My name is Laura E. Engelsman-Bowser and my company uses United Health Care as our Health provider. My husband, William S. Bowser, Jr. is also on my plan as a dependent and he had a kidney transplant 14 years ago. As you can figure, my husband requires various medications to keep his new kidney healthy and to keep his body from rejecting this foreign object. Since UHC changed the protocol and no longer allows us to visit our local pharmacy for prescription refills, we have had nothing but difficulty. It is clear that UHC forces their customers to utilize Prescription Solutions (mail order) for all of their prescription drugs. At this point we have a major situation with Prescription Solutions and my husbands prescriptions. I will summarize the problem below.

My husband realized his prescriptions were running out for CellCept (250 mg), Neoral (100 mg) and Neoral (25 mg) so he phoned his doctor’s office on October 20, 2011 so they could send the prescription into Prescription Solutions. On Tuesday, October 25, 2011, Dr. Bloom’s office of University of Pennsylvania sent an E-Script into Prescription Solutions (PS). When my husband called to confirm the order on Wednesday, October 26, 2011, he was told by Prescription Solutions that they hadn’t received the request for Neoral(100mg). My husband continued to call and eventually got both his doctor’s office and Prescription Solutions on the phone together on Thursday, October 27, 2011 where Amanda from PS admitted that they received the E-Script but had been looking for a fax from the doctor. This admission only occurred when Dr. Bloom’s office insisted they sent the E-Script in to PS. Ultimately Amanda of PS said that they didn’t have the Neoral (100 mg) to send at that time but had the CellCept (250 mg) and the Neoral (25mg) and were going to mail that immediately. Amanda then confirmed that the Neoral (100 mg) would be mailed overnight and received by Friday evening.

It is now the night of October 28, 2011 and my husband and I have been on the phone for hours with both PS and UHC since non of the pills ever arrived to date. My husband is completely out of pills and has been expressing that to PS since the conversations began on October 25, 2011. We talked to Scott of PS and then to P-J the Manager at PS and they both said that my husband’s pills wouldn’t be received until Monday, October 31, 2011. Both my husband and myself talked to P-J and insisted that a kidney transplant patient couldn’t wait an entire weekend to take his pills. P-J of PS blamed UHC and said it was the policy of UHC to not do a “Retail Override” for 3 days time. Again once the override was complete. the earliest he could have the pills would be Monday, October 31, 2011. P-J was extremely rude and uncooperative when I tried to speak to her myself. She said that my husband would have to wait until Monday the 31st or go to the local pharmacy and try to purchase the pills for full value. She said there was nothing PS could do for us because UHC had rules that were binding them from giving us the pills sooner. I then became very annoyed with P-J of PS and told her that my husband needed the pills to stay alive and that both PS and UHC would have a lawsuit on their hands if they didn’t get us the pills. P-J of PS told me to go ahead and contact my attorney and contact UHC while I was at it because it was their rules she was following. I hung up from P-J of PS and called UHC to clarify and determine if someone could call the prescription into my local pharmacy. I even asked if they could just call in 2 days worth and then come Monday we would have the other pills. The representative Keisha of UHC was very helpful and kind and verified with her supervisor that it was not the policy of UHC to cause a 3 day delay to fill an urgent prescription. Unfortunately when Keisha called PS and had me on a three way call, we found that PS was already closed for the night. Keisha of UHC then preceded to tell me that she could no longer help because UHC was closed on Saturday, October 29, 2011.

My husband and I then called our local RiteAid where he had previously had his prescriptions filled and they no longer had the medication my husband needs. The employee at RiteAid agreed to call various stores to locate the pills and offered to call us back if they were found. When I asked UHC what we should do so that my husband doesn’t go without his anti-rejection medications, they said to go to the Hospital and get the pills there. At this point I am so frustrated and angry with UHC for forcing their customers to use PS and for not having another avenue to get emergency medications. What would you do if someone needed medication so badly that they couldn’t even wait one day? Would you just tell them it is your policy to wait three days and just let them die? I am so disgusted right now and will make as many complaints as possible. I am also considering legal action because now I will spend the entire weekend trying to get life saving medication for my husband. I pay for my insurance every week and I expect best in class service.

I want this situation corrected and dealt with and I want an apology from someone. I also want the Manager, P-J from Prescription Solutions either fired or to suffer disciplinary action for her very inappropriate and unprofessional behavior. I expect a response as soon as possible and I expect the pills to be available for my husband tomorrow. I am guessing that is a tall order since whomever is reading this is probably off for the weekend as well.