184 thoughts on “How is Accredo Pharmacy getting away with this?”

1. Well said M.U.M.

   When we relied on Vigabatrin for Savanna’s seizure control, we had issues with Curascript. Nothing chronic, and mostly in the beginning of the journey. Nothing like what I am now hearing about from Accredo.

   Parents who rely on Vigabatrin in this situation are doing so as a matter of necessity for the best possible outcome for their children. Without it, seizure control might not be realized in some cases. The potential burden to the patient and family without such seizure control is immeasurable.

   Accredo Pharmacy, your role patient’s having to stop this medication in dramatic fashion due to delivery coordination is criminally negligent in my opinion. I realize the financial aspect of acquiring such medication is complex, but it should not stop children in need from receiving it in a timely manner.

   As corrupt as Questcor is with regard to ACTH distribution, you should take a look at their track record to helping children in need. Together with Lundbeck, you can solve this problem. You are not sending a human to Pluto, you are making a lot of money by distributing a drug that saves lives. In a ownership or management role in Accredo, I would be ashamed to the core by such chronic poor performance with respect to delivery. And, this repeated activity is inexcusable.

   The emotional burden to families of children needing this medication is immense, and Accredo Pharmacy, you are adding to this load. Accredo Pharmacy, your performance managing this medication (and others) is deplorable.

   Specific to Vigabatrin, I and most others could probably understand a ‘glitch’ in transferring dispensing responsibility from one pharmacy to another. But this is chronic incompetence, negligence. I wish I was in a better position to help.

   I would recommend all Vigabatrin users contact Lundbeck and ask about storing compounded medication refrigerated, eliminating or reducing the horrible daily disposal such expensive, life altering medication. In many cases, this can allow some hoarding of medication that can provide much needed relief in these cases. I am not suggesting you do this. I am suggesting you contact the manufacturer. We did and and it helped me a few times, and it allowed me to now help a family dealing with the nightmare by donating my unused medication. Enough calls will spur the release of the stability data, and provide help for those dealing with the incompetence that is Accredo. The SHARE study is years from being finished. So this method of dispensing this medication isn’t going to change for some time-

   -former Vigabatrin user

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   1. These stories sounds very similar to my experiences so far with Accredo. I have Crohns’s disease and have to take a Cimiza shot once a month. Without it, I’ll land right back in the hospital.

      My information was supposedly transferred in October 2013 from CuraScript. I never received any notification of the merger so I called CuraScript on 10/31/13 for November’s refills and was transferred to Accredo. It’s been all downhill from there. The Patient Care Advocates are quite possibly the worst customer service reps I’ve EVER had to deal with. It’s now 12/16/13 and I have YET to get a prescription from Accredo. First it was an issue with my name, then they didn’t have my prescription on file, then we were back at the name thing, then it was an insurance issue. Honestly, I don’t even know what the issue is now. We haven’t even discussed my pharmacy card/payment yet…but I’m sure that will create yet another issue. Last month I had to get an emergency prescription from Walgreens. Now, I’m late taking my meds again this month and Walgreens is going to have to go to battle with my insurance company if I have to do another emergency refill.

      What’s really sad is that no one cares. The Representative I spoke with 3 phone calls ago SWORE to me that she would see this through resolution. She never called me back – that was last week (sad that I’m on call #3 in less than a week). Today the rep I spoke with said she’s involved the Pharmacy Supervisor, Monica, and promised me that she would call me before 7pm today. We’ll see.

      The Walgreens Pharmacist said they have had a ton of problems with Accredo and that Accredo won’t even call THEM back. How terrible is that? It blows my mind that this is their specialty/industry and they can’t get it right. They are messing with people’s wellbeing. Last time I went without meds I racked up $40K in medical bills. I wonder if Accredo is going to pay for that???

      CuraScript has been filling my meds for 2+ years. It was rough at first with them but now, looking back, they seem like angels in comparison to Accredo. I’m doing all the research I can and am seeking any help/advise I can get. I don’t know where else to turn.

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      1. Awful! I’m adding your story to the body of my post “How is Accredo Pharmacy Getting Away With This.” Thank you!

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         1. Thank you! I wanted to provide a quick update that might help some other folks out. Yesterday my Doctor’s nurse contacted their Cimzia Rep (Cimzia is the meds I take) and he is getting his company involved in this. I also contacted my company’s Benefits Administrator and she contacted our BCBS Account Manager, who then escalated this even higher. While it hasn’t been resolved, I am starting to get the help/attention I need for the first time in almost 2 months. Maybe others can escalate this as well and get the help they need. If nothing else, I know have a team of people on my side to help me through this as I move along. Before I felt like I had no one on my side – and that’s a terrible feeling.

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            1. That’s great! So glad you are getting some help from somewhere!

      2. Express Scripts/CuraScript bought out Medco/Accredo. Accredo before any merger acquisition by ESI and Medco, was a very patient oriented company. The problems you are experiencing have been due to ESI and Medco. As much as you don’t believe this, ESI/CuraScript is completely NOT patient driven at all. Accredo is actually trying to separate values and go back to the old Accredo, way before ESI and Medco ever bought them, so that the patient becomes the focus again. Most of the reps you are speaking with now under the “Accredo” name are actually your beloved ESI/CuraScript reps who have been completely ruining every patient oriented Accredo value. Before you continue bashing Accredo, please understand the true facts. And to help in the problems found in obtaining your prescriptions, when calling, please ask to be transferred directly to a supervisor so that the issues can actually be escalated and followed by upper management. If you are having multiple problems and are only talking to one level your issues may not be brought to attention to be corrected by upper management.

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         1. Thank you for the additional information. I’m happy to add your comment to the post to add some more perspective to the situation. Unfortunately, the average patient isn’t going to know the ins and outs of the merger and who is who–all patients know is that they’ve been assigned to Accredo pharmacy. If indeed people within Accredo are trying to improve, that’s fantastic. But unfortunately at his time this is what many people are experiencing when dealing with them, even if it isn’t the original management’s fault. ESI/Curascript may be at fault, but they are destroying Accredo’s name in the process if that’s the case. Asking for supervisor seems to be met with mixed results–sometimes successful, but not always.In talking with people in my groups, it seems like sometimes they can get assistance for one problem, only to be met with the problem again the next month. When exactly was the merger? I’d like to add that to my post so I can clarify for readers so they can compare their experiences before and after.

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            1. started in 2011. be persistent in asking for a supervisor in asking for a supervisor. especially when having so many issues. I’m with accredo and am extremely devastated by how our company is being perceived. I can’t speak for everyone but I do everything absolutely possible to make sure each and every one of my patients get their medication as quickly as possible. it’s also important to know that not every single issue that is delaying medication is due to accredo’s fault. being in my position I’m privy to seeing that a majority of issues are due to outliers that accredo has no control over. however, in line with our owning 100% responsibility we take the brunt of the blame, regardless. we are putting several practices in place to bring back the ACCREDO way which is 100% patient driven. patients are what matter.

         2. I have also been dealing with Accredo for my prescriptions for RA. They cannot seem to get my prescriptions to me, always with an excuse. When recently calling for a prescription, I did not receive it as requested. I called back when realizing that I had never received my prescription and was first told that they could not find where I had requested it. Then after searching and finding my request, was told that there was an issue with the prescription that needed clarified from the physician and that it had not been sent for clarification, which was why I didn’t receive it. I was told that they would deal with my request as urgent since I had now missed a weekly dose, so that I would receive my prescription within the week (Took over an hour and speaking to three different individuals before they could even locate my prescription due to them having it under a wrong account). When I did not receive my prescription that week, I called back yet again (3rd call for prescription). Long story short, I spoke to three different people again on the 3rd call, each one higher on the management level. I was told during the course of the first two people that they have a strict policy of how to deal with URGENT prescriptions. They have 24 hours to get prescription request to the second team of people who actually call the prescription request to the physician. Then that second team has to wait 5 more days to receive prescription clarification before they can call again. The third manager stated she had never heard of that policy, so I guess they were just feeding me a line of hogwash. Needless to say, I have STILL not received my prescriptions, and my RA is once again out of control. Accredo needs to be out of business.

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            1. I am very sorry to hear about your experience and would like to know more so I can resolve this swiftly and ensure you receive your medication ASAP. Please email your contact information to ExpressRxHelp@express-scripts.com and I will look into this immediately. Thank you.
               Jennifer Luddy
               Express Scripts (Parent company to Accredo)

            2. WOW! So UNFORTUNATE for the patients and families. My physicians nurse had COSMIC problems setting up the initial shipment of RA Meds. In fact, it took so incredibly long I was scheduled to have surgery [as an alternative] when FINALLY the shipment arrived. What a shame!

         3. I have pharmacy through express scripts Everything was fine for years until they merged with Medco Now its all about money and customer service is very bad! Sending meds not ordered. Billing my credit card without permission- before it reaches the $100 ceiling and cutting off delivery of medications when the copay is not paid. They of course made it high by sending you unordered meds. If you do not use auto fill they begin sending refills of meds out unordered- Money money money So many pills in your home you could be arrested Who cares? Not them

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   2. Just today found your blog and this forum. We have fought with Accredo/Express Scripts for years. Fortunately for my husband, his meds are for psoriasis and not a life threatening disease. However, the stress of fighting for your meds month after month makes any disease worse. We spent the winter months in Texas at our daughter’s home to avoid the horrible Ohio winter. Both January and February shipments arrived at her house on time. When we ordered the March shipment, my husband made it very plain that it was to go to our home in Ohio, NOT our daughter’s home in Texas. Guess what? The meds went to Texas! That was last Wednesday and today is Saturday. They are still “looking into it.” We’ve been on the phone to them 3 different times, each time turned over to a supervisor who tells us there is nothing they can do until they assess who is to blame. We should have had our daughter ship them to us, but foolishly thought Express Scripts would take care of the issue.
      Also we receive assistance from Enbrel Support and each month they say they can’t ship our next order because our bill hasn’t been paid. When we ask if they billed Enbrel support as we asked them to do, they do so and we have to wait again for the shipment. How on earth can a business run this way? Especially one involving medications! If anyone finds a solution please let us all know!

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      1. Sadly, it appears the only “solution” to the problem of Accredo pharmacy and it’s incredible ineptitude in business will be to put the purchasing power back into the hands of the consumer. When the people who are receiving the medications are the ones deciding where they are going to go for their business, Accredo’s doors will close so fast it will make the executive’s head’s spin!! —Until then, the only thing that you can try is to talk to your Benefits Administrator and tell them how unhappy you are. Many people are finding–like me–that “specialty” pharmacies are secondary to their insurance plan’s assigned or required pharmacy. You may have a large choice of specialty pharmacies available to you. I am still of the belief that no company wants to pay large amounts of money for health benefits only to have their employees forced to deal with total imbeciles like those who work and manage Accredo. If they can do so, they will give you another option. And, if enough people complain, Benefits Administrators all over the country will put a stop to Accredo’s ability to magnify the pain of disease by not giving a damn about the people behind the medications. The ONLY way to stop ACCREDO is the old fashioned way capitalism used to work: “If you give poor service; if your workers don’t know what they’re doing; if no one department at your company has any idea what the other departments are doing; if you are not set up to be helpful, accommodating, personable, or user friendly, your business fails !!!”
         Thankfully, our family was given a choice. We now work with a specialty pharmacy that is wonderful. I hope you and others will be able to do the same.
         —One day I suspect Accredo will be studied at business schools across the world as the ANTITHESIS of how a GOOD business should be run. After all, the fact Accredo ever existed should be of some benefit to someone on earth! (I am an optimist…what can I say.)

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         1. HAHA! Steve, I hope you are right! Some good should come from all the awfulness they have inflicted on people.

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      2. I’m so sorry to hear of your troubles. Accredo is unreal. I am adding your comment to the post.

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   3. Absolutely true! They are a monopoly because we are forced to use them and have no choice! The following is my letter to their president when I tried to join them by force of BCBS:
      Every word of the following correspondence is true.
      At this point I am only writing in the hopes of alleviating the experience of others in the future:

      I am 52 years old.
      I have been HIV+ since 1993.
      I have been on UNUM Insurance Disability since 2012.
      I have lived in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.
      I had BCBS of Michigan for over 25 years with my previous employer.
      I joined BCBS of Ohio in May of this year when I moved to Dayton.

      After I had run prescriptions through my local pharmacy for a month, I discovered from BCBS of OH that I would be forced to participate in mail-order prescriptions. This was new to me.
      I had heard horror stories from others about dealing with life on mail-order prescriptions and was not looking forward to the experience.

      My fears were not unfounded.

      I understand that it is BCBS of OH that is responsible for my need to mail-order through Express Scripts. However, this need puts your company in the unique position of an absolute monopoly.

      I must order my drugs from Express Scripts through the mail. I must order my drugs from your company or go without. BCBS of OH will not allow local pharmacy orders for “maintenance” drugs.

      I want to emphasize that I do understand how the system works, and that there are rules regarding the regular use of mail-order. However, when coming into such a system for the first time there are bound to be time related issues with the alignment of various drug prescription dates as some run out a different times.

      The following is a record of what has transpired since I joined Express Scripts in May of 2015.

      A key issue that seems to be missing on the part of Express Scripts is the notion that, I assume, a vast majority of your clients have multiple prescriptions for various orders of serious illness. Now, being HIV+ I have twelve monthly prescriptions. However, whenever I discussed my overall account issues with your reps they kept asking me which prescription I was talking about. Rather than dealing with me as Matt Johnson with twelve prescriptions, they insisted on dealing with me as twelve separate prescriptions that happen to belong to a Matt Johnson. This view of your clients is aggravating to say the least.

      When I first called to set up my monthly mail-order prescriptions, I noted that I had twelve prescriptions and was curious of what my monthly bill would be. Without flinching, the representative informed me that the first bill would be about $900. (I admit that this high bill is a reflection of co-pay issues, but when dealing with disabled clients, of age, who get paid once a month, it is still shocking.)

      I immediately asked about some kind of differed payment and was told that clients were only able to carry a balance of $100 on their accounts. Anything over that would have to be paid first before drugs were sent. After discussing this with the rep for about thirty minutes they did offer the option of delayed payment, but only as a three month option. My three month supply of drugs was divided by three and the monthly billing would run for three months. I was told that nothing could change that. (A) (This was about May 11th.)

      I said fine. However, I was told that the payments had to be made on an automatic withdraw system and that the date of the first payment was tied to the order date of the drugs. Now, as a person on disability I am paid monthly at the whim of a fickle insurance company that prides itself on paying disabled claimants in a window of one week “about the same time every month.” This means that even though my pay date is supposedly the 11th of every month, it could easily be on the 18th. With this in mind I was asking the rep to allow me to be billed on my monthly plan after the 20th of the month, as I am never sure when I am going to be paid. In fact, I had not yet been paid for the month at this time, which was already “late.”

      Again I was told that no power on earth could move the automatic withdraw payment date. (B) I had to start the auto withdraw on the day that I placed my order. This being the case, and in the midst of the change from local to mail-order, I asked if I could have a one week supply issued to my local pharmacy to get me by until next week, when I knew I would have the money. I was told that that was not possible. So asked to speak to someone in charge and was finally talking to a third “pharmacy supervisor,” who explained that the information I had been given was correct and that I could not have a one week supply to get me through, when he offered the notion that I could “appeal” the decision.
      I hesitantly asked if this appeal would be done in a day or a week. He told me that “it could take a month.” (Now, keep in mind that I had already been cut off from my local pharmacy by BCBS of OH, my twelve prescriptions were dry, and this was my first call to Express Scripts.) So I told him to run the appeal and that I would be happy to talk to him again from the hospital after I have gone without my drugs for a month. He immediately said, “How many do you need?” and offered to run a one week supply through my local pharmacy. This was accomplished after an hour and a half on the phone.

      This was also my first attempt to get started with my monthly prescriptions through Express Scripts.

      A week later on May 18th, after I had been paid by my disability insurance, I called in to set up my prescriptions. Once I was set, I was informed that my automatic billing would commence on May 30th. I asked about the earlier ultimatum that my billing date had to start on the day I ordered, that being the 18th. The rep had no answer. (See A, above.)

      Two days later, I realized that I may have missed a prescription, so I called in to confirm my order just to be safe. I was informed that nine of my prescriptions had been ordered and all was well. I asked about the missing three and was told that those were “Accredo” as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. I said what is that? “Well that is our sister company that deals with the high-end drugs.” I said, “So you mean that I am missing three HIV drugs and I have to call Accredo?” “Yes.” (Those drugs were now missing for two weeks from my regiment.)

      Now this may seem odd to you, but I had no idea what Accredo was or how it worked or why my mail-order life now included two mail order companies, albeit them being sister companies.

      I understand that you are not Accredo, so I will not dive into the hell I went through trying to get my HIV drugs. Suffice to say that I was told by them that I should call the drug companies individually (3) to get a magic “virtual number” that would pay my co-pay costs, as I was now saddled with another $400 monthly bill, which they pointed out was not through Express Scripts and did not include any type of delayed payment at all. (In all my 25 years with BCBS I was never told to call the drug manufacturer for anything.)

      After two weeks, I received my nine various drugs in several shipments that were days apart from Express Scripts. I sat diligently saving my money and watching my account for the prescribed $300 hit on May 30th. (See B, above.)

      It never came.

      By June 4th, I was ready to buy groceries and few sundry items, and knew in my heart that once I spent a couple of hundred dollars out of my account, that your company would suddenly decide to bill me on my mandatory automatic withdraw, overdrawing my account in the process. So, I bravely called in and asked the billing department what was going on. I was informed by the rep that my account was all paid up and that I would not have another bill until June 25th. (Some three weeks in the future.) I said thank you.

      The next day, I received an automated phone message to call Express Scripts. I did so only to discover that the billing department was curious about an outstanding $197 bill I had on my account.

      Incredulously, I told them that I asked about this very issue the previous day. The rep said that there must be some error as I did indeed have a bill of $197. I asked why this bill was not being withdrawn on the automatic withdraw system I signed up for. After a few minutes he came back and said that it appeared that I was concerned about getting a large monthly bill on my auto-withdraw. I said yes. He pointed out that I should be on “standard withdraw,” paying what I felt like, and avoid the concern entirely.

      Incredulously again, I begged to know how that would be possible when I was told, in no uncertain terms, that a client could carry only $100 on balance when I signed up three weeks ago. He said that all of that information was wrong and that he could place me on standard withdraw right then, and that I could pay, say, $100 if I wanted to, and carry the balance. Incredulously, I said great and asked if he could bill me for the $100 right then, as he was in billing. He said no, only I could do that on line. Ok fine. I said thank you and that I would do so later that day.

      Fifteen minutes after I hung up, my bank auto-alert went off on my phone indicating that I had a withdraw of $197 posted to my account by Express Scripts.

      I called in again and asked how this could be, as I was told only I could run a bill that day on line. I was told that it was obvious that when I cancelled my auto-withdraw account, I would be billed for remaining balance of the account on the card. I said that that would have been nice to know when I was talking to rep fifteen minutes ago who cancelled my auto withdraw account. The current rep offered to immediately refund the charge, which is a cruel joke as it takes days for the banks to actually give you your money back. (It did show up three days later, thank you.)

      However, after I begged to be able to tell someone in authority about my plight, this helpful person offered to give me the complaint department address, something I had been asking for for over three weeks, getting transferred to “supervisors” over and over again. (One of these supervisors listened to me for thirty minutes before my cell phone signal cut off, she did not call me back. Another supervisor listened to me for thirty minutes before my cell phone signal cut off, she did call back, but I was unable to answer as I was at work, she left no message. I even asked for the phone number of a supervisor and was told that not even the rep I was speaking to had the number for such a person, only the ability to transfer me. This would have been a good time to give me the complaint department’s address, but no, it did not materialize.) I happened to check my Express Scripts account to find there was indeed a response after a couple days to my website request for help. However, it is interesting to note that the response was only sent to my Express Scripts internal message account, and not my personal email. It was just by chance that I found it. That is how I received your address. (There is no access by phone number on the website for managerial personnel, only the 500 word text-box system.)

      So, as a new client I offer the following observations:

      • The world view of the reps of Express Script is woefully inadequate to deal with sick, seriously ill and dying clients who literally live from bottle to bottle of their prescriptions, terrified that the mail-order system will goof up their lifeline, helpless as their insurance forces them to deal with a monolithic mail-order monopoly. I told each and every rep I dealt with that I was 52 years old and relatively sane and sober and could not fathom, for the life of me, how an elderly, sick, shaking-handed, partially-deaf, wheelchair-bound person with cancer or dementia or some other horrifying disease could navigate the labyrinthine channels of the auto-phone system and internal rules and regulations the reps have to follow with apparent blind obedience.

      • The apparent rift between a “prescription specialist” and “the billing department” at Express Scripts appears to be immense and uncommunicative to say the least. Time and time again, the rep I was speaking to about my prescription needs told me completely incorrect information about billing. They completely fouled up the ability of a first-time client to simply pay on a monthly basis, as was possible, I eventually found out. This, I begged from the very first phone call, and as you can see, it was three weeks of hell before someone actually told me that what I had been seeking as a new client all along was indeed possible.

      • The billing department’s world view is also woefully lacking in any sense of understanding that they are dealing with sick, terminally ill and chronically ill people of all ages. The casual ability of the billing department rep to tell a first-time client that they will have to pay upwards of $900 to stay alive the next month, with no recourse to delayed billing except through a maze of “Automatic Billing” cycles that are written in stone is shocking. This is even more disturbing as one learns of the complete inaccuracies of the information doled out regarding billing and payment options. Training seems to be lacking, to say the least.

      • The entire approach of Express Scripts to clients as a series of individual prescriptions is odd, confusing and counter-productive. I should be client “Matt Johnson,” who has an account with nine prescriptions, not twelve individual prescriptions that happen to belong to a “Matt Johnson.” When a chronically ill client calls in who has a dozen prescriptions to deal with, along with the accompanying billing issues, they should be able to address their entire account as a whole, and hopefully the billing for the entire account as a whole. Talking to the billing department about nine individual billings at different billing dates is difficult and confusing. (After all, the whole idea behind using Express Scripts is due to the fact that these forced-mail-order prescriptions are “maintenance” drugs that the client uses monthly, forever.)

      • Express Scripts is not Accredo. But first-time clients are not aware of the divide over “high-end” drugs and their regular “maintenance” drugs. The casual reference to “Accredo” I received did not prepare me for the need to deal with another mail-order company. If anything, I thought it was another Express Scripts department, and that the reference to them simply confirmed that they would run the prescriptions I was ordering. I swear, all I ever heard was “That’s Accredo.” The abject horror they represented was not apparent until I finally found that I had to call them too, and try to order very, very expensive drugs. It is interesting to note that when I enquired of the billing department as to who Accredo was, one time I was told they were a “department” of Express Scripts, another time I was told they were a “sister company,” with separate billing procedures. However, on my last call to billing, when they were trying to figure out what the multiple small billings were, seeking that $300 hit I mentioned, the rep did say that “It could be Accredo.” I said that I was told Accredo’s billing was separate from Express Scripts, he said no, that on occasion, they run billing through Express Scripts, completely contradicting what I had been told before.

      Maybe it is entirely BCBS of OH’s fault, but the addition of Accredo to the mail-order prescription nightmare is not clear to your clients and is terribly confusing and frustrating when one believes that they have finally navigated the Express Scripts billing future, only to find that there is another bill of hundreds of dollars waiting to be discovered in the wings once they discover the true nature of Accredo.

      All I hope to accomplish is to inform someone in authority of the complete and utter nightmare I encountered when forced to drop my local pharmacy and contact Express Scripts to set up my lifeline of prescriptions by mail-order. I hope that some training and communication will result within the corridors of Express Scripts.

      You have me at a disadvantage. You are my one and only source for life-giving drugs that I must mail-order by the decree of my beloved BCBS of OH. I have no recourse.

      You are an absolute monopoly, accredited and approved and paid for by BCBS of OH. Maybe all of this horror is worked out now. But it is the naked approach of a first-time client, ignorant of the horrors of the mail-order rigid-imperial rules and internal departmental confusion that reigns at Express Scripts that I address for myself and the other unfortunates who find themselves dialing that Express Scripts phone number for the first time.

      Sincerely,

      Matthew Johnson

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      1. This was horrifying to read. I only had to deal with one prescription through Accredo. I cannot fathom trying to deal with 12 through these sister companies–especially ones that are so vital. I am so sorry. I haven’t had to deal with them in a long time, but this really brought my rage back up.

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      2. Mr. Johnson:

         I have read your note and will work to fix this.

         Thank you,
         Jen Luddy
         Express Scripts
         ExpressRxHelp@express-scripts.com

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2. I believe in the power of social media to change things as acreda must not want bad publicity affects their stock….. If tweets about thisnpharmacy reaches thousands it could end up on cbs news and it could affect somehow how meds are dealt with in all phRmacies… It would be a great mediastory.. Lets think about how we could use media like you jst did reposting others who are soooo fed up. Has anyone tried sending your Blog to the president /ceo of acreda or , you tube…?? Illl ask my dtr who is coordinating a social media conference in mexico if she has any ideas…..one person can make a difference…..we did!

   Cheers, Engage Mexico – Social Media Conference | Facebook https://www.facebook.com/EngageMexicoSocialMediaConference Engage Mexico – Social Media Conference. 2686 likes · 106 talking about this. EngageMexico is an annual Social Media Conference taking place in the Puerto … Susan Givng thanks in November for blessings in my life!

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5. I have had the WORST experience with a company I have ever had, Accredo, over medication that I need on a daily basis. I am finding as many places as possible to complain about this negligent company. What horrifies me is that my while my condition is serious, there are far more conditions that rely on specialty script care, and to have this happen, just made me sick. I am changing insurance in 2014, and will have different options, but really I just want to get out of this company’s database.

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   1. I hope you are able to try another pharmacy! I have had a much better experience with CVS Caremark.

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6. Unfortunately, I have to deal with Accredo. I have been fighting for my three year olds medication (ILARIS) for 7 weeks. It’s extremely frustrating, every time I call, I am given the run around. I have been working with the ILARIS patient support and they now call Accredo everyday. They are now getting as frustrated as I am. The thing that hurts the most is that you are seeing how sick your child is, how bad they need the medication and there is nothing that you can do. It’s sad! I’m extremely exhausted, frustrated and pissed. My next stop is my local news station.

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   1. Thank you for sharing your story. I have added it to the main body of the post.

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7. It is December 4… I have been battling accredo since oct 22 for my ms meds!!! This company is completely incompetent!!! Every call I’ve made they have yet another excuse on why my meds have not shipped! N now I’m out of meds … A med that ur body has to build up a tolerance to .. So now what??? This company is screwing up my health and they could give 2shits. All they say is “I’m sorry for ur inconvenience” … Really??? It’s more then a dam inconvenience when ur screwing up other people’s Heath!!! I hate this company! They r completely unless!!!!!!!!

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   1. Thank you for commenting! I have added your comment to the body above.

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      1. a patient sued United Health Insurance company. The Insurance company was requiring mail order and the meds were being sent to, delivered to the wrong address’ , left out in the rain and spolied. that lawsuit ended up with a restraining order to allow the meds to be filled at local specialty pharmacy. It sounds like more lawsuits are needed against other health insurance companies

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8. Acredo is horrible!!! Been fighting for over a week….not only are they incompetent, but the staff there is completely disinterested in resolving issues. My sons been without his medicine for 3 days now…what a joke. If anyone has a contact name or number for someone that can get things resolved at ACREDO, please share!

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   1. I’m adding your comment to my post. Thank you for sharing!

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9. I have Multiple Sclerosis and have recently had to switch from CVS Caremark (they were great) to Accredo per my insurance. It has been a nightmare! They have the worst customer service and most cumbersome refill process ever . I am currently WITHOUT meds even though I have been promised they would ship “the next day” for two weeks now. If you can avoid using this pharmacy do it!!!?

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   1. How awful! We were lucky enough to be switched the other way. I’m adding your comment to the text above. Thanks for reading!

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10. Pingback: A quick note on Accredo Pharmacy… | Mixed Up Mommy

11. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. We were recently transferred over to Accredo by Express Scripts. Prior to the change, we had delivery on time every single month. As soon as the change was made, the difference was incredible…and not in a good way. In a jaw-droppingly inept way. I have spoken with 15 different representatives to schedule our deliveries and not ONE of them tells me the same thing. One month they completely SKIPPED our order! What I can’t understand is how they don’t understand how they are holding my child’s life hostage??? Last month I had to have Lundbeck three-way call with me into Accredo to demand next day shipment. This is completely unacceptable. I could go on about this for DAYS.

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12. Accredo is the WORST “pharmacy” (use that term loosely) I’ve ever encountered in my 58 years. I’ve been online researching my options and trying to locate governing bodies, etc. and I came across so many patient complaints. I’ll add mine to the pile. Check out complaints on BBB (http://www.bbb.org/memphis/business-reviews/wholesalers-and-distributors/accredo-health-group-in-memphis-tn-15005188/complaints) – I’m going there next to submit to them my formal complaint; I also plan to contact our state insurance commissioner. I will let our employer know as well. In short, I have the same issues with the ‘specialty’ portion of the pharmacy…..for an injectable chemo drug that I use every week (yes, it happens to be expensive … hummmm are they denying and lingering because of their bottom line ???) I never had problems with Medco/BCBS; then it changed to Express Scripts thru United HealthScare…absolutely unacceptable and worse, that they continue to get away with this. File a complaint with Better Business Bureau (BBB) please ! I”m on hold with Accredo – my 6th call this morning, trying to get my medication that was supposed to be here last Thurs ……….. are we in a 3rd world country now ?? I will check back in later when I have more time. God bless you all –

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    1. That’s awful! I don’t know if you saw my post yesterday, but Jennifer Lundy is the rep who contacted me about this post from Express Scripts and said they are looking into all this. Shoot her an e-mail at ExpressRxHelp@express-scripts.com. I’m adding your comment to the post, as well. Thanks!

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13. Accredo must die for light and hope to return to the world. Ever since we too were “upgraded” from Curascripts, we have had many of the same problems already posted here. They call the wrong number and don’t speak to your doctor and use that as an excuse not to send the meds you need. The “customer service” reps and supervisors are incompetent and seemingly proud of it. They refuse to take any initiative to try and help you when your child needs important medication. The only reason they can stay in business is because they know if your insurance company has contracted with them, they have you over a barrel.

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    1. Haha! So true your first sentence! I have added your comment to my post “How is Accredo Pharmacy Getting Away With This.” Thank you so much for commenting.

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    2. Just hope you know that ESI/CuraScripts bought Accredo. The majority of the people you are speaking with are actually ESI/CURASCRIPT employess, NOT Accredo employees. Blame the correct people.

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14. Please, someone tell me how to get a hold of the “Big Wigs” at this horrible company! They bought out Carascript (CS), and called me to send me my meds. I did not need them at the time and was told to call when I did in fact need the order. I did just that, I called Monday. They said my script was voided for non-payment (I have never ordered from them), so they blamed CS. I asked them for my said balance, it came back “0”. They said we will restart it, call back in 24-48hrs. It is now Thursday, still has not been handle. I did my own work and had my Doctor call today. Once I called the Accrapdo back they are telling me that it is in process and will take another 24-48hrs. This will leave me with out pills for over five days…I received a Kidney from my brother 6 years ago. You are not to go one day and day two starts the rejection phase (Not always but should not be tested). Lastly I asked them for an over-ride to the local pharmacy and they can’t full fill that either. So, I ask you; “How is Accredo Pharmacy Getting Away With This.”

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    1. Awful! I have added your story to the post above.

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    2. Accredo did NOT buy CuraScript. ESI/CuraScript bought Accredo. The crappy reps you are talking to are CuraScript reps using the Accredo name.

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15. For social media, I left the same reply on their facebook account. Lets get it out there people! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Accredo-Health/161745347178627

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16. Oh my goodness! I really hate seeing that everyone is having all these problems, but it makes me feel less alone! My son has a grocery list of health problems and one requires a specialty medication. OUr insurance carrier requires that we use Accredo (which recently bought out our much better more competent company) I have been struggling for a FULL MONTH to get his prescription filled. (Still no joy). I have called every day, my doctor has called and my insurance company is now involved. The standard answer I received was “your prescription is in process” or “we should contact you withing 24 to 72 hours”. Fortunately, we may be able to get the prescription filled through CVS until Accredo can “catch-up”, but we have no choice but to stay with them. You can work with your insurance companies, if you haven;t been able to get your prescription filled within 72 hours of the date your MUST have it filled call them and you can(maybe) have them send a prescription to your pharmacy as a stop-gap measure. Good Luck!

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    1. Added your story to post above. Thanks!

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    2. Accredo did NOT buy CuraScript. ESI/CuraScript bought Accredo. The crappy reps you are speaking to are actually CuraScript reps using Accredo’s name.

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17. Accredo is a nightmare. They don’t belong in the business of filling essential, high-end prescriptions. The problem can be summed up by they are inept and/or “give up” at handling or following up any issue no matter how simple that causes the otherwise “happy path” of filling a prescription to fail.

    My prescription for Enbrel was originally faxed (and confirmed) with Accredo Dec 4th, 2013. Accredo “lost” it and it had to be re-faxed Dec. 18th. After the 18th I called every business day except Christmas (logging hours of phone time) and was repeatedly told the prescription was held-up due to “clinical issues” and that I didn’t need to worry because someone would call me as soon as it was ready to ship. On Dec 27th someone at Accredo finally “properly” identified the problem as missing co-pay information, which I found unbelievable as it had already been provided to them with the prescription and again since then. The prescription shipped Jan. 2nd (after I had stressed all along that I needed it filled under 2013 insurance). On Jan. 13th my ability to place other orders with Express-Scripts was blocked because the co-pay had still not been properly processed by Accredo.

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    1. Ugh! It never ends, does it?! I have added your comment to the post.

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18. We switched to Accredo last year (2013) in Jan and have had nothing but problems. My daughter is on Humatrope, which she has required almost since birth. For 21 yrs we have dealt with other specialty pharmacies without even a small fraction of the problems we have had w/ Accredo. (Pronetics was the absolute best!!!!!! See more below.)

    I am a physician and I have NO IDEA HOW ACCREDO is allowed to continue its incompetence, when it is adversely affecting so many people. I believe it will take one of two things: 1). A large news show (e.g. 60 Minutes) looking into Accredo’s substandard business practices. or 2). An actual congressional investigation.!!!! I seriously wonder how many people (children) have died as a result of Accredo’s lack of caring, no compassion, and phenomenal incompetence.

    ONE THING FOR CERTAIN… NO ONE WHO WORKS AT ACCREDO HAS ANY LOVED ONE WHO NEEDS MEDICATION THAT IS DISPENSED BY THEM !!!!!! Maybe there will be some poetic justice and someone near the TOP at ACCREDO will have a child or grandchild born with a serious illness requiring specialty medication. MAYBE THEN…. JUST MAYBE, someone will seem to give a damn. Until then, I suppose corporate profits, lack of intelligence, and/or sheer unadulterated stupidity will continue to rule the day at ACCREDO.

    The problems I have had are almost exactly the same as so many of the comments above. If anyone is interested, I’ll be happy recount my sorrows, frustrations, and infuriating hours spent dealing with ACCREDO, too.

    If anyone who has had severely adverse circumstances caused by the delay of their loved one’s medications, I strongly suggest you file a lawsuit. I will venture to say there are probably 100’s and 100’s of people who might be brought into a class-action case against Accredo. This kind of lack of ability to properly handle medications as important as these, should NOT be allowed to be handled by such CRETINS. It is CRIMINAL what they have been able to do.

    In fact, i wouldn’t be surprised if the name ACCREDO comes from the base-root CRETIN somehow.

    I am so sorry to hear there are so many other individuals who are suffering in the same way due to this company’s lack of competence, proper leadership, and concern.

    Doctor Steve

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    1. I think you are absolutely right about the lawsuit! I am adding your comment to the post.

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    2. Agree, docxxx, They are the WORST!!! they were careless with the truth and would say that the medication was sent and would arrive on….which is important as it has to be kept cold and someone was at home for ‘phantom’ delivery time after time. Where is the FDA and CMS and the hoards of beaurocraps who pounce on the hapless small business owner or ‘provider’ regularly to my wife as she is the one on a biological and to us in reality. He poor rheumatologist..Accredo was not accurate about their office not sending in renewals and then when sent in by rheumatology practice and a copy by us they still claimed that the did not get any prescription. This went on month after month and we had to ask the physician if a sample could be obtained. When the prescription was clearly written authorizing refills these were never honored. Why is Accredo and others of their ilk never ‘brought to justice’ for all the additional pain and suffering that they deliver to sick people?

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19. This Company is CRIMINAL is they way there are running this pharmacy, putting patients lifes in danger, My script has been lost in a Black hole since Dec 23 2013 and its Ground Hog day with them everyday, I Call. Glad I found your blog I thought it was just me. I get this same response from them we are processing it will call you. or it’s being processed. I think the stock holders need to have a light shined on the way this company is being run.

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    1. You are definitely not alone! Thank you for your comment. I have added it to the post.

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20. I just had my first contact with Accredo yesterday. Our insurance now requires us to fill prescriptions of Remicade with Accredo. I called Accredo to try to find out how their system works: how they receive prescriptions, turn around time, what’s in the shipment, cost, paperwork needed, etc. I got hung up on 5 times. I thought I was just having a bad day, but after reading of the experiences of others, I am now warned, and ARMED. My insurance company will be receiving my complaints and a copy of this blog. Thanks you so much for complaining. To have a company that provides life-saving medication be so incompetent and rude is beyond excuse.

    And, as a side effect, they will put small trustworthy pharmacies out of business. How inane.

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    1. Thanks for commenting! Adding your experience to the post.

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21. I have experienced every one of these complaints and then some with Accredo. My issues started in May and I have not had one smooth transaction since. With the amount of time and anguish I have spent with this company I should be compensated for doing their job for them! It is so frustrating to read these stories and though missing my doses of medication is not life threatening, is sets my condition back months and even then, I can’t get back to 100% remission. Something needs to be done with this company. I have researched and researched and I can’t find any evidence of someone taking this to the legal level. So until that happens, I will continue to spend countless hours and days dealing with this inept company.

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    1. Thank you for commenting! I am adding your story to the post.

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22. ACCREDO is a nightmare! I am a nurse and have a husband and son who require medicaitons from a speciatly pharmacy. We changed insurance companys on January 1st and I have been fighting for our meds almost daily. I have provided all information needed to them including credit card for billing yet they have every excuse to not fill our meds.
    It is now the weekend and my husband is out of medication. His medication like many other medicaitons requires daily doses not to be missed without risk of severe side-effects. I spoke with a Pharmacist on friday evening regarding the doses my husband would be missing over the next 4-5 days. He advised me that we need not worry becasue the medication does not clear the body for atleast 128 hours, although I pointed out not at therapuetic levels, to which he agreed! My husband has a mutated version of his disease and is at increased risk of severe complications. The pharmacist agreed that this medicaiton was especially impmortant for him but there is nothing they can do. Within one hour of speaking with the pharmacist I received a phone call requesting $1000 payment to proceed. We were told emergency shipment would then be setup with earliest delivery by Wednesday! This was after weeks of phone calls and 4 phone calls throughout the day begging and screaming at them. My orginal request for refill was 1/9/14 and we are hoping to have his meds by 1/29/14, which I doubt will happen!
    This is going to be a long year dealing with ACCREDO!

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    1. Thank you for sharing your story. I am adding it to the post.

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23. Accredo is horrible. I am in the process of having our sons prescription taken away from Accredo and moved to a more reliable pharmacy. Our son had a liver transplant Oct, 2013. The previous pharmacies were wonderful! However, once I changed to BCBS, I was told we HAD to use Accredo even though all of the other medications go through the previous specialty pharmacy.
    On 1/3/2014 I placed our 1st order. It is now 1/31 and we have YET to receive the medication he is going to need for the rest of his life! I have placed the same order 5 times and each time our request is cancelled for one reason or another. I was finally told today (by their own employee!!) that they keep a limited supply of the syrup needed to make his medication. Can someone PLEASE tell me why we are being MADE to use a pharmacy that does not even carry his medication on a regular basis??? This is crazy!
    Today I have spent 3 hours on the phone with BCBS, Express Scripts and Accredo at the same time. Express Scripts kept BCBS and I on hold and never came back. After an hour, BCBS suggested we call the State, which is exactly what we did. It is now with The State Benefit Plan. In the meantime, we are writing letters to the BBB, the president of each company, the attorney general and The Department of Health. Next is the news!

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    1. Good! It is clearly going to take some heavy hitters to get something done. I’ve added your story above.

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24. I have the same problem with my son’s meds since they have changed from curascript. I’m wondering if we can start a class action lawsuit for malpractice or something to the extent of that. I think since they are so big they think they cant be touched but being there are so many complaints on blogs we should be able to start a class action lawsuit because these are our childrens’ and families lives this piss poor company is playing with. I feel they should be held responsible. I’m in Memphis and ever since my son’s growth hormone was tranferred to them I have had nothing but problems. I’ve had it and I think we should seek counsel. If you agree email me marquitabrown683@hotmail.com Anyone know any attorneys that might want to take this case?

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    1. They way they are acting is really making me think it’s going to take a massive lawsuit. I just hope someone doesn’t have to die first. I have added your comment above.

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25. I want to start a class action lawsuit with Acreedo pharmacy and maybe even Express Scripts for even using them as their ONLY specialty pharmacy. They are an awful specialty pharmacy that is responsible for sending my son his very important medication. Since they became my son’s pharmacy for this med it has been nothing but trouble. The people are incompetent and no one knows why anything happens. I have searched a few sites on google and I find several of the same complaints and even people asking about attorneys they can use. I think it will be very lucrative for you if you start this class action and I as well as i’m sure plenty others want to be named as the victims in this suit. My son is 7 and he needs his meds but every month now he is getting less and less treatments due to clerical and unexplainable errors and it’s not just me and my family, it’s the families of many others please help me in getting this done as I feel they should either get there act together or close as a business because I feel this is a malpractice. This is the message I placed on Morgan and Morgan’s website. HE is a class action attorney in Memphis, TN. I’m sure they will call soon and I am grateful of you starting this blog to let me and my son’s father know we are not alone in the struggle just to get a prescription filled. Join in me and i’m sure soon to be many others in stopping this soory excuse for a specialty pharmacy before someone gets hurt.

