Supplemental Information for Operations Management – Expired Prescriptions

Sometimes a request for a prescription to be fulfilled outside of your office comes in and you realize the prescription is expired. It’s important that you call the patient directly. Do not rely on the outside retailer to contact the patient. Remember our UP objectives? Being proactive like this can help the patient understand why the prescription request was denied. The act of calling the patient allows the perception of our 5 STAR patient care!

I’ve often seen these requests be denied with no follow-up with the patient. Then the patient does not understand the denial and perceives we are being difficult and unwilling to help them because they do not want to order from us, which is not the case.

Here’s a script that you can use as a guideline when calling patients with an expired prescription.

“Hello Sally, this is Maritza calling from ABCD Eyecare. A representative from 1-800 Contact Lenses contacted us regarding your recent request to order a new supply of contact lenses. Because your contact lens prescription expired on February 1, 1-800 Contact Lenses is unable to fulfill your order request at this time. To order a new supply of contact lenses, it will be necessary for you to have a current prescription. I’m happy to schedule a time for you to come into our office for an eye exam. Dr. Bell will be able to provide you with a current, accurate prescription. You can then use to order a new supply of contact lenses. Would you like to go ahead and find a convenient time to schedule an appointment with Dr. Bell?”