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No easy Rx for Y2K By Erik J. Martin Suppose you walk into your favorite pharmacy in early January 2000, to have your prescription medication refilled. As the druggist waits for your request to be processed in his computer, he searches his shelves for your drug. Realizing his supply is gone, he calls his supplier, only to learn that they're entirely out of the product, too, including its generic equivalent. Suddenly, the PC beeps and the pharmacist's eyes grow wide. "I'm sorry sir," he tells you, one of his regular customers, "but your records aren't even on file in our computer system." Don't snicker, Rx consumer. It could happen to you unless the pharmacy industry finds a panacea for its Y2K ailments. For starters, druggists fill more than 2 billion prescriptions annually in the United States, with more than 99 percent of these prescriptions being dispensed using computers. According to Richard Carbray, RPh, a representative of the American Pharmaceutical Association who testified before a special Senate subcommittee on the Y2K problem last October, most pharmacies uses computers for virtually every aspect of day-to-day operations. Druggists rely on computer technology to "maintain patient drug therapy records, identify potential drug interactions, provide clinical information about medication use, print out relevant patient information about prescription medications and to submit claims for third-party (including Medicare) payment." With drug stores reliant on different claims processing, third-party payment and state Medicaid program networks, as well as their own Year 2000-vulnerable computer operating systems, the potential for Y2-chaos is obvious. Sure, pharmacists can upgrade their in-store system software and PCs, but what about those iffy networks they're dependent on? Druggists can only hope that the $2 billion being spent industry-wide to fix Y2K flaws in computer equipment and networks will be ahem: just what the doctor ordered. As if that weren't enough to worry about, the United States’ pharmaceutical industry imports a lot of raw materials from other countries that aren't up to date in their Y2K compliance. It's a big concern, considering that roughly 90 percent of generic drugs come from overseas markets. The major American drugmakers expect to be prepared for Y2K by this summer, but the status of international drug suppliers has raised questions. Now there's new concern that patients may begin to hoard extra drugs in case of supply shortages. With the end of the year and the chilly wintry months already being one of the most hectic periods on the calendar for pharmacies dispensing cold and flu remedies, a Y2K-induced run on drug supplies caused by patients stockpiling reserves of medicine could leave many druggists and needy consumers out in the cold. Just to be safe, the experts recommend that it's alright to stock up on 30 days worth of medications, as well as a month's supply of water and non-perishable foods, in case of Y2K power and product distribution interruptions. Hoarding more than a month's supply of drugs between now and January, however, is more than just an inconsiderate practice, according to says Ronald Streck, president and CEO of the National Wholesale Druggists' Association, who also testified before Congress last fall. It's also one "that could prove to be very dangerous to the patient." "There are safety and efficacy issues revolving around the integrity of the product due to expiration dates and sensitive storage requirements," said Streck. "Also, many patients are prohibited under their insurance plans from obtaining more than a 30-day supply of their prescription. Clearly, stockpiling or hoarding prescription drugs is not the answer." With all of these Year 2000 worries abounding, it's no wonder that some pharmacists are feeling a bit skittish. Others, however, are confident that it will be business as usual next January, and that patients shouldn't worry themselves sick over the issue. "I don't think (the pharmacy industry) will have a major crisis," says Gia Cipriani, RPh, a pharmacist for Hills Family Drugs in Palos Hills, Illinois, which recently upgraded its entire computer system for Y2K compliance. "The millennium bug shouldn't affect our operations too much. I have faith that they'll fix the Year 2000 problems before it affects our businesses or our customers, and I can't see it halting [drug] production." Nevertheless, Cipriani does see another non-technological problem affecting pharmaceuticals in the Year 2000: price gouging. She says a number of drug companies may jack up their prices on generic prescription and over-the-counter drugs around the turn of the year, due to more drug manufacturers gobbling up wholesalers, resulting in less competition in the industry. "One particular bottle of (brand undisclosed) with 500 pain reliever pills that now sells for $22.95 is going up to about $222 next year," warns Cipriani. Yikes. If you think Y2K is giving people headaches now, wait until they reach for that $222 bottle of headache medicine on January 1. 1999 Thomson Target Media Erik J. Martin is a freelance journalist who has penned a regular multimedia column for Screen Magazine and has written for a variety of other publications, including the Chicago Tribune, Coverstory and The X-Files Official Magazine. He lives in Oak Lawn, Illinois, with his wife, son, and the Millennium Bug, which he is still trying to exterminate from his PC. Certainly no self-proclaimed technowhiz, Erik prides himself on being "an average guy with the same concerns and questions about Y2K as everyone else. My job? To get answers to those questions, and pass them along to you." Techno file index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA