Those who have visited a Los Angeles Compounding Pharmacy in the last few days are probably wondering why pharmacists always take long to simply fill or refill a prescription.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 49% of Americans have used prescribed medication in the past month and have experienced this long wait. Here are reasons why pharmacists might be taking longer than you expect:

1. Information Accuracy

Information that is on file for a specific person- such as name, date of birth, home address, and insurance- always needs to be confirmed that it is correct. If a new client visits the pharmacy, all this information needs to be asked, making it more time consuming.

2. Prescriptions Need To Be Double Checked

Realistically, not all doctors have the best handwriting. This makes it more difficult for pharmacy technicians to read the prescription. To avoid making errors, pharmacists have to input the prescription information onto the computer and sometimes give the doctor a phone call.

3. Insurance Company Approval

Some insurance companies do not always approve a new prescription immediately. They might think the new medication might be an overdosed due to history information they have or that the new prescription might negatively interact with other medication that is being consumed. When this occurs, a phone call to the insurance company needs to be made.

4. Pharmacists Double Check For Accuracy

After the previous steps have been completed, pharmacists must double-check everything. This includes checking the sticker on the medication container and comparing it to the prescription paper written by the doctor. If some things do not make sense, pharmacists have to question the pharmacy technicians.

5.Packaging Medication and Question Answering

Immediately after everything has been double checked, medication pills are counted and packaged. Once the medication is handed to the customer, pharmacists need to ensure the customer does not have any concerns about the medication.