handled with a phone call.

I invite all educators to respond to Christian's question if you teach this

topic in in more detail or differently.

Respectfully,

Jeanetta Mastron CPhT BS

Pharm Tech Educator

Founder/Owner of this site

[Guest guest]

Hi J,

Funny you should mention typewriters. We have ours in the pharmacy (manual of

course).

I say funny because I'm fairly sure that most of the newer (younger) techs and

pharmacists have never used one. Let alone a manual typewriter. But in case

that storm or whatever does hit, we can continue to fill.

--

Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely

in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways,

champagne in one hand, strawberries in the other, body thoroughly used up,

totally worn out and screaming " WOO HOO - what a ride! "

-------------- Original message --------------

From: Jeanetta Mastron <rxjm2002@...>

Here is the DEAL Christian:

. . . and what the tech has to check for and the LEGAL requirements on that

prescription so that if the electricity went down due t a storm, Katrina or

othewise THEY could infact write a label from sccratch with all of the legal

components

on it. (*would be easier if all pharmacieshad a manual typewriter in the

closets, but most got rid of them long ago).

Respectfully,

Jeanetta Mastron CPhT BS

Pharm Tech Educator

Founder/Owner of this site

[Guest guest]

Right but you know its the typewriter ribbon that will be the hardest to find!

Jeanetta

cphtgenius@... wrote: Hi J,

Funny you should mention typewriters. We have ours in the pharmacy (manual of

course).

I say funny because I'm fairly sure that most of the newer (younger) techs and

pharmacists have never used one. Let alone a manual typewriter. But in case

that storm or whatever does hit, we can continue to fill.

--

Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely

in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways,

champagne in one hand, strawberries in the other, body thoroughly used up,

totally worn out and screaming " WOO HOO - what a ride! "

-------------- Original message --------------

From: Jeanetta Mastron <rxjm2002@...>

Here is the DEAL Christian:

. . . and what the tech has to check for and the LEGAL requirements on that

prescription so that if the electricity went down due t a storm, Katrina or

othewise THEY could infact write a label from sccratch with all of the legal

components

on it. (*would be easier if all pharmacieshad a manual typewriter in the

closets, but most got rid of them long ago).

Respectfully,

Jeanetta Mastron CPhT BS

Pharm Tech Educator

Founder/Owner of this site

[Guest guest]

I wasn't taught it. just after I left the school got

PDX, to teach with, but my school doens't even exist

anymore so a lot of help that is lol. Even my extern

site din't let me input anything. It was just count

and stock. I watched a little but that does nothing

to help me learn.

--- " Christian B. Oliver " <christianboliver@...>

wrote:

Hey Jeanetta & Everybody,

I have a question for both the educators and students

that make this 'place' such a great 'place' to be...

(WHAT A WONDERFUL 'BODY OF KNOWLEDGE' AND EXPERIENCE

FOR EVERYONE! SUCH GREAT PEOPLE WHO GIVE SO MUCH OF

THEMSELVES!)

If you have attended any kind of 'formal' education

> for Pharmacy

> Technician (That you paid for) whether it is from an

> Internet based

> school, a Community College, a private University

> program, or a

> Technical College...

>

> Or if you are an instructor in a 'brick and mortar'

> CPhT program...

>

> What have you been taught OR what do you teach about

> submitting

> insurance claims....?

>

> Especially for Retail Technicians???

>

> I really wonder if this could be taught other than

> in an abstract

> manner during Technician education.

>

> I can tell you what BIN or PCN 'means', but I don't

> feel very

> comfortable discussing in a public forum even the

> small amount of

> information that I have about how/why/etc. an

> electronic claim is

> submitted with an ANSI RxBIN, or in my case a Condor

> Code (CVS PDX)

> for a myriad of reasons.

>

> When you are looking at a customer's insurance card

> for those 'hints'

> that you have learned as to how to input the correct

> information into

> your computer before you submit the claim

> electronically so that it

> won't 'REJECT', you can quickly learn the correct

> way to

> input 'routine' ins. info. into a customer's profile

> so that you

> won't get a 'REJECTION'. After a couple of weeks as

> a Tech in Retail,

> you will have no problem with state Medicade or

> 'Easy INS' like

> Humana Choice. Soon enough, you will learn how to

> get those pesky

> discount cards to 'go through'. There is always a

> 'challenge' every

> now and then with insurances that will either make

> you feel confident

> or give you a pain in some part of your body.

>

> How would an educator teach a student Technician how

> to 'properly'

> submit claims via electronic or any other means?

>

> If you are an educator, do you prepare your students

> to 'understand'

> or 'not be afraid that you are going to have to make

> phone calls

> sometimes to process retail claims and don't ever

> let the customer

> see the 'fear' or 'frustration' in your eyes when

> you look at an

> insurance card that you have never 'processed'

> before and think 'I

> have no clue...'?