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    1. I hope there is an attorney that will take the case!!!! Does anyone have any damages so far?? i.e. medical bills, rejection, sickness directly related to Accredo not sending meds on time?

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26. I found your blog when I did a search for Accredo complaints. I have been using Accredo Pharmacy for almost a year (lucky me!). I have a serious issue with them. I have Multiple Sclerosis and have been on the same medication since last April/May. Now all of a sudden they are saying they can’t ship my medication out until they get another authorization from my insurance company. My prescription is good for a year and I have an authorization on file with the insurance company that is good until April 18. Now, suddenly there is a problem??? WTF??? Accredo says the medication is not being billed through my phamacy benefit (which is where the authorization is), but the major medical insurance part. OOOOKKKKK. Called my insurance company and they don’t know WTF Accredo is talking about! This is not an injectable medication, so it is not billed through medical. Is STUPID a prerequisit to work at Accredo? Cuz I think (no, I am ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE) everybody that works there fell out of the stupid tree, hit every branch on the way down and then landed in a pool of stupid! So, not only am I livid at them, but I am scared that I might not get my meds in time putting me at risk to have a relapse! Thank you for allowing me to vent!

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    1. Thank you for sharing your experience! I have added your comment above.

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    2. I too am on MS medication. I switched insurance to Anthem BCBS and their specialty pharm is Accredo. Accredo refused to acknowledge my existing prescription. I even had US Biogen fax over, and my prior specialy pharm fax over. Accredo would not accept, I HAD to get a new prescriptioin from my doctor they said. Well, good luck getting a fast appointment with a neurologist. Anyway, within a week I saw my Dr. and got the new prescription. Now I am waiting for “prior authorization” before they can fill my prescription. Do these people realize, we are on only a 30 day supply. I have now run out of my medication because of Accredo playing games with MY HEALTH. This is not right.

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27. WOW!!! I am not alone in this madness! But I am to the point of going postal on these ignorant, incompetent idiots! Does Accredo (Memphis) really have that much trouble hiring qualified individuals? or are they so cheap, that’s the only type of employees they can get? My husband has Hep-C, and the medications were ordered the first week of January. His prescriptions are for Sovaldi, Ribospher and Pegasys. I went through the process of getting financial assistance through McKesson for the Sovaldi, and the PAN Foundation for the Pegasys, and have given Accredo their billing information ATLEAST 10 times. The orders were finally shipped on January 22, it took 3 weeks for them to fill the prescriptions because of constant screw ups. I made countless calls, spending countless hours of hell with them just to get the meds, then they switched the billing information, so now my account shows a $4700 balance that has not been paid, therefore, we cannot receive ANY prescriptions until they pull their heads out of their behinds and get it right!!!! I called AGAIN this morning after giving them the billing information AGAIN two days ago, and the balance is still there. I spoke to someone here in Arizona this time, she was very helpful, and said she would take ownership of the issue, present it to a supervisor, who hopefully is as considerate, and gets it done right!!!! Great customer service is a thing of the past, funny, because this is supposed to be a time when it’s all about great customer service.

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    1. Thank you for posting! Adding above.

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28. I have an aggressive for of rheumatoid arthritis and need a daily shot just to be able to walk in the afternoon. They apparently have 3 accounts in my name, and my prescriptions are getting lost between the three accounts. Not only that, but my prescription is for a 90 day supply but they only ever send 30 day supplies so every couple of weeks i have to play phone tag with them for an entire week, my doctor office as well can’t get a hold of them and 3 months ago they knew about my 3 accounts and the situation has yet to be resolved….Can accredo be held accountable for lost days of work because of their ineptitude to fill prescriptions in a timely manner? They have caused undue stress in my life that is inexcusable… It is a crime that these people are failing in their responsibility to the people that rely on them so much….

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    1. Thank you for sharing your story. I have added it to the post.

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29. I am SO happy to have found your blog (thank you so very much for providing this forum for us), but also horrified that SO many people are encountering the same issues with Accredo Specialty Pharmacy and yet they somehow stay in business? I have to use Accredo Specialty Pharmacy for my Cimzia prescription which I take for my rheumatoid arthritis. It is not life-threatening if I receive my meds on time or not (like some others that have commented) but I am also undergoing IVF for fertility issues, and keeping my RA under control during the IVF cycle is a critical component to the outcome of the IVF treatment. It’s extra important to have the RA well controlled during the period of time following the embryo transfer.

    Well, during my last IVF cycle Accredo Specialty Pharmacy screwed up the delivery and it arrived almost 2 weeks late and meant that I was not properly medicated during the post-embryo transfer phase. Although I initially had a positive pregnancy test, I very soon after had a miscarriage and obviously there’s a part of me that wonders if I had been properly medicated would the pregnancy have stuck. Now we’re on our second round of IVF and had the embryo transfer last week. I am due for my next Cimzia shot this weekend and, after an hour and 15 minutes on the phone with Accredo Specialty Pharmacy, I learned that I “may or may not” receive my medication this weekend.

    The extra frustrating part about this is because I had the issues with Accredo Specialty Pharmacy not delivering my medication on time during my last IVF cycle, and not wanting to risk not receiving my dose on time this time, I started calling Accredo Specialty Pharmacy 3 weeks in advance of when my next shot was due. Yet, somehow I’m still at risk of not receiving it on time, and based on the incompetence they’ve demonstrated so far, I am not confident it’s going to arrive on time, which will again put another IVF cycle at risk.

    Thank you Accredo Specialty Pharmacy for making an already stressful time in my life extra specially stressful. You guys are special.

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    1. I’m so sorry! That’s awful. I’m adding your story to the post.

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       1. thank you for the add. I truly appreciate what you’re doing.

          On Tuesday, February 25, 2014, Mixed Up Mommy wrote:

          > mixedupmommy commented: “I’m so sorry! That’s awful. I’m adding your > story to the post.”

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30. I am very disturbed by what I have read here. Have most of these problems started when Express Scripts took over MedCo?? I was scared that they would screw Accredo up when they took over. I have been getting my daughters growth hormone for years from them and have had no problems. I had to deal with CuraScripts previously which is Express Scripts specialty pharmacy. They were a nightmare. I am currently starting to see issues with Accredo. They constantly tell me that my daughter’s doctor has not sent in a new script when I need to order. I know that this is not true because her doctor employs someone full time to take care of the patients scripts with the pharmacies.

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    1. That is a good question. I’m not sure. I thought they predated the take over but I’m not actually sure exactly when the takeover went down. We first ordered by vigabatrin in August 2012. We had issues almost from the start.

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31. Google led me here. It is nice to know I am not crazy or overly hyper in thinking Accredo sucks. They just don’t know thier ass from thier elbow. Theyve lost my script, forgot to send it as well. I had given them my info at least 4 times and they say it still isnt correct. Are thry frikkin playing candy crush while they are on the phone with cusomers? Sorry. I had a copay free program before my script got moved over to them, and now I don’t. I have nothing complimentary to say.

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    1. You made me laugh with the Candy Crush comment 🙂 I am adding your comment to the post above. Thanks for sharing your experience.

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    2. The WORST. I use these clowns for my psoriasis medicine. Though its not something life threatening, I do struggle to get them to get my med to to me EVERY MONTH. I’m on the phone now, medical insurance, 2 copay assistance programs. IM so frustrated, again another screw up.

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32. I also found this via google. I have crohn’s disease and was just placed on Humira. Our insurance company told us that Accredo was our specialty pharmacy, so we called and everything seemed to be in their system no problem. Since I’m currently fairly ill my file was marked urgent and they told me that my medicine should be ready to ship in three to five days. Two weeks later we finally had to call them. They told us that they had only gotten a prescription for my maintenance dose, not the loading dose and didn’t have prior approval from my doctor. The original prescription is just for a loading dose. So I had my doctor call them and get everything authorized and they told me that they would be calling me the next day (Friday) to arrange a shipping time. Well, the following Tuesday we called again. It turns out Accredo had voided my prescription because they hadn’t gotten the prior approval from my doctor. It has been over two weeks, I am so sick I can’t leave the house, and it has been so ridiculous that we’re switching to a different pharmacy!

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33. I have just recently started working for Accredo and although I have not heard of any of these medications and am not working in that particular department I love my job here and am very distressed hearing the different scenerios. Just a FYI I have a problem all the time getting what I need from the physicians office to get my patients authorized. Example I requested clinicals on a patient from her MD’S office..I waited three weeks got every excuse there was.Finally I received them AFTER her authorization expired. I have lots of stories like this..Though I am sure evryone of your stories is a nightmare for you and your family sometimes it is actually the patients MD’S office that is holding up progress. WE can not move foward with out them. I have waited days/weeks fro prescriptions, clinicals waited for the MD to actually call the insurance company. So many different scenerios. Just wanted to put alittle perspective out there. My patients and their well being is the most important thing to me. But sometimes our hands are truly tied. Prior Authorization Represenative

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    1. Thank you for your input from the inside. I think there are many cases in which you are absolutely right and there are issues coming from the doctor’s office dropping the ball. What really got me going on the issue, however, was my personal experience in which even basic refills were problematic. I have never had an issue getting my refill from Caremark, but it was a monthly issue with Accredo. I know I’m not alone because this is a frequent topic of discussion on the TSC boards. I can verify beyond a doubt that there are major issues with Accredo’s system. One of my refill issues that I detailed in a different post came from them all of a sudden reverting to calling an old practice for my son’s dr. He had not been at that practice since we started seeing him and they had been contacting the correct number. All of a sudden our meds don’t show for scheduled delivery and the day, and with no prior notice, I’m told they haven’t been able to contact the dr for authorization due to refills being used up. I don’t know why they spent two weeks calling the wrong place when they had been in contact with the right place before, but I set them straight on the contact info. Still couldn’t get meds. Nurse practitioner called for me. They still had the wrong info. I called again the next day — after recruiting the Lundbeck Share program for help — to see where our meds were and they STILL had the wrong information. Every time there is an issue, nothing is ever noted in the system. So you start from scratch with every single call. While every issue may not lie with Accredo, I do find it interesting that I have never had the issues with Caremark or Optum Rx that I did with Accredo. Admittedly it’s anecdotal, but Accredo is known as the devil pharmacy in the TSC community. I have never seen near the complaints with any other place. It concerns me that so many complaints are coming in for so many important meds. I follow links back to see how people are referred here, and have seen similar discussions on other health boards of outstanding problems with Accredo, most recently an HIV discussion board.

       I know many moms from my online community that are reduced to tears on a monthly basis trying to get their meds. Thank you for being so concerned for your patients. Unfortunately, many of us feel like you are the exception and not the rule.

       Reply

34. I have never in my life seen so many complaints on one company!! I am rapidly losing confidence in Accredo. If they screw up the shipment of my Hizentra Shipment one more time – I have told them today that I will be writing to the BBB and to my immunologist. I will also notify medicare as they pay for it. I do not need to return home and see the box sitting on the front porch in the sunshine – it is HOT here in AZ and I do not care how ,many icepacks they need to deliver to back door, and knock and get my bsignature. All of these directions appear on the list of supplies inside the box. Unfortunately UPS does not have x-ray vision. When the supplies were ordered I said, twice, put these directions on the mailing label, and into the mailing address so that UPS will deliver the shipment as requested and to also pay attention to the date delivery is to be made. THEY DO NOT PAY ATTENTION. IT IS IN ONE EAR AND OUT THE OTHER IN THE CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPT. People like this work for the VA – where a sense of caring is minimal. I suggest they go there. They will fit in nicely. I am dealing with a forest fire, out of control and approx. 20 miles away. I am trying to recover from pneumonia. I do not need to be bothered by Accredo’s goof-ups. They will get my complaint in writing – as well as a phone call. And as many times as necessary. If there is another screw-up by customer service [why don’t they call it Customer Neglect?} I will do my best to get my prescription sent to another company. Hang in there folks and write those letters. Dottie in AZ

    Reply

    1. That’s interesting you mention they aren’t refrigerating your meds as they should be because two friends of mine received their meds from them packed in ice this week and that were NOT supposed to be refrigerated!

       Reply

       1. I made no mention re: refrigeration of meds, however if u are wanting a comment on this – they are OVER refrigerated with more than twice the number of ice packs that are needed. It would be a quick computer search for temps in this area on days shipment would be enroute – it is not hot here currently – unless the delivery service chooses to put pkg. directly in the sun – which is where it was, but not his fault. Accredo failed to let delivery service know that a sig. was required – which would then get the pkg. directly into my hands – and not left lying around for the local thieves to pick up, or for it to get hot while sitting in the sun. Customer service personnel need better orientation, or better quality of staff, or better supervision – definitely they need to learn how to read the instructions as they are printed on the inventory list of supplies. THERE IS NO ROOM FOR ERROR WHEN DEALING WITH THESE TYPES OF MEDICATIONS. Dottie in Az.

          Reply

          1. Oh! Sorry. I misread your comment. I thought they were sending without ice packs…I understand now..

             Reply

35. Thanks for posting the email address. I used it! In all honestly, I haven’t had any real problems with them until recently when my insurance changed. The entire process is broken. I never realized this until I developed a chronic condition. It’s sad that doctors have to deal with all of this administrative stuff instead of doctoring their patients!

    Reply

36. I can’t believe I just found your page. I was in Accredo hell for about a year and I just stop using its service and my medicine. I have written everyone including my Senator to no avail and its as if no one cares either. I am so sorry this has happened to everyone because I know many of you can’t stop taking your medicine. I am somewhat comforted in knowing I am not alone. I have felt so alone in this. Thank you for your post!! Hi all.

    Reply

    1. Thank you for commenting! I am adding your comment to the post!

       Reply
37. Pingback: Joy. Fear. Anger. Helplessness. Joy? | Healing Ana

38. I am also having problems with them to. My sons meds were suppose to be delivered last weds.They never showed up.He had his last shot that day .called them Thurs. I was told my insurance doesn’t cover it anymore.They couldn’t even contact me Weds. to let me know.Now it is a week later and he still doesn’t have his meds. I have called them everyday and keep getting the run a round.My son takes other meds. If he doesn’t have one his levels are off. He can have a grand mall seizure which could kill him .I have express this to them and they say WE CARE no they don’t. If anyone can direct me to another phramacy I would be very thankful. Someone please help me.

