A few months back, my son gave me a pharmacy kaizen he saw on TV. He told me that different pharmacies charge different prices for drugs and that I should shop around. I made a mental note of this tip, and stored it away for a later time. Then came the root canal.
After being triaged for my tooth abcess, the dentist gave me a prescription for anti-biotics and a pain medicine. When I got home, I remembered his tip and began to let my fingers do the walking. I started calling various pharmacies and here's what I got:
1st pharmacy call: $90 for both medications. Ouch!
2nd pharmacy call: $75 for both medications. Headed the right direction
3rd pharmacy call: $54 for both medications. Yes!
4th pharmacy call: One free and $21 for the other. Even better!
5th pharmacy call: $4 for one and $14 for the other.
My Kaizen was to go to one pharmacy where I got the anti-biotics for free and then drive to the other for the $14 pain med. It was only a 6 mile drive and it was't far to go to save that much money. So, the combination of humility(listening to my teenage son), 5 minutes of calling, and a short drive saved me $75 dollars.
Invest time in "Kaizening" - it's worth it!
Dan Lafever, Kaizeneer
Monday, November 3, 2008
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