Check prescriptions to catch pharmacy mistakes

>>> WRAL INVESTIGATES PHARMACY

ERRORS.

WE ARE TALKING 51 MILLION

PHARMACY ERROR AS YEAR.

HELLO, AND THANK YOU FOR

JOINING US.

I AM GERALD OWENS.

>> AND I AM JACKIE HIGHLAND.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU MAKE SURE THE

LABEL ON THE BOTTLE MATCHES THE

PACKAGES.

WE ARE HERE WITH CULLEN BROWDER

WITH A LIVE INVESTIGATION.

>> JACKIE AND GERALD, WHEN WE

GO TO THE PHARMACY I THINK MOST

OF US ASSUME THAT THE

MEDICATION IS RIGHT.

PHARMACY TIMES FOUND A PHARMACY

THAT FILLS MAYBE 250

PRESCRIPTIONS A DAY MAKES ABOUT

FOUR MISTAKES, WHETHER IT IS

THE WRONG DOSAGE OR THE WRONG

PIT.

51 PILL ERRORS ACROSS THE

COUNTRY, A MISTAKE ONE LOCAL

WOMAN WANTED TO WARN ALL OF US

ABOUT.

>> Reporter: FOR ELIZABETH

DELANEY, HER DOGS ARE FAMILY.

>> SHE IS JUST A DOG TO SOME

PEOPLE.

TO ME, I LOVE MY DOGS AND SO

MUCH SO THAT I HAVE A TRUST

FUND FOR THEM.

>> Reporter: ONE DOG, 8-YEAR-

OLD LUNA, SUFFERS FROM

SEIZURES AND NEEDS MEDICATIONS

TO CONTROL IT.

AFTER A RECENT TRIP TO THE CVS

IN CARY TO GET LUNA'S

MEDICATION DECKS LAINY CONTACTS

WRAL INVESTIGATES.

>> HOW IN THE WORLD WERE THERE

TWO DIFFERENT SIZED PILLS IN

THE SAME BOTTLE.

>> Reporter: WHEN SHE OPENED

THE BOTTLE, SHE FOUND 25

PILLS, 20 WERE THE RIGHT

DOSAGE, BUT 100 WERE TOO

STRONG, 100-MILLIGRAMS.

SHE KEPT THE BILLS AND WE SAW

THAT THEY DID NOT LOOK THE

SAME.

>> WE THOUGHT HOW COULD THIS

HAVE HAPPENED?

HOW CAN YOU DO THAT?

WHERE IS THE QUALITY CONTROL IN

THIS SYSTEM THERE?

WHY WASN'T SOMEONE ELSE

COUNTING BEHIND HER.

TWO BOTTLES LOOK A LIKE.

I AM SURE THERE ARE A LOT OF

ROUND, WHITE PILLS IN THE

PHARMACY THAT LOOK SIMILAR.

SHE CALLED CVS TO TELL THE

PHARMACY WHAT HAPPENED.

SHE SAID I WAS IN A HURRY.

I AM SORRY.

>> Reporter: IN A STATEMENT TO

WRAL INVESTIGATORS, CVS SAYS

QUOTE WE APOLOGIZED TO MISS

DELANEY AND CORRECTED THE

PRESCRIPTION AS SOON AS THIS

WAS BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION.

WE ARE COMMITTED TO IMPROVING

QUALITY MEASURES TO HELP INSURE

PRESCRIPTIONS ARE DISPENSED

SAFELY AND ACCURATELY.

>> SPEED IS NO EXCUSE FOR

IMPROPER CARE FOR THE PATIENT.

PATIENT SAFETY HAS TO BE THE

FIRST PRIORITY, SECOND

PRIORITY AND THIRD PRIORITY.

>> Reporter: JAKE HANLIN IS THE

DIRECTOR OF THE NORTH CAROLINA

PHARMACY BOARD AND HAS A TEAM

OF INVESTIGATOR THAT IS LOOK

INTO COMPLAINTS.

SINCE 2009 THEY RECEIVED MORE

THAN 1,400 COMPLAINTS, WITH A

SLIGHT DIP LAST YEAR.

THOSE COMPLAINTS COVERED

EVERYTHING FROM DISPENSING

ERRORS TO PHARMACY EMPLOYEES

STEALING MEDICATION.

THAT IS JUST FROM THE PEOPLE

THAT NOTICE A PROBLEM AND FILE

A COMPLAINT, WHICH DOESN'T

ALWAYS HAPPEN.

>> I IT IS SCARY.

>> Reporter: HOW CLOSELY DO YOU

CHECK YOUR PRESCRIPTION?

>> I TRULY DON'T.

I GO BY WHAT THEY GIVE ME.

>> I ACTUALLY CHECK PRETTY

CLOSELY.

>> Reporter: DO YOU THINK THE

GENERAL PUBLIC TAKES FOR

GRANTED THE PRESCRIPTIONS THEY

PICK UP?

>> I WOULD SAY THAT IS THE

FACT.

>> Reporter: IT IS HELPFUL FOR

US TO KNOW IF IT IS AN ISOLATED

INCIDENT WITH RESPECT TO THE

PHARMACY OR PHARMACIST, OR IS

THERE A CONCERN THAT THIS IS

THE LATEST THERE OF A PATTERN

OF INCIDENTS.

THE PHARMACY BOARD TAKES

MISTAKES SERIOUSLY.

LAST YEAR AN INVESTIGATION

UNCOVERED MULTIPLE DISPENSING

PROBLEMS IN MONROE IN

CHARLOTTE.

IN ONE CASE A DRUGSTORE SOLD A

MORPHINE PRESCRIPTION FOUR

TIMES STRONGER THAN IT SHOULD

BE.

AN ELDERLY PATIENT ENDED UP IN

THE HOSPITAL AND THE PHARMACY

RECEIVED A REPRIMAND.

LUCKILY FOR DELANEY, SHE

NOTICED THE PHARMACY MISTAKE

BEFORE GIVING LUNA WHAT WOULD

HAVE AMOUNTED TO AN EXTRA DOSE

A DAY.

SHE HOPES HER CLOSE CALL IS A

WAKE-UP CALL FOR PATIENTS IN

PHARMACISTS.

>> A PHARMACIST IS A TRUSTED

INDIVIDUAL, LIKE A DOCTOR IS.

THEY COUNT ON SOMEBODY TO TAKE

YOUR LIFE IN THEIR HANDS, BUT

TO SAY YOU WERE JUST IN A RUSH

IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

>> Reporter: JOINING US NOW TO

TALK ABOUT WAYS TO MAKE SURE WE

GET THE RIGHT MEDICATION, WRAL

HEALTH TEAM ALLEN MASK, M.D.

DOCTOR MASK, WE WANT QUICK

SERVICE, BUT THERE IS REALLY A

SHARED RESPONSIBILITY BETWEEN

THE DOCTOR, FORM CYST AND

PUBLIC.

>> THAT IS TRUE.

I SAY TO PATIENTS ALL THE TIME,

ESTABLISH A RELATIONSHIP WITH

ONE PHARMACY.

THE CLERKS ARE TAUGHT TO SAY

THIS TO PATIENTS ALL THE TIME.

SAY YES.

FOR EXAMPLE, 80% OF DISPENSING

ERRORS COULD BE ELIMINATED BY

HAVING THIS CONVERSATION WHERE

THEY ARE LOOKING AT THE LABEL

AND MEDICATION ITSELF.

>> 80% IS SO HIGH.

IF YOU DON'T HAVE THAT

CONVERSATION ON THE SPOT THERE

ARE OTHER THINGS YOU CAN DO?

>> YOU HAVE TO SAFELY TAKE A

LOOK AT YOUR MEDICATIONS.

LOOK AT THE MEDICATION LABEL

AND THE PRESCRIPTION OF THE

MEDICATION, AS WELL.

I BROUGHT MY MEDICATION IN.

THIS SAYS IT IS AN ORANGE, OWE

VAL SHAPED TABLET INPRINTED

WITH M ON ONE SIDE AND B23 ON

THE BACK.

I CHECKED IT AND IT IS RIGHT.

YOU HAVE TO BE VIGILANT.

>> AGAIN, A SHARED

RESPONSIBILITY BETWEEN DOCTOR,

PHARMACIST AND THE PUBLIC.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

>> YOU BET.