    Reply

    1. Hi Lisa, I’m so sorry. I well know the dangers of seizures. My two recommendations for you are 1. call the pharmaceutical company/ manufacturer that makes the med. Some of them have programs set up to help people obtain meds if there are issues. For example, Lundbeck makes vigabatrin and I was able to get in touch with their SHARE program to help me obtain emergency shipments and deal with insurance. 2. Contact your insurance and tell them the issues you are having and ask if there is another pharmacy option. You may or may not have a choice, but it’s worth a shot. Good luck!

       Reply

    2. lisa, call 877-222-7336 ask for a supervisor

       Reply

       1. You are just wasting your breath calling the source and asking to speak to a supervisor there. Excuse my language, but they can give a rats ass. Complaint after complaint and nothing gets done. You need to contact your insurance plan and escalate the matter with them. Enough complaints made to the insurance companies will light a fire under Accredo’s ass. Enough complaints made to the insurance plans, they will think twice about renewing their contract with Express scripts/Accredo.

          Reply

    3. Hi Lisa – This is Jennifer Luddy from Express Scripts, Accredo’s parent company. We are very sorry for the experience you have had and would like to make sure your your son receives his medication ASAP. Could you please email your name and contact information to ExpressRxHelp@express-scripts.com so we can make this right? Thank you.

       Reply

39. I saw you posted a link back to my blog post (after I linked back to this post) – I just wanted to follow-up and say that Accredo sent the prescription four days after we began the process of trying to fill it – so it was actually very timely. I think I prematurely freaked out (especially after reading through this post) – but I also think that this post helped me be extremely pro-active (more so than usual). That includes having the oncology nurse practitioner call Accredo on a daily basis until we got the delivery scheduled. So accredo was getting it from both sides. I will say that I needed to be proactive right until the last moment – Accredo was supposed to call me last Friday to schedule the delivery and when I didn’t hear from them by 4:15, I had my husband call and he was able to schedule it.

    Reply

    1. Good! I’m so glad it came! I hope your next refill goes more smoothly!

       Reply

       1. normal processing time is 5-8 business days and expedited timeframe is 24-48 hours provided we are able to obtain all necessary pieces. hope that helps

          Reply

          1. M. Adams, I was told by two different reps that it takes 3 days to process new prescriptions – not 5-8 business days. I was also told that there was no way to officially expedite this process but that they would “make a note of it in the computer” at which point I was encouraged to call back if I didn’t hear from anyone in 24 hours (my daughter’s PET scan was the next day and her oncologist wanted her started on the drug immediately after it). Yes, I got her medication quickly – but it meant I had to be ridiculously proactive, as did her doctor, as did my insurance company who literally conferenced me in with an Express Scripts rep (at one point).

             I wish all the reps at Accredo were as concerned about patients getting their meds as you are – but the fact is that the only way to get your reputation back, is to do the job of a pharmacy and deliver people’s meds on a timely basis. I get that sometimes it’s not Accredo’s fault…but just read through the comments above or do a search on Google – this is a chronic problem .Get your shit together. Express Scripts/Curascript/Accredo is now all one entity – you don’t get a free pass because once upon a time you had a good reputation. People need you to be good NOW so if you’re the only one at this company that cares about patients and wants to restore Accredo’s reputation, then figure out how to make it happen because I have no doubt in my mind that people are dying because of your company’s incompetence.

             Reply

40. Accredo sucks… plain and simple. The incompetent careless owner’s name is George Paz, and his ‘presidential office of escalation’ is 800-871-4663. I’ve been trying since January to talk to this jackass and he does not return my calls. His office does, but they are just yes men. My son needs Humira, and our insurance company says we have to get it from Accredo. How are they even still in business? Seven months later, they are still a nightmare to deal with. I have filed a grievance with my insurance company to go elsewhere for the medication, and am willing to file a class action lawsuit if anyone is interested.

    Good luck to all that have to deal with this crap on top of the medical issues for yourself or loved ones.

    Reply

    1. Mr. James: I am very sorry to hear about your experience and agree it is unacceptable. I’m checking in with our Presidential Unit for an update on your case, but would like to know more from you. Please email me at ExpressRxHelp@express-scripts.com.
       Thank you,
       Jennifer Luddy
       Express Scripts Corporate Communications

       Reply

41. I have used Currascript for 9 years for my daughters medication and not one problem in those 9yrs. For 2 1/2 weeks I tried to get a refill. I made my first call and was told this refill will be in 2 to 3 days, after several days I call and they said they are so sorry just trying to contact the Dr to verify information don’t worry it will go out in 2 to 3 days. Called a couple of days later saying my daughters meds are nearly gone what is the delay and was told we need a new prescription because they don’t have one on file but don’t worry they called the Dr and got a new script, and will rush this out in 2 to 3 days. 2 days go by call again, and again with the so sorry just trying to contact the Dr to verify information. 3 days go by call again, and yet again with the so sorry just trying to contact the Dr to verify information. I call the next day this time they canceled the prescription because they could not reach the Dr. They apparently did not have the name or number of my daughter’s Dr, the Dr they called a week earlier to get the new script which they just canceled because the couldn’t reach the Dr that for 5 days they have been telling that they are trying to call but without a name or number. By this point my daughter is without her medication, call back the next day telling Accredo my daughter has no meds when will this ship. I’m told don’t worry 2 to 3 days. 2 days go by call, and get so sorry we need to verify your address which I do, and I’m told don’t worry we will get this out to you in 2 to 3 days. The next day I get my first call from Accredo, there is a problem with my address. I call again verify my address and I’m told we will overnight to you. The next day get my second call from Accredo we need to verify your address but we will overnight the meds to you. After 2 1/2 weeks we finally get the medication delivered but the next day we get a call saying there is a problem with our address and they can’t ship the medication, the medication they delivered the day before. Our house has been receiving mail at it’s address for the last 120 so I can’t see what problem they could have had. This company’s incompetence is mind boggling. One can understand the gross incompetence of say a monopoly like Comcast its just tv, but at the very least Accredo is making people truly suffer if not truly jeopardizing their health. My daughter felt terrible as she withdrew from her medication. Like Comcast we are stuck with Accredo and all we can do is vent on the internet

    Reply

    1. This situation must have been very frustrating for you, and I apologize that you had this experience. I’d like to know more so we can investigate what happened and make it right. Can you please email your name and contact info to me at ExpressRxHelp@express-scripts.com so we can look into this?

       Thank you,
       Jen Luddy, Express Scripts (parent company to Accredo)

       Reply

42. I am not as upset with just Accredo as I am the entire pharmaceutical and insurance situation. All I want is an email address for Accredo and Shared Solutions and both of them have removed their email addresses. I don’t want to talk with them. when I do the reps are well prepared to say the usual platitudes.
    They are making money off me hand over fist so I want to email them. I used to be able to order my MS medications online… now I have to call them b/c my medication suddenly became a “specialty medication” last year. I resent all this. I resent that there is a newer medication less invasive but my ins. co. won’t approve it b/c they are waiting for the current medication, more invasive, to become generic.. so meanwhile my skin has to go thru the daily invasion that would be better if it were less times a week. And the drug company probably could have released this new version but did so only because it will loose a lot of money once generic version is released. But none of this has to do with what is good for the patient. I’m wondering how good all this spending of money is doing for me anyway?

    Reply

43. I was one of many people to have major issues with Acreedo in the past, but want to give them a public high five for the changes that have been made. My calls are easy now, the meds arrive on time, and the employees seem to actually have training, education, and a heart. So bravo to the company. I hope everyone is seeing positive changes.

    Reply

    1. I’m so glad to hear that!

       Reply

44. Accredo is the worst pharmacy I have ever dealt with. They bought the accounts from Curascript and this is my first time dealing with them and they are awful. They said they were shipping my chemo drugs Thursday..Thursday gets here and no drugs and now they say they have no info of me and called my pharmacy company after they told me everything was okay…Awful business

    Reply

    1. Mr. Scott – I am so sorry that you are having this trying experience. First and foremost, I want to make sure we get your medication to you ASAP. Can you please email your contact info to ExpressRxHelp@express-scripts.com? This is a secure email address and will allow us to locate your records and resolve this for you. Thank you.

       Jennifer Luddy
       Express Scripts (Parent company to Accredo)

       Reply

45. And I’m ready to file a class action suit and file a formal complaint with JCAHO!!! When my MD ordered Supartz injections for my chronic knee pain in May, his medical assistant told me that Accredo was incredibly slow and it would likely take six weeks for approval. Being a health care worker of 32 years and understanding of delaying beaurocratic red tape, I was a patient patient and waited this time out. When I called my doc’s office, they told me they submitted everything to Accredo in June and they had been notified they were unable to reach me to schedule delivery. NO messages on either my home phone or cell phone! I called Accredo on 8/1 with my patient identifier number and was told the claim was being processed and I should hear from someone within 24-48 hrs. I called again on 8/7 and though I didn’t record a name, this was a helpful person (management, take note of her!) and promote or fire, depending on your management philosophy! She said she could see the prescription had been pending since June, put me on hold while she talked with a supervisor, and told me they were expediting my claim, and I should call back within 24-48 hrs for a status update. And WHY wouldn’t someone contact me???? On 8/12 I called and asked to speak with a mgr. Ms. Patricia Watkins assured me she would follow-up with the Pharmacy and apologized for the delay. She indicated she would call me the next day with an update and gave me her direct number. Thinking I’m making some progress! This may come as a surprise, but NO call!!! Later that day I had the first message on my phone from “Jamie??” With management, apologizing that they had not met my expectations and I should ask for management with any questions in the future. Well I give it three more days til 8/15 and I call Ms. Watkins back. SURPRISE!! She is on vacation til 8/21! I call the main number and now demand to speak with a supervisor. I am connected to Leslie Hudson, who assures me she will follow-up with the pharmacy and she gives me her direct number should I have further questions. She tells me that the pharmacy has my RX, and a tech was loading it and forwarding to the pharmacist for approval. later that day I saw a 800 call (no identifier as acreddo), and I find an automated call! I hate the unsolicited calls from telemarketers and it was just by chance that I picked up and was led through automated prompts to a nice person who set up my med for home delivery, shipping on 8/19 with arrival on 8/20, as this med requires refrigeration and could not be shipped over the weekend. FINALLY success! On Monday I received a call from a person in management confirming the details for shipment to my home, with delivery on 8/20. I waited at home all day on 8/20, and NO SURPRISE, NO delivery! I had a dental appointment today and worried about the solvency of the med in100 degree temperatures, I left a cooler with an ice pack on the front porch with a note for the UPS guy to please leave in my cooler. I returned home late afternoon, and I know you won’t believe it, but NO delivery!! I now called Ms. Hudson’s direct number and she says the delivery was cancelled with some question about home delivery?? My doc had already told me Accredo always ships to the patient and you bring the meds to your appointment. And why didn’t accredo notify me of the cancelled shipment?? meanwhile, I have an appointment for my knee injection on Monday (and I’m limping in pain! With no medication!) ms. Hudson says she will follow up in the morning when the involved departments are working. I told her that I didn’t believe a word she said, and so far 7 different employees haven’t delivered!! I also said that I didn’t care how she did it, but my meds better be shipped tomorrow for Saturday delivery so that I can see my doc in Monday and get the treatment I need almost THREE months too late!! Class action suit, happy to join you! Formal complaint to JCAHO will be forthcoming. If you get enough of those, someone in management will have to start listening to our complaints. I will be calling my insurance company in the morning and demanding another provider!! can’t believe there are SO many complaints with what appears minimal responsiveness from management! I am totally disgusted, but can’t give up til I get the medication that I need!!!

    Reply

46. Accredo is the worst excuse for pharmacy on the planet! The majority of the people who answer the phone are morons and could care less about their jobs or the patients. It is a disgrace! I feel sorry for the good people who work there who have to lumped together with this horrendous organization!

    Reply

    1. Ms. Laforest:
       I am very sorry to hear that you have not had a good experience, and I would like to know more so we can make things right. Please send us some more information at ExpressRxHelp@express-scripts. com.

       Many thanks,
       Jennifer Luddy

       Reply

47. I am sick to see that Accredo is getting away with this. It’s beyond unacceptable that they are still in business. I’m not sure if anyone has done this but everyone should file a formal complaint with:

    http://www.jointcommission.org/report_a_complaint.aspx

    They are the ones who have the power to pull Accredo’s accreditation, thus stopping them from the continuing to cause harm to our nations most medically fragile populations.

    I urge everyone on this blog to file formal complaints. I’m hoping all of our voices can make a difference! I’m on a mission to close this horrific organization. Accredo, I look forward to the day you are shut down, and can no longer harm innocent children and adults.

    Reply

48. Nina:
    Accredo cares very much about the patients we serve, and agree that our patients deserve and require excellent service. We are very sorry to hear that your experience has caused so much frustration, and are committed to understanding the cause of your concerns so we can improve. Please email your information to me at ExpressRxHelp@express-scripts.com so we can investigate this further.

    Respectfully,
    Jennifer Luddy

    Reply

    1. I have gone almost 4 months without my M.S. meds because of Acreedo’s incompetence. Unfortunately my insurance through my place of employment requires me to use them. It’s one excuse after another then i go weeks without hearing from them until i call and start the process all over again. They tell me “We are sorry for the inconvenience sir” Inconvenience! This is my friggen life they are talking about! WTF!!!!

       Reply

       1. Chris:
          The situation you describe is unacceptable. I work for Express Scripts (the parent company for Accredo) and would like to make sure we fix this for you ASAP. Can you please send your contact information to ExpressRxHelp@express-scripts.com, a secure email, so I can look into this?

          Many thanks.
          Jennifer Luddy

          Reply
49. Pingback: Sleeping With Scorpions | Mixed Up Mommy

50. I’m an RN working in an outpatient department in a hospital who (along with one of my patients) finally got fed up with the HORRIBLE service at Accredo. Every month we’d get the run around when trying to reorder Xolair, and countless times the patient would not get her 28 day injections at the 28-day mark. Well today I almost cried tears of joy when I called to let them know we would no longer need their services, I can now order the medication elsewhere. In 25 years I have never dealt with anyone in healthcare who cared LESS about patients than Accredo Pharmacy.