>

> I have a good example relevant to this issue that I

> experienced at

> work today (J, what a surprise! The following is a

> TRUE OTJ

> experience I had at 'Drop-Off' today! I couldn't

> 'make up' the

> following example which is why I 'wonder' how or if

> these kind of

> things are taught.):

>

> I had a man come in today with an ER script for his

> wife here in

> Corpus Christi, Texas.

>

> He had never been to my pharmacy or any other in our

> chain.

>

> He had a 'new' insurance card that he had never used

> for either

> himself or his wife.

>

> The script was signed by an Intern (INVALID DEA #,

> BUT THAT'S A STORY

> FOR ANOTHER DAY!) under the supervision of an

> Attending MD from San

> who is 'teaching' right now probably for her

> CE or state

> licensure requirements (ONCE AGAIN... A DISCUSSION

> FOR ANOTHER DAY).

>

> I 'found this out' because I had to call the

> hospital and talk to the

> ER nurse, then the Intern who seemed quite bothered

> that I couldn't

> figure out why his DEA # is not 'working' in my

> 'computer system',

> and finally I got the Attending MD on the phone who

> gave me her DEA

> number to use as the prescriber on this script.

>

> Problem solved, I thought to myself...

>

> Then I got to the patient's insurance card and:

>

> CAREMARK BC/BS of LOUISIANA!

>

> OOF...

>

> I have never seen this one before!

>

> I looked for 'clues' on the card, and I could

> 'figure out' that I

> needed to somehow process it through Caremark.

>

> I was able to search for the correct 'Third Party

> Number' that my

> Pharmacy's computer 'needed' to 'send' the claim to

> the

> right 'electronic place' via the correct 'rout'.

>

> BUT after I 'did my best' to properly submit this

> claim for Amoxil

> and Lortab, I got a 'REJECTION'....

>

> Now, it's time to call the number on the back of the

> insurance card

> to talk to someone at the Retail Pharmacy 'Help

> Desk' to help 'walk

> me through the claim' and I just had to ask where

> the lady who is

> helping me is located.....

>

> SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA!!!!!

>

> She 'walked me through' the claim which REJECTED

> because Caremark

> BC/BS of LA requires the last letter before the

> members ID number and

> the RxGroup that I inputted and should have thought

> twice about is

> incorrectly printed on about 5,000 BC/BS of LA

> members' cards as BLCA

> instead of BCLA.

>

> The patient lives in Freer, TX which is inbetween

> Houston and Conroe,

> and he and his wife were down here in Corpus Christi

> visiting

> relatives...

>

> IT JUST KIND OF MAKES YOU THINK:

>

> How many people in how many cities in how many

> states did I have

> to 'consider' or 'contact' so that my customer could

> get his wife's

> meds.?

>

> This is an exception to the rule of how 'Drop Off'

> normally 'works',

> but Retail Technicians have to somehow be 'given' a

> 'skill set' as to

> how to 'make these kind of situations work'...

>

> So how have you learned or how/are these kinds of

> insurance 'nuances'/'issues'/'DOES PROPECIA WORK IF

> YOU PULL YOUR

> HAIR OUT?????? ;)'....

>

> Taught in Pharm. Tech. Ed. Programs of Study?

>

> I have to apologize for 'making a short story long'

> but perhaps the

> students, Techs, and Pharmacy educators who

> participate in this site

> can learn something from this discussion.

>

> We can all have a good laugh at the following

> 'Drive-Thru Experience'

> with a REALLY REALLY REALLY upset elderly lady who

> 'burned-rubber' as

> she drove away because her husband is 'SO AND SO' in

> the D.O.D.

> (United States Department Of Defense. Corpus is a

> 'military town')

> and she really does not care whether or not TRICARE

> has a mandatory

> generic plan and only BRAND NAME ROWASA is 'An

> acceptable option':

>

> " Young man, I spent 2 hours at the Base Pharmacy to

> learn that they

> can't even order MY Rowasa (She did't say PR

> retention enema which is

> what the script was for) and I called earlier and

> talked to you and

> you said that you have it in stock. I do not want

> the Mesalamine,

> son, I will only take the brand name. I want you to

> call whomever you

> need to call to get this paid for. Do you know how

> long it took me to

> find a Doctor to write Brand Necessary on that

> prescription in your

> hand? I'll call you and my Doctor tomorrow! "

>

> It took a couple of days, but TRICARE 'let her have

> it' at the

> highest payment tier ($22.00 for Retail)...

>

> Perhaps she has Colin or Condi Rice on her

> 'speed dial'????!

>

> Have fun becoming a 'problem solver'!

