I ran out of Lasix and called my doc to call me in a new presciption to CVS.
I had a coupon for a Gift Card for $25 which expires today. The clerk was new and didn't know how to do the transaction and called the Manager. She informed me that since I had gotten Lasix filled there before, it was not considered a new prescription and they would not give me a GC. I said this had never been a problem before and she told me "well, they are cracking down on the abuse" and this is the policy now. WAAA I came home and wrote an email to Corporate and told them that if this is their policy, I will transfer all my meds to Target as soon as they open their new store. Have any of you heard of anything like this?

I haven't had a problem with this yet, but I did notice that when I took in my new written prescription for a medication that had run out of refills they wrote "new strength" even though it wasn't actually a new strength. Maybe that's to by-pass the fact I had already gotten that medication there before and was wanting to use a coupon.

I am anxious to see how Corporate replies to my email. With all the meds DH and I take, I think we help support CVS!

It says right on all the of the coupons I have something like, "Not valid for prescriptions previously filled at a CVS pharmacy". Meaning if you filled it there two months ago, transferred it to Target last month, and are now transferring it back to get the gift card, you can't do that. I can't say that I blame them--can we really expect that they'll continue to just give stuff away? They're trying to make money, too!

Thats not what we're talking about. We're talking about having a prescription that runs out, and getting the doctor to write a new prescription. It's the same medication, but a different prescription.

I think that's open for interpretation as being the same thing. Yes, it is technically a new written prescription, but it's for the same medication filled previously. I think by all rights they can deny that based on the fine print of the coupon, which I now have and reads exactly, "Coupon only valid for prescriptions transferred from another non-CVS pharmacy, or for new prescriptions, that have not been previously filled at any CVS pharmacy." They told me when these first came out that they did it this way to prevent people from just having their doctors write a new script every month for the same med so they could get the gift card every time.

My doc doesn't write me a new prescription EVERY month!!. He writes a new prescription with FIVE
(5) refills which means it's 6 months before I get another prescription.

That's what my family doctor does normally. Then of course there's the specialist doctors I go to once a year, so I get one script written with 11 refills.

I didn't say that you did, and I'm sorry if I implied that you did. Sadly, though, I think there are people who would do that, and CVS is preventing them from abusing their generosity.

Apology accepted...when you get older and are taking like a dozen or so of medications to stay alive, you will probably look for a way to save on the HIGH cost of medicines. Some of our seniors have to decide between eating sufficiently and buying medicines. And, FYI, I am a
senior!

That makes me very sad....I am in my mid-30's, and I'm already destined to take at least one medication for the rest of my life (I have no thyroid)....thankfully it's not an expensive one, but I know they can add up after you start piling on some of the fancier meds. It's too bad someone can't do something about the outrageous cost of meds in this country!

Anyway, I know that's not what your OP was about, and I didn't mean to come off sounding as cold as I did in my response. I just wanted to point out the fine print that some people might not be aware of.

My husband wanted to know why CVS would offer a program like this. It's easy. The insurance companies are giving CVS a lot more than $25 for most of these medications. There are your rare meds like synthroid that are actually cheaper than $25 even without insurance, but many things you may pay $15 for a copay but the insurance will pay CVS hundreds for dispensing the medication to one of their plan members. CVS is NOT going broke any time soon. I have mentioned once before that my cousin owned the only private pharmacy (there was a walmart) in my hometown. It was a successful pharmacy. CVS paid him 5 million dollars to shut his doors and agree not to open a new pharmacy OR become a pharmacist in the same county for 5 years. They did not even use his building, they just paid him "get outta town b/c we want your customers" money. With CVS putting him new stores all the time, you can rest assured that they know what they are doing when it comes to making the moolah.

I've always understood the fine print to be per new prescription...including each time your doctor writes you a new prescription for the same meds. After all, the old precription has officially expired and a new precription is written. Otherwise, it needs to read: ""Does not apply to any medication previously filled for you by our pharmacy"". Lots of people play the pharmacy game, and I highly doubt that CVS or any other pharmacy who offers such promotions, lose out on any money. As a matter of fact, I would say probably 90% of their customers are not even aware of these promotions. I used one recently, and the cashier couldn't even remember how to do it. (process the coupon & activate the gift card) She said it had probably been a year since she had done one. I just suspect that someone was misinformed when you tried to use yours.

I juggle pharmacy prescriptions every month for my triplets allergy and asmtha meds....I have lots of choices to do this with so I'm lucky but it does take some effort. I don't think anyone is losing money around here because most people are too lazy to go to the trouble. My husband is one of the lazy ones for his asmtha meds. I have to nag to make him let me do it. Also if you think about all of the prescriptions for antibioitics etc that Dr. write and people stop on the way home to fill...they don't even have a coupon with them....(I of course keep a stash in my car!!!) or even think about it. They just want the drug now. My pharmacy never cares whether they filled it the two months before. If they start caring....I'll just take it to one of the other 10 places!!

i just recently got 125 worth of gc from getting prescribtions filled (my dog included!!) and they acted like they hardly ever do them. until a full cup i thought those coupons meant new to that CVS meaning you never had a prescribtion at CVS, so i never did them. I know a couple people i talked to thought the same. I highly doubt they are losing any money considering maybe only half IF THAT of the people that go to CVS know about the coupons, can get the coupons, or even care. isnt this a big tax write off to them anyway???

wanted to add doesnt that mean if i get sick in sept and need an antiboidic and then again in jan they wont take it because its the same med even though its completely different times, and colds

I'm 26 & I am on 8 different prescriptions. That's why I depend so much on getting the free gift cards when I can. Three of the scripts aren't covered at all by my insurance, but they're the only meds that work for me.

That's actually a very good question! I wonder what their corporate office would have to say about that particular scenario.

When our CVS opened here this summer, I think 90% of the people in our city transferred their scripts to CVS because of the promo! I had to wait a day and a half for mine to go through because they were so backlogged with the coupon transfers. I got my gift card just fine--I just asked at that time about the possibility of bringing in a new script to get the deal (because the coupon then was ONLY for transferred prescriptions), and they told me the coupon wouldn't work for new scripts because ppl could just have their doc write out a new one every month. So I guess back then it was a completely different promo.