    Reply

51. Hi All,

    I hate Accredo and would love to find a way to not have to use them. I am a patient with Crohn’s disease taking Humira . It’s enough that i have to schedule delivery and pay high copays and etc. But I can’t even get them on the phone. They’re horrible and their automated phone system drives me crazy. And I they make a simple task such as filing a copay assistance claim into a long, intricate process and they can’t even get it right. i can’t even get their billing department on the phone. Being forced to give the my business is the worst part of it. I would rather help out the small local pharmacy. the guy who has to feed 4 kids and has to compete with big drug stores such as walgreens, CVS and now Accredo. Shame on you Accredo.

    Reply

    1. Dear Chaim:
       This is Jennifer Luddy from Express Scripts, parent company to Accredo. I’m sorry your experience with Accredo has been frustrating and would like to know more so we can make it right. Please send your contact information to ExpressRxHelp@express-scripts.com and my colleagues and I will assist you. Thank you. Jen

       Reply

52. Is there a class action law suite against Ac-credo? This company has been a pain in my side for far too long. From medicine mix-ups to payment processing problems, this by far the worst medical organization on the face of the planet! I am very tired of being screwed around by them on a constant basis! They are very rude and irresponsible! They are playing games with the lives of many.

    Reply

53. Marlon: We’d like to know more about your experience so we can make it right. Please email your contact information to ExpressRxHelp@express-scripts.com and we will look into this immediately.
    Thank you,
    Jen Luddy

    Reply

54. Take heart all you Accredo customers. I’ve been having a problem reordering with Accredo for 18 months, ever since my son started on Norditropin. This time was the last straw. I wrote an email to George Paz (gpaz@express-scripts.com) the CEO of Express Scripts and Brian Henry (bhenry@express-scripts.com). I outlined my problems and stated my intention to contact the BBB and Tennessee Board of Pharmacy, BC/BS of NJ, and Norditropin. Within 15 minutes I heard back from Mr. Henry. Within an hour Accredo called me to set up delivery for tomorrow. One hour later I got another call from Accredo telling me they are same-day shipping my son’s meds and they should be here by 4:00 today. Don’t be afraid to go up the chain and hopefully your problem will be resolved shortly.

    Reply

55. I’ve had nothing but frustration since being forced to switch to CVS Caremark/Accredo. I’ve been on Humira for over a year to treat Crohn’s disease and Psoriatic Arthritis. I’m currently past due for 2 doses of my medication because of the run around I’ve been getting from Accredo. Initially, they asked my physician to fax over my prescription and patient demographic, which she did. Then, a week later, they needed her to fax over a preauthorization. She did this, however it baffles me that I was not told this the first time. I was in my doctor’s office when she faxed over the preauth. A week after that, they called claiming they did not receive ANYTHING from my physician. How do you go from missing one piece of information to not having any? This process started January 13 and is currently February 3 and I’m STILL on the phone trying to get my medication. I confirmed the fax number with both Accredo and my doctor’s office to be sure it was being sent to the correct place. I’ve missed days of work due to illness because of not having my Humira. That’s money out of my paycheck and food out of my child’s mouth because they can’t get their act together. I’m, again, going back to my doctor to stand there and physically watch the forms be faxed. How is this place still in business? I am glad to see that I’m not the only one who has had a problem though. What can we do to get this company to see the hardship their causing people who pay good money for prescriptions and insurance and are sick because of their incompetence?

    Reply

    1. Hi Ellie:
       This is Jennifer Luddy from Express Scripts, parent company to Accredo. I am so very sorry for your frustration and would like to assist. Please email your contact info to ExpressRxHelp@express-scripts.com so we can help you get your medication ASAP. Thank you!

       Reply

       1. Save your crap. I have already reached out to Brian Henry and received a reply. According to my doctor’s office, this is an ongoing problem with Accredo/Express Scripts. I’ve already contacted the BBB, the Patient Rights Council and the National Health Council. If you want to “help,” get your act together. I can’t wait for a class action suit. You clearly don’t care about patients. It’s all a money game to you people. I hope someone in your family needs a medication and is forced to suffer the way you’ve made all of us suffer. Maybe then you’ll get it. Don’t apologize from your cushy office, get off your ass and do something about it!

          Reply

56. I usually don’t put my 2 cents in with threads like this, but I just have too this time. I too was forced into using Accredo at the start of this year due to insurance changes at my job. I did some research before changing, and seen that this is absolutely the worst company ever. So knowing that, I prepared myself for a long battle to get my daughter’s prescription filled. It is now been 1 and half months, and I still don’t her medications, and she has been out for 2 weeks now. Every week it was a different story. First, they didn’t carry the same medication that she was previously on, so we had to change, which they never called, they just canceled it. Then the Dr. called them put me on 3-way with them to get it figured out, while on the phone, the nurse asked the Accredo rep if they needed anything else, including a prior authorization, she told us no, and it seemed like she placed the order for delivery. A week later, I call up, asking about the shipment, and they tell me that they needed a prior authorization, the same one that was asked about the previous week. Uggh, so i ask them why was no one informed, their claim was, that they do not call the Dr.’s office, they simply submit. So I myself called the Dr., they never got the Prior Authorization request. I believe them, since my daughter has been on this medication for 10 years, and I have never once had problems with this before dealing with this sorry excuse for a company. So the nurse calls them again, and sends the authorization. I then get an automated message the next day saying that the Authorization has been given, and to expect a phone call to set up the delivery. Yeah right, the following day I get a letter in the mail, saying that my prescription had been canceled due to no prior authorization given. WHAT? So I call that department, the lady says, yes, the authorization was given, but attached to a new case number for some reason, and I will still be receiving a call for delivery. I then wait a couple days, I call again, this time, the rep says she does not see a prescription at all under the new case number. Once again WHAT? So she tells me that she has to submit an emergency request to attach the prescription to the new case number, and once again, I should be expecting a call within 24-48 hours to get it all set up. Once again no call! I call 3 days later, I once again told that there was no prescription, that she had to put in an emergency request, I told her that it was already done before, and according to her, she didn’t see that request. Of course she says I will should be expecting a call withing 24-48 hours to set up delivery. That was a week ago today. I got busy last week, so I called today, I was told, that now it is attached, but they needed a certificate from my Dr. Once again WHAT!? I lost it on the phone with her, she refused to transfer me to anyone. Not like it would have done any good, since it seems to be a system wide mentality. Once again, she could not answer as to why I never received a call from them. So I call the Dr immediately afterwards. They once again say, that they had never received a certificate request, but they send one anyways when they send the Prior Authorization. They had already sent it once, but will send it again to them. This is where I am at, still sitting on my hands, and my daughter out of her medication for over 2 weeks. I have seen previous messages with someone from Express Scripts reply to them, asking to email them directly to resolve the issue. Before I did anything, I emailed Express Scripts themselves telling them all of what I am saying here. Their reply was… This is a specialty prescription issue, you must contact them to get it resolved. Once again……….WHAT????? At my wits end, and am looking to take this further. What a ridiculous company, and so-called “Parent” company.

    Reply

57. Keith:
    I am very sorry to hear about your experience. Can you please email your contact information to me so I may escalate this case and figure out why this keeps happening? I want to fix this and get your daughter’s meds to you immediately. My email is ExpressRxHelp@express-scripts.com. Thank you.
    Jen Luddy

    Reply
58. Pingback: It appears that Express Scripts really sucks | All Things Chronic

59. Hello. I cannot say my name since I work at accredo but it’s all true! I have many years experience in the medical insurance industry as well as pharmaceuticals and it totally scares me how they have not been sued down to their last nickel. I’ve seen Rx’s for transplant medication prescriptions just sit while a patient goes without and we as representatives are not allowed to fix or do anything. We have to “create a task” to request something corrected or processed or anything else needing to be done. I’ve seen orders be cancelled for no reason and some just not ship out. All the company cares about are numbers and quantity verses quality so if a couple hundred orders go fine it’s no matter to them if one does not! There are HIV patients who get the run around also. Yes, insurance companies do delay their prior authorizations and yes they also deny claims too but as a specialty pharmacy more care should be with quality and accuracy. They flat out do not train for the type of job and for sensitive meds and nothing is done to coworkers who make mistakes constantly or give wrong information. I pray everyday to be able to help my patients as they are often fighting to live and that my employer will even just care about that. I am hopeful for tomorrow.

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much for your comment. It’s good to know that there are people there who care about the patients!

       Reply
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63. I just spoke to a “Teal” at Accredo-Express Scripts. She said my (first rudely) prescription had expired (which it had) but then said she’d put me on hold for 2-3 mins. She came back 20+ MINUTES later, with NO new information! I asked her how her “break” was? Told her that I didn’t appreciate being left on hold because I know she took a break and did nothing. She came back again with nothing new. She said she’d have to get back to me. When I challenged her and called her out, she never denied my claim but almost seemed to laugh. Then I called back and got another rude employee (Katrina). For those that don’t know, these employees are monitored by call logs and by patients processed. So duh, if one “loser employee” wants a break because they are lazy and hate their job, then all they need to do is let us ill patients wait on the phone. It covers for them on the call logs, etc. But I’m no dummy. What a loser! Oh, I was never transferred to a supervisor, so that’s when I found your blog. Thank you for letting me share my story. FYI – this isn’t the first time this happened to me. Of course, I believe 100% that this “leave those sick patients on the phone” practice happens every day. SHAME. LOSERS!

    Reply

    1. Justin: I am sorry to hear about this experience and would like to know more so I can look into it. I also want to ensure your prescription is processed ASAP. Please email your contact information to me at ExpressRxHelp@express-scripts.com. Thank you.

       Jennifer Luddy
       Express Scripts

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64. Pingback: Accredo specialty pharmacy phone
65. Pingback: Accredo pharmacy fax number

66. My Accredo experience. My insurance company recently stopped using Accredo and switched to Walgreens speciality.. The problem came when the Ins company informed the Pharmacy, but NOT the patients using the Pharmacy. They assumed (stupid of them) that the pharmacy would contact the patients. Accredo was given a 1 month courtesy period so people could get their scripts while getting switched to a different pharmacy. Called in they refilled, NEVER said a word. Called in the next month, they took the info, then my delivery day came and went. I called them on Monday to find out what had happened and they told me…AFTER I had missed my Enbrel dose, that I would need to use a different pharmacy and that they had notified my Doctor’s office. They had never informed the Doctor’s office either. Instead they looked to get their extra 8k for my meds for the month. I also changed my insurance company because THEY had a responsibility to inform us and had just pushed that off onto the Pharmacy, expecting them to do the right thing.

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67. I could not agree more with these comments!! How does Accredo get away with their incompetence, rudeness, lack of professionalism, dishonesty, and overall oblivion to patient needs. These stories are horrifying. I thought my problem in getting a “speciality” medication filled was absolutely awful but these are even worse!! What congressman or television producer can be contacted? I too have kept a running transcript for two weeks in trying to get a prescription filled. I have been told it was not their job to contact a physician, been told contradictory information from Accredo reps and pharmacists and supervisors, been through a referal loop with major insurance company, Express Scripts, and Accredo, have had the rep actually hang up on me even though I was trying to get legitimate information, have had emails received from Accredo removed from their account to me, and in general have dealt with one of the most horrible companies imaginable. I will continue my quest for the prescription needed and will write more later.
    Disgusted Patient Advocate – Larna

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68. I cannot believe it my insurance decided to change and now I am back with the NIGHTMARE that is Accredo!!!!!!!!!!!! I am now almost a week passed due on my medication and my doctor said it was approved now Accredo has no clue what is going on I am so upset that I HAD to leave Walgreens and have to deal with this crap company again..This is the second time I am having to deal rounds of BS from them I cannot do it again , the STRESS makes my condition worse! Next step BBB complaint.. then up the ladder I will go!

    HELP!

    What can we do? File a civil suit or a lawsuit class action.. If anyone knows or is willing to PLEASE contact me !!!!

    I am sick and in pain and all they do is hurt us all! Sometimes, it seems easier to give up.. I cannot deal with this crap anymore.. please insurance company LET me go back to WALGREENS~~~! I am sick to my stomach after reading the workers prayers for us too !! If they are coming to comment then you know something is screwed up! Go look at the reviews on Yelp that is how I found this blog.. Bless you for starting this hopefully SOMEONE will listen!

    Melissa Fronczak

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    1. Ms. Froncazk:
       I am so sorry to hear about this and would like to help get your medication to you ASAP. Please send your contact information to me at expressrxhelp@express-scripts.com and I will get this resolved immediately. Thank you,
       Jennifer Luddy

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69. Worst. Company. EVER. I have been getting Xolair from them for about a year now and I have issues EVERY SINGLE MONTH! At one point they didn’t ship the sterile water needed for the injections because they needed a prescription from my doctor (which it used to always come with the supply pack). So my doctor submits the prescription right away. No problem, right? Lo and behold, they never shipped it. A week later I called to see what was going on and the service rep says, “Well, I see where your doctor put in the prescription, but he never called to tell us to ship it.” Now why on earth would my doctor need to call to ask them to ship what he just sent in a prescription for?? So I told the guy, “Hey…you really need to let the doctor know if there is a requirement for him to turn around and call to tell you to ship what he just asked for.” And then the rep tells me, “There is no requirement for him to call.” To which I reply, “But you won’t ship it unless he calls?” And he says, “right’. So I’m back to saying he needs to let the doctor know if this is a requirement. And he once again says it’s not a requirement. So I say, “But you won’t ship if he doesn’t call”. And he says, “Right…but it’s still not a requirement.” I told him the doctor wouldn’t have submitted a prescription if he didn’t want it shipped, to which he said, “Oh…it happens all the time.” *boggle

    In August I was supposed to have a shot delivered for the 3rd, 17th and 31st. I got the 3rd and 17th, but not 31st. They said they called my doctor’s office on the 31st during lunch (when I should have gotten the shot) and left a message but they said no one called back. They didn’t bother calling me or the doctor’s office again until yesterday (the 10th). And because we’re almost 2 weeks away from when I should have gotten the shot, they are simply skipping shipping the one for the 31st because they say they can’t go back in time. Which means I will have missed a round of my shot completely, which is a problem since this medication builds up in my system to help. They are adamant that they will not ship this missing dose from the 31st. Unbelievable. I told them they are NOT the doctor and that their orders are for Xolair every 2 weeks. If they missed sending one, they need to send it. My doctor will decide if he wants to give me 2 at once or 1 ever week for the next 3 shots. It should not be up to them. They should simply fill my freaking order.