>

> Best Wishes From Tropical Texas,

>

> Christian B. Oliver CPhT

>

>

>

>

> > I encourage you to take a class that gives you a

> > chance to make IV's or fill a cassette or dispense

> a

> > retail prescription drug and make labels and

> compound

> > a drug in addition to your study for he PTCB

> exam.>>>

> > I would like to do that but online courses do not

> > offer hands-on experience and a course offered at

> a

> > local college is way too expensive for me. I wish

> > there was a way to study online and then get on

> campus

> > experience, in a real class/lab setting. I

> > > wish.

> > >

> > > Thanks for the suggestion.

> > > Anneka

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > > [Non-text portions of this message have been

> > > removed]

> > >

> > >

> >

> >

> > " If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be. "

> > - Yogi

> Berra

> >

> > ONLY AFTER YOU'VE LOST EVERYTHING ARE YOU FREE TO

> DO ANYTHING

> >

> > if you have the time to click on an e-mail link

> like this one:

> http://www.sendmoreinfo.com/ID/2425657

> > you really can earn some extra cash!

> >

> > even easier just get paid to surf!

> http://www.agloco.com/r/BBBP9226

> >

> >

> >

> >

>

______________________________________________________________________

> ______________

> > Need Mail bonding?

> > Go to the Q & A for great tips from

> Answers users.

> >

>

http://answers./dir/?link=list & sid=396546091

> >

>

>

>

" If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be. "

- Yogi Berra

ONLY AFTER YOU'VE LOST EVERYTHING ARE YOU FREE TO DO ANYTHING

if you have the time to click on an e-mail link like this one:

http://www.sendmoreinfo.com/ID/2425657

you really can earn some extra cash!

even easier just get paid to surf! http://www.agloco.com/r/BBBP9226

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

LOL You are so right. I wonder if they even make ribbons anymore. Staples must

have them. I should check.

--

Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely

in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways,

champagne in one hand, strawberries in the other, body thoroughly used up,

totally worn out and screaming " WOO HOO - what a ride! "

-------------- Original message --------------

From: Jeanetta Mastron <rxjm2002@...>

Right but you know its the typewriter ribbon that will be the hardest to find!

Jeanetta

cphtgenius@... wrote: Hi J,

Funny you should mention typewriters. We have ours in the pharmacy (manual of

course).

I say funny because I'm fairly sure that most of the newer (younger) techs and

pharmacists have never used one. Let alone a manual typewriter. But in case that

storm or whatever does hit, we can continue to fill.

--

Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely

in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways,

champagne in one hand, strawberries in the other, body thoroughly used up,

totally worn out and screaming " WOO HOO - what a ride! "

-------------- Original message --------------

From: Jeanetta Mastron <rxjm2002@...>

Here is the DEAL Christian:

.. . . and what the tech has to check for and the LEGAL requirements on that

prescription so that if the electricity went down due t a storm, Katrina or

othewise THEY could infact write a label from sccratch with all of the legal

components

on it. (*would be easier if all pharmacieshad a manual typewriter in the

closets, but most got rid of them long ago).

Respectfully,

Jeanetta Mastron CPhT BS

Pharm Tech Educator

Founder/Owner of this site

[Guest guest]

Seems like I saw a specific model ribbon about 2 yrs ago and laughed.

I think they would have to be specifically special order. I don';t

think they even sell word processor ribbons or cartridges or ??

anymore either.

Le'me know!

Jeanetta

Hi J,

>

> Funny you should mention typewriters. We have ours in the pharmacy

(manual of course).

> I say funny because I'm fairly sure that most of the newer (younger)

techs and pharmacists have never used one. Let alone a manual

typewriter. But in case that storm or whatever does hit, we can

continue to fill.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Points well-taken, thank you.

I, too, am considering Penn . As a midlife career-changer

living in a relatively remote rural area, my options are distance

learning or self-study; my family and I can't afford-- in terms of

time or money-- the AS degree in pharmacy technology offered by a

local for-profit institution.

I prefer distance learning to self-study because I will need

assistance and reinforcement in math and chemistry.

Your point about an externship is especially well-taken. To cover

this, I am considering effectively attempting to create my own

externship by volunteering 200 hours as a pharmacy tech at a hospice

or not-for-profit hospital after passing the PTCB.

Thanks for your guidance and best regards to all,

b3zdomny

> > >

> > > I am thinking about taking Pharm Tech online training from

> > > Penn.com. Price is reasonable as compared to other online

> > > places but... $500 for study materials?

> > >

> > > Wouldn't studying from a good Pharm Tech book by myself be the

> > same

> > > and MUCH cheaper since I only would need to buy one book for

> > approx

> > > $40 (which I already have by the way)?

> > >

> > > Just wondering if investing in this course is worth the money.

> > > They also give me a diploma after finishing the course, but I am

> > > pretty sure none of the pharmacies would care to see.

> > >

> > > Thank you for your input.

> > > Anneka

> > >

> >

>