Group Health computer glitches forces creating long wait-time for prescriptions

A very frustrated Raymond Fernandez stood outside of the Group Health Clinic in Lynnwood.

"I just punched up my number and there's 40 more people before they even get to me," he said.

This was his second visit to Group Health Friday.

And again he was leaving without the medication he came for.

"I ended up waiting an hour this morning from 9:30 to 10:30," he said. "And then when they called me up, they only had one part of my prescription ready. Instead there were like three other parts that needed to be filled. They only had one.

They said, 'Well, this is a new system.'

I said 'no, it's new but it's not improved like the sign says.' "

Group Health Executive Vice President Erin Leff is overseeing the HMO's new pharmacy computer system.

"It's a bit of a rocky time right now," said Leff.

"I want to acknowledge that."

She says the new system went on line on Nov. 6.

"In any system implementation of this size, it takes a while for things, for our staff, for our teams to learn the new clinical processes," she said.

"We are not where we want to be yet in terms of service levels."

In other words, Leff says she, too, has met patients and staff members who say the system is creating long waits at the pharmacies as well as through the mail order service.

So what, she was asked, should desperate patients do?

"If you need your medications urgently," she said. "The best thing to do is contact your clinical team and come into our owned and operated Group Health pharmacies. We will get your medications filled that you need."

And, she says, if the prescription can wait, use their mail order system.

Some patients are saying even those orders are taking at least 11 days to arrive.

So plan ahead.