    I HATE THIS COMPANY!!!! It’s been something like this every month. And Express Scripts isn’t much better (the company that forces me to use Accredo).

    Reply

    1. Oh my God, your account of your conversation with the stupid customer service person just made my eyes roll back in my head. I wanted to believe their promises that they were working on making it better, but the comments keep rolling in and I keep seeing the complaints on the TSC boards. Clearly nothing is changing. Infuriating.

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    2. I had many problems obtaining my son’s growth hormone. Email George Paz, the CEO (gpaz@express-scripts.com) or Brian Henry (bhenry@express-scripts.com) or both (like I did). Explain your problem in detail and include a link to this site with its hundreds of complaints. Find another site with complaints and include that link as well. I received a phone call from the CEO’s executive secretary within 1/2 hour and they sent my rx by courier so I got it within four hours. I haven’t had a problem since and all my orders are now shipped expedited shipping. Don’t bother dealing with customer service, they are useless. Customer dissatisfaction doesn’t seem to matter to them, but bad press does and they certainly don’t want their board of directors or investors to get wind of this.

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70. I have an issue with two mail order meds, with one being a specialty med for HIV. Specialty meds are supposed to be dispensed thru Accredo Specialty, which I have a co-pay assistant program set up. But starting in the month of June 2015, the specialty med was being dispensed by Express Scripts, who would not submit co-pay fee to the co-pay assistant program for payment. Because of this action, I am left with this co-pay bill, which I cannot pay.

    The other med is for the prostate, which has been approved for 90 tabs for 90 days. Express Scripts continue to submit 22 tabs, 42 tabs, or 48 tabs, which started the last part of April 2015. It takes them 2 to 3 times deliveries before they can get it right. And they also try to charge me for 2 to 3 co-pays for one script which should have been for 90 tabs for 90 tabs.

    To date, neither Express Scripts, nor Accredo has gotten it right yet. I am still fighting to get it right, if that ever happens.

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71. Nice to find this blog…I am not alone! My experience with Accredo has been disturbing. I can’t believe they are in business and I would be happy to be a part of any class action lawsuit against them, if only to push them out of business. They truly suck….I am getting a medication for my severe plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Cosentyx. It is very important that I take it once every 4 weeks on time. This last month they finally royally blew it and I received it 2 weeks late! They could care less… Every month it is the same song and dance and delays which are mostly based on incompetence and severe lack of communication. I communicate with people over dinner plans more effectively than they bother doing …over very important medications! It’s as if they don’t realize what field they are in; they shouldn’t be trusted with these important matters! I won’t bore you with the whole story of dysfunction but I will say that my medication is expensive and refrigerated and so I have it delivered not to my rural residence where it can be left in the sun for many hours or stolen but to my dermatologist’s office. Accredo calls me,always from a different automated number and does not leave a message. They do not send me an e-mail or communicate ever via internet…When I call them I must first screen through a byzantine automated system to get to an actual human. I say “yes I want my medication” and this begins a process…they call their delivery department (I can’t do this directly, why?) and keep me on hold while they variously miscommunicate the order (which is the same exact order every month) and then the delivery department must call my doctor to make sure somebody will be there to receive the order. I must then check daily as I’m told they called but the doctor’s office hasn’t called back yet. I have caught Accredo lying as my c doctor’s office assures me they have not called. I cannot speak to the delivery department directly- I must go back through the automated system to the human who runs me around and then again calls the delivery department who then tell them to tell me that okay they will call again. Eventually it’s Thursday and now too late to send my medicine this week. Again. Medicine I need. medicine that is paid for. I hate Accredo. Please let me know how I can help push them off a cliff. Thank You!
    Paul Piccirilli
    ppicster@gmail.com

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72. OMgosh, I have been going through CVS for my son’s medication for the last two years which was an absolute breeze. Just this month our provider has changed from CVS to Express Scripts. When I called them I was given the choice of using Accredo or Walgreens…..googled and here I am. Thank you for sharing your story, I, of course, chose Wal-Greens and they are working on transferring his prescription, fingers crossed that I receive the same great service as CVS. Sorry, you didn’t get a choice too. 😦

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73. Hi melissa. I was getting my medications from duean reade. No problem s there. Now my insurance switched to express script and uses accredo as a dispensery walgreen and duean reade merged, how would I get my iinsurance to allow me to get my medications through walgreen. Accredo sounds like there goal is to help control the population by allowing people to die due to lack of medication

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74. Accredo is OWNED by Express Scripts, so You are not going to get anywhere. They don’t care. They make money by Forcing people to use their own pharmacy. They don’t need competition. I wish our Legislators could something, but they are bought out by the lobbyists.

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75. Well wow good to know that I am not going crazy over the horrible practices of Accredo. This is my story, and mind you I am livid right now, so I’ll try to remain non swearing. I am 25 years old with Relapsing-Remitting MS, and since March I have been fighting to get my medicine that continuously I am told, ”Is being shipped out,” but then low and behold..there is a problem with prior authorization or some crap and the medication never comes, after being told so many times it was coming and the prior authorization being approved. A horrible company and constantly being given the run around. I’m in the process of trying to find a lawyer to sue Accredo and given the mental and emotional damage as well as physical damage they cause, and having two kids to take care of, my son and daughter while constantly dealing with Accredo’s crap, I seriously wouldn’t be surprised if my MS has progressed to Progressive MS instead of Remitting due to all the fucking attacks so far that could have been prevented or managed better had I been on the medication I have been fighting for since March!!! Way to play with people’s lives and health!!! #horriblecompanyneedstobeshutdown!!

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76. I also work at Accredo and I can honestly say that I love my job and am proud of my work, my supervisors and my division. I do insurance in PAH orals. Please allow me to share my humble opinion and experiences for this past year. Firstly, I am really sorry to hear all of these negative things about a pharmacy I am happy to work for and I hope those responsible will be held accountable, and that our service is ever improving for each and every patient in our charge. I know I always endeavor to do better, and be the best for my patients that I can possibly be. I am so sorry for your experiences that were negative. Each year on 01/01 it is crazy as insurance change all over the place and a lot of people to not provide their information in a timely fashion so we are scrambling to get it when the claim rejects and get all new prior authorizations and such. This year 2016, my supervisors had a meeting and decided that we would not let our PAH patients down at any cost. They determined to “high risk” any and all shipments to prevent drug lapses. While I saw the numbers-I still can’t fathom the amount of money that Accredo shipped drug for knowing that we may never get paid-but we did it anyway. We chose to ship it knowing that while we are in business to make money (as that is the purpose of business) no amount of money could ever be work disappointing our patients and failing them in their need for medications. That alone tells me that the company is all about our patients. I do admit that there are some people at the company who ummm stink, but you would be hard pressed to find any company with that number of employees who don’t have some stinkers. Hopefully, as we grow in our commitment to you-and our other patients-the employees who are not suitable for our company will depart so to speak. In the mean time though, I would also like to offer some clarity about mail order versus retail sections of Accredo. There is a difference between Accredo and express scripts for sure. Express Scripts does own Accredo Health Group (AHG) but there are lots of express scripts procedures and policies that we at AHG do not control. There are two systems and the mail order (ESI) side often does somethings that we do not support but cannot control currently. Sometimes when people call in they think they are talking to the pharmacy and they are really talking to the insurance company express scripts. To help navigate this, may I suggest that when people call in be very specific about your need. For example, I need to speak to the insurance team for this drug. It may help diminish hold time-I do hope so. I personally give my patients my direct extension so they don’t have to go through any transfers but what I deem needed-and I am very diligent about making sure I have the right person and conference it so I can introduce my patient to whomever they need and confirm they are both still there. Perhaps if you find a good contact you would like to ask for their extension to assist as well.

    As for insurance delays-the comment another employee made is 100% accurate that prior authorizations are often held up by the physicians office. We as employees are instructed not to tell the patients that the office is to blame even if it is true. We simply aren’t allowed to say it, so instead we are blamed. Keep in mind though that a dr can get prior authorizations with out us but we cannot do it without them. If you really want to know what the delay is about, you can call your plan and ask if the dr has requested prior authorization. If they haven’t or it was denied, then you know who is to blame. Most of the time-delays are about prior authorizations. If we as patients really want a permanent solution-why not rally for the decisions to be made by doctors. Perhaps changing the way insurance does business is really the way to go. Who
    is any insurance company to decide based on some criteria that I don’t need the medication my doctor prescribed-right? Why not set about to change the system instead of trying to blame the pharmacy or the doctor? I just think it is a better solution.

    In the mean time, we as a pharmacy are sincerely trying to always do better, and legitimately want your feedback. We just need your voices to be heard by the right people. Please share them directly with us. For example, you can right a letter to the head of the department or the supervisor for that drug or section. I promise you that a letter mailed in gets noticed. I personally have never had anyone complain about me but a few letters have been mailed in and my supervisor addressed the content very quickly-I know if it was negative she would have been on it in minutes and I would KNOW to never make that mistake again. I know we have let the people here down and I am very sorry for that but allow us the opportunity to redeem ourselves as we grow and refocus on where our hearts truly started and where they still remain-with our patients.

    Reply

    1. With a few exceptions, all of the voices I heard in my now 12 hours of phone conversations with Accredo/Medco/Escript were polite, patient and seemingly well-meaning. So, I assume that most of the worker bees at this awful company are just trying to do the best they can. But the thousands and thousands and thousands of frustrated people testifying to the same rabbit hole of repetition, evasion and delay indicate that the higher-ups who have designed this system have a different agenda than the customer relations reps who never seem to have all the relevant info on their computer screens. EVERY DELAY IN SENDING AN EXPENSIVE DRUG ADDS MONEY TO THEIR BOTTOM LINE, so their company method of operation is obviously based on confusion and obfuscation. The CEO of this awful shell game company is named Tim Wentworth. I hope his ill-gotten gains bring him and his shareholders nothing but misery, because that’s what his despicable policies have brought to all of us.

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77. The Accredo/Medco/Escript business model is obviously delay, delay, delay until a certain percentage of frustrated customers give up or die. The shareholders and executives who rake in obscene profit (check out how many of these “healthcare” creeps own mega-million dollar real estate in Manhattan) hide behind a front line of sweet-voiced, well-meaning but clueless customer representatives who have no power to actually help customers. It’s a shell game. My family’s Accredo stats thus far: 12 hours of phone conversations, 15 different phone numbers, 6 months delay in getting the first month’s supply of a drug (that he may have to take for years) for our teenaged son, too many false and conflicting advisories and broken promises to count, 1 outright denial of a second drug recommended by our son’s doctor, and zero expectation that this torment will end anytime soon. Thank you for this blog! If anyone out there can come up with the actual names of the heartless criminals who own this dreadful company, I would gladly sharpen my poison pen…

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78. Fell down the Accredo/Express Scripts/Medco rabbit hole trying to get Baraclude (Entecavir is the generic) for my son’s Hep B treatment. Several months of phone calls (approx. 11 hours of phone time and counting) finally produced one month’s supply of a projected multi-year regimen. Any interruption in this regimen could be dangerous, yet we are still being run through a gauntlet of sweet-voiced customer reps who deliver nothing but misinformation and empty promises. Who are the company executives and shareholders who hide behind these obviously well-meaning but powerless women? They are only trained to delay, delay, delay, so that customers will eventually give up and the whole drug/insurance criminal enterprise can rake in even more obscene profits. Read the NY Times Real Estate section and note how many fabulous multi-million dollar apartments in Manhattan are being bought by “healthcare” CEOs and hedge fund investors. Your kid has a terrible disease? Sorry. It’s just business…

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79. I am forced to use Accredo by my insurance and they SUCK they are the rudest non informed people i have ever met! I have to do their job for them and when i ask about using another pharmacy they so no it is a specialty drug. Today , trying to chase down my injection that I need next Thursday instead of getting answers i hear from the agent how she is having a bad day that her mom died and her son died- with all do respect- i don’t care- stay home! this has nothing to do with poor service and a lack of answers let along accountability. The Resolution Team Leads are a joke and full of lip service. After 4days of calls- I now have to call again Monday as they still have not done what they are suppose to do….please get rid of Accredo and let the consumer use their own pharmacy-PLEASE!

    Reply

    1. I could not agree more!! We need to get rid of Accredo pharmacy for the reasons given!!

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80. WOW! Glad I’m not alone with my frustration. This is so wrong in so many ways! I won’t even bother to tell my story since everyone on this site has had the same experience. I agree that Accredo Pharmacy needs to go away and soon!

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81. Just found your blog after googling Accredo. I’ve used them for over a year for my Stelara injections, and it hadn’t been too bad, but my insurance changed at the beginning of 2017. As SOON as I got my cards I called them with the new info, and was assured it would be no problem. I had my MD re-submit the required prior auth. It’s been a month of calls. I am 2 weeks late on my medication. They can’t find the prior auth….or they can, but it’s linked to the wrong account, so many excuses. I tried asking for a supervisor, but she was even less helpful. Their only suggestion was having the MD resubmit everything, but with no recommendations on how to make sure it gets to the correct place. I’m beyond frustrated and feel like I have no recourse because I am required to use them and need my medication. I wish I could take my business elsewhere.

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    1. Hi Suzie, I’m sorry to hear about your experience. We want to make sure you get the medication you need. Please email us at ExpressRxHelp@express-scripts.com with your name and contact info. We’ll be in touch to make this right. Thank you.

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82. Just googled “Accredo sucks” and your blog came right up. I have spent literally every day this week on the phone with them trying to set up a delivery of my son’s meds with no luck. The most frustrating thing is that each new representative tells me a completely different story! Every time I think it’s all set I call to verify and am told they are still waiting for more paperwork even though my doctor has submitted everything needed!

    At least now I know it’s not just me. So frustrated!

    Reply

    1. Can you use a different speciality Pharmacy?

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83. Totally agree!!! The billing and accounting department are the biggest group of liars on the planet and they have to be trained to blow smoke up patients @$$%$ because each and every one I have had to deal with has given me the same line of BS. I hate this place.

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84. Accredo is certainly consistent. Never fails to royally screw up my son’s medicine refill. We’re fortunate we only need to deal with them four times a year.
    It is unfortunate that the link for the Tennesee pharmacy board in the blog article is not working, but I have found another for complaints: https://tn.gov/health/article/filing-complaints-against-health-care-professionals

    If any Accredo employees read this. How do you sleep at night? Being adept at pathological lying must be a job requirement.
    As I write this message there is $16K of refrigerated medicine sitting in a FedEx warehouse (un-refrigerated, of course). Accredo insists that they shipped the medicine today UPS Express but cannot provide tracking. The mystery package at FedEx they say wasn’t shipped by them (despite FedEx tracking clearly indicating otherwise) was shipped over a day ago.
    Will the medicine get here before it is spoiled? Anyone’s guess at this point.

    Reply

    1. Can you switch pharmacies?

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85. Wow I can not believe all the problems with Accredo. Not only am I a infusion nurse but a patient (IVIG). I work forCSI Pharmacy and I had a patient that we could not work on because of her insurance. We tried Accredo, not only did their staff hang up on the patient they told me they can’t rush an order because they have other patients. Then when I tried to figure out why there was a problem with the orders the pharmacist told me I was wasting his time. I can not believe they are a huge company and get away with treating patients like this. My company turn around time is 3 days and even that is long. It breaks my heart.

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86. I am absolutely horrified by Accredo. I just got through with my first experience trying to fill a prescription for a new drug. I honestly believe they intentionally train their employees to create diversions to avoid having to fill prescriptions for expensive drugs. Here is just a brief recap of what transpired with my interactions with them.

    1. Your script is denied.
    2. Your script is denied. (lie)
    3. OK, it is approved, we will call you to scheduling shipping (LIE)
    4. 3 weeks later no call (lie)
    5. I call back 7/26 (three weeks of waiting on them to call me)…
    – Denied (lie)
    – OK it is approved.
    – It was sent to a different pharmacy to fill. (lie)
    – It was your job to call to have shipping scheduled (lie)
    – We will call you back tomorrow to schedule shipping (lie)
    – Let me transfer you to a manager (because I said i wasn’t getting off the phone without my drug being shipped).
    – Manager, OK, we will ship it tonight and it will be there tomorrow.

    They told me seven LIES. SEVEN. What kind of a dishonest, crooked business is this?

    I had to TOTALLY lose my sh*t with them on the phone to make all of #5 happen. I highly recommend that you just be a terrible monster to them on the phone and refuse to get off the phone until they ship your medicine. It is the only way.

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87. I have been trying to get my Humira through them for over 15 weeks! This is unbelievable that these companies can get by with this! I knew that if was happening to me, it was happening to others, who had even more serious problems that PSA, RA, Fibromyalgia and the pain associated with all of these. Ridiculous! Where’s a good law firm when you need it???

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88. I can’t leave my name as I currently work at Accredo. I worked on the AOB side which works on getting benefit information for patient’s who have a prescription processing under medical benefits and not pharmacy. I read a post earlier that stated that all Accredo cares about are numbers. Good Lord that is the truth! You will get a verbal warning if you don’t complete the required accounts everyday and after a verbal is a written warning, you will eventually lose your job if you don’t “perform” to their standards. Even though we pulled accounts from a queue of hundreds of accounts not knowing how hard it would be to process the prescription, sometimes it can take 2 hours on one account dealing with doctors offices and insurance companies that don’t care about the patient, you really have no choice in what you pull, but you sure are held accountable if you take too much time on one account. I myself, do care and I have sat at my desk and cried out of frustration because I was only allow to do so much and was forced to cancel the prescription or pin it out 48 hours. I have since moved to prior authorizations for Accredo mail order. We handle the authorizations for Express Script clients. It is just as bad over here, if not worse. No department communicates with another (pretty much company wide). My son works for Anthem team for Express Scripts and we have to send a request to them to review criteria forms that doctors offices have sent in as we can’t because we are not Anthem trained. I got in trouble for reaching out to my son on an Anthem account for a patient who’s insurance was terming out the next day. He fixed the issue, I got my paid claim, in turn, the patient could get her medication prior to losing her insurance. I got in trouble from my manager and supervisor for asking my son for help in getting my patient her medication. I have tried to get my team to make a complaint to HR because their goals are unrealistic, too much favoritism, lack of training and inconsistency between sites. It goes to show that they only care about $$$$. My team mates are too afraid to speak out in fear of losing their jobs (they aren’t the only ones). So to all the people who have posted on here, there are a lot of people that work at Accredo who actually do care about our patients, but our hands are tied due to the money hungry people at the top. We feel helpless at times and really wish we had a place to make our complaints heard and taken seriously. I do wonder how they haven’t been sued. So on behalf of those who work at Accredo who do care, I am so sorry! Don’t not let them intimidate you! Keep fighting the powers that be to get your loved ones medication! I am done venting now! Thanks for the ear!!!!!!

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    1. Thank you so much for painting a picture of what’s going on behind the scenes and for trying to do what’s right! After my three year break my plan is forcing us back to Accredo. I’m so worried. And prepared to be vocal to the press and public if my son’s meds aren’t handled properly.

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89. Same problems with Accredo for my RA medication (simponi injection). I am currently 6 weeks LATE taking my monthly dose of a medication that retails for $3k-$4k per dose. Yes, you read that right. It costs that much for one dose and EVERY SINGLE MONTH it’s a nightmare to get it. And at the moment it’s been 2.5 months since I’ve taken a dose. I’ve been taking this medication for several years and have always had to use specialty pharmacies because it is perishable, expensive and not available through local pharmacies. RARX was great, by the way. The others were incompetent and customer service fiascos. Accredo is by far the worst of the worst. The current problem is 2-fold – first they told me my co-pay assistance program had expired and I would have to figure out how to get it renewed. Turns out it had automatically renewed and Accredo had been notified. Seems they lost the paperwork (or something). By the time all that is straightened out, I am nearly a month late getting my next dose. Then it comes and the injector is broken. Spent over an hour on the phone being shuffled around, put into a conference call with the manufacturer, etc. A replacement was to be shipped (it always comes overnight because it is perishable). Two week later, still nothing. I am on the phone now. This person actually sounds helpful and competent, but I’ve been on hold for a while while they are trying to sort it all out … For the record, I also lay some blame on Anthem Blue Cross for requiring me to use this pharmacy and not allowing me to choose another specialty pharmacy.

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90. Thank you for writing this blog and posting these comments about Acreedo. I was looking into their services because I was thinking of switching from AllianceRx Walgreens Prime Specialty Pharmacy to Acreedo who is also contracted with my insurance. Needless to say, I will be sticking with AllianceRx. I’ve had some issues with them and it seems they are not unique in their issue with the “black hole” that arises when it is time to process a refill through insurance and schedule shipping. I’ve called them 12 times in the last month to try to push a refill for Botox for Migraines through the insurance in the Major Medical department. They said they are inundated with orders and that stat emails are sent each time I call to help move my order along. I have to say that the call center is efficient and I don’t get hung up on and they even called me to take a survey of my experience yesterday. I feel so bad for people who need their prescriptions for life threatening medical issues and for children and have no other options. Thanks for sharing your stories. Hang in there and I hope things get better for you all over time.

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91. My son’s medication is an injection every thirty days. He has been on it for several years. Every month it is a nightmare to refill. It is never easy or efficient. It always takes at least thirty minutes to schedule. This month was the worst. Every month I receive a call to schedule a refill. If a new Rx is needed the pharmacy contacts the physician to request an updated Rx. This month they did not call to schedule delivery. I called them and was notified there were no refills. They said they will contact the physician. The physician never received a call or a message from Acreedo. This is not the first time they have said they called and after checking with physician I discovered that they never called. This month he is 10 days late and I still do not have a delivery date. I will call again tomorrow.
    I could go on and on about my bad experiences with Acreedo. If my son needs to be admitted to the hospital for treatment it will be a direct result of his inability to receive his medication in a timely manner from Acreedo pharmacy.
    I do not have another option because this is what my insurance requires. But if I did, I would go straight to my local pharmacy.

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92. 6 years since your original post and Accredo is still the worse you can get.

    Hey @cigna .. about Accredo pic.twitter.com/orpH3NuiPn

    — NULL (@Code_Munkee) December 10, 2019

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93. Maybe it’s time for a class action lawsuit

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94. Thank you for posting your story. It helped me tremendously when I found your blog. I’ve been through hell with Accredo and it occurred to me to see if anyone else out there has, too. I had been feeling as if it was a conspiracy against me, personally. NO not just me! I finally have my MS medication because of the emails and links you provide. I found ExpressRXHelp@express-scripts.com from your blog. Thank you for what you did!
    Anne

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95. Accredo so much to say and so little time and with being pleasant as to not offend anyone here is a difficult task on its own. Although my medications is not life threatening thank God or id already be dead waiting on them. I take Taltz and although not viable for survival it is however vital to me as I have psoriasis and taking the medication on time makes it possible for me to live a normal life. I have one point waited 3 months to receive my medication as the continued list of excuses by Accredo kept piling up. Not covered, need a PA, need approval from your doctor, need to verify the dosage information, and the list goes on and on. Which one would assume that all of these things would be confirmed as soon as they tried to process the prescription. Nope not with Accredo. They schedule deliveries and have me miss work to wait for my medications because you don’t have to sign for them and they just leave it in the hallway of my apartment building to be stolen. So now currently I have been waiting over 3 weeks for my prescription and am currently on hold now for 38 minutes because once again my medications was to be delivered today and for whatever reason won’t be here until Thursday. The customer service people are rude and completely lost as to what their actual job is. I have had them change my phone number like 5 times and they still have my old number in the system. And along with my old address which was changed a couple years ago! Any person can obviously work there.

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96. My husband has a platelet condition that requires nplate injections weekly. His counts bottom within days, if he misses an injection. Accredo has been negligent. Often, he’s on the verge of hospitalization before the meds arrive. We have the exact issues on a monthly basis. His condition is life/death and no one there cares. My husband will talk with a different person for days on end and there’s always a promise/excuse. There is NO EXCUSE for such incompetence and life-threatening status for my husband. I am ready for the class-action, as well.

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97. Wow….I just got a notice today my son was being switched to this pharmacy and I googled to see what they were all about. Looks dismal.

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98. I have been on my meds for 2.5 years. Acreedo took over for Panther. A shipment that was set up (in advance) was to arrive on Saturday. Didn’t. I got a message from Acreedo to call, which was weird, because it was a Saturday and the phone line just says office is closed until Monday….so Monday I called, turns out what should have been 24 months between Prior Authorization requirements for Kasier is now 12 months (???) whatever, so they said that I should call my doctor’s office. Did that, then was told to call Kaiser’s VA Medication Services, and the loop goes on and on. After TWO DAYS of calls (and feeling really groggy, sans meds) I get a call from Kaiser speciality pharmacy that was being sent due to Member Services trying to help, they said they don’t think I’m a Kaiser member, but if I am, to call back. Did that. Can’t help. She said I should NOT be calling between Medimpact and Kaiser, that it is for Acreedo to chase this down. To call Acreedo back and ask for a Pharmacist or Pharm Tech. Okay did that: was sent through to ‘missed dose counseling’ (yeah, the irony). They said that they can’t do anything, but need the Doc to call. I said Kaiser said I should not be doing this, for several days, and that Acreedo should. She then gave me a *special number* that my MD’s office could call , and they could easily do a verbal authorization, no worries. Called my doctor’s office (who is getting very, very tired of me….) and they are on a lunch break (the kind that lasts past 1pm, I suppose). So…here’s hoping.

    You know, I have a PhD in Cognitive Neural Science in Psychology, with 4 degrees…I do NOT like having to start conversations chasing my meds with, “I may sound drunk, but I am not, I’m just without meds…”.
    SOOOOOO pissed right now. If this was the case, that Acreedo should have been doing all this legwork, and I’ve been wasting precious time that I don’t have to talk on the phone and hold for various parts of the dark corners of Kaiser and MedImpact all these hours…what the frig-? Ya know??? thanks for the vent space.

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    1. I’m sorry! I actually just did missed dose counseling a few months ago just because I wanted to know what stupid things they would say. So comforting to have a pharmacist read from a script and basically tell you to skip the doses you don’t have meds for and take it again when the shipment arrives. Honestly, I just wanted to be recorded being a dick as I pushed for details the scripted pharmacist couldn’t answer. Counseling to tell people, if you don’t have it, don’t take it. Are you serious, Accredo. By the way, I wrote this post 10 years ago. Nothing is better.

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       1. I had searched to see what I was in for, on Day 3, because it seemed strange to me that yet another phone contact at Kaiser didn’t know what to do besides send me back to Acreedo…again. I am on another speciality medication that is shipped through only ONE pharmacy (this one has a few options that the insurance can pick) and they are pretty quick and aggressive, even, on getting those prior authorizations done. We shall see. Thanks again, hoping to get some answers.
          : )

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99. Well then, here’s my Accredo story. As of this time, it is owned by Cigna insurance, or Cigna’s parent company. Seems to be the way. I was last with Blue Cross, a horrible insurance company, who owns their own specialty pharmacy. Anyway, I have been an Accredo customer for 8 months and suddenly when it came time for me to get Humira to keep me in remission from ulcerative colitis, WOW they had no idea who I was. When called, they had to eventually realize I was alive, so the real problem is I was born on the wrong day, or in other words, they have my birth date wrong. That is why my prescription refill was denied. It would take about 2 weeks for everything to work out (16 days after the injection was needed), because the only way they could change the date would be by adding me as a new patient. I won’t give you the conversation, but the Accredo rep, was a complete moron. Semi-good news which I didn’t know at the time, was that my doctor’s office was working to fix this also, so I got a message from them that the date will be changed and they’ll call in a couple of days to get my medicine delivered. I also found out they lied to my doctor by saying the problem happened because I changed insurance. A complete lie. No one cares. BUT, you know who does care? Your state insurance commissioner. I had a problem with Blue Cross and filled out a complaint form with the Georgia commissioner and an agent was assigned to me and immediately opened a case. Complain to your state commissioner, at the very least, you’ll put them through an inquiry and maybe get to cost the company legal fees. Georgia 2022 just levied the highest fine v Anthem (Blue Cross) in state history (not related to my case tho.) Anyway, still waiting for the Accredo morons to push the delete buttom and then add the 2 numbers of my birth date. Must be really hard!

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