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No prescriptions available at CVS as chain's national computer system goes kablooie
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this was resolved at 1:50p today
I work in this space and the downtime started at 12:05p today and was resolved at 1:50p.
From SureScripts (who is the vendor that CVS uses to electronically recieve/transmit prescriptions):
"Scope: As of 1:50 PM ET, CVS Pharmacy (Retail) has resolved the connectivity issue impacting their e-prescribing traffic. All e-prescribing messages to this receiver were placed in a queue during the event and have been released."
No need for speculation
Surprised at all the additional posts after my reply. The vendor placed all the scripts in a queue pending the resolution of the issue that caused it to go down (for 2 hours) and then sent them along to the pharmacies when CVS fixed their issue. No need for any “ the sky is falling” replies or speculation. This stuff happens more often than you think (computers are fallible after all) and is rarely a source of news.
They have no fallback plan?
such as reverting to manual methods, and entering the transactions from a ledger later when the computers come back up?
Trust me
They don't want to do that.
I used to work for a support company that provided support for a piece of software drug reps used to keep track of samples they gave out.
Due to DEA requirements, if the computer went down, they had to move to these paper cards, and when the computer came back from being repaired, they had to enter all the cards into the software. hours and hours of just data entry and time lost to that sales person. Sales people would beg us not to send the computer in for repair due to this card requirement.
I'd think CVS is the same, and the controls for this to be even worst than they were 20 years ago. I think the best thing is just to stop filling scripts for now. CVS Pharmacists had to fight for a 1/2 hour lunch, you think they have the time (or the will to want to) enter in cards for hours afte? Nah.
I also think since the controls are might tighter today, it may not allow for a manual backup system since inventory is done via computer, and without that, drugs like schedule drugs (i.e. adderall, xanax) couldn't be dispensed.
Not only that, but also, how many patients have written RX?
The entire pharmacological system in this country is computerized. There really would be no way to validate the prescriptions even if there were some method for filling them.
Right
I didn't even think of that too. I know my scripts are sent over electronically when I call for a refill. I haven't had a paper slip in several years now.
I can see filling, but selling the completed orders?
There at least should be some kind of business continuity plan where the order can be scanned and sold if it's filled and on the shelf in the bag with the patient's name on it.
I'm guessing that they're not closing every store because they can't ring up all the chocolate bunnies they're selling today. There should be a backup system that stores the orders and rectifies them against the Rx inventory data when it's back online.
Then they could limit the paper system to true emergencies where someone cannot wait a day or so for the system to be back online or the doctor to send it to another pharmacy.
I know you work
I know you work in IT (or at least are familiar with it) from your posts here (and namely the replies to me)
So you should know that we're so far along with the computer game, that I think its safe to assume there is no backup system. We've become very dependent on these systems. I'd think CVS is the same.
When they go down, they're down. There is no backup plan. Or rather, the backup plan is just to shut down and not process any scripts. Sounds bad, but to minimize errors with paper, this is probably the safest way to go for all parties.
We see this everywhere.. the RMV is always having computer problems and they close their offices. No backup system. They just close. CVS is the same. Getting/dealing with drivers license issues and tickets is important.. and very important to many. Yet they close on the drop of a hat when there's an issue. The court system is the same. Computers go down, and often trials and such as rescheduled.
its 2023 folks, we either embrace computer technology and its bugs or we still have 'backup systems' because we haven't fully embraced the systems. You can't have it both ways.
Furthermore, just because something is in the bag with a tag ready for someone to pick up, does not mean it is free from the pharmacy computer system and can be rung up on any register. No, the pharmacy computers (yes even the registers) are a separate system to the front of the store. Its always been this way at drug store for as long as computerized systems have been in them. I'll even go out on a limb and say this is a FDA requirement.
And considering Uhub is the only place I've heard of this story, and this would be very big news is if it was and many local stations would be headlining stories about it because it would effect a ton of people. With that said, I think the tweet.. which I cannot see because he blocked me... is hogwash. (Sorry Adam)
Can't find any info about this online
I've searched the CVS website, Google, news sites and none of them report this. Has anyone else experienced it?
CVS website shows all of my prescriptions properly
None of them currently need filling, but they're all there and correctly described.
Its unlikely it would
In order to prevent personal data from being hacked or stolen. I am going to guess that the CVS website is a "pull" from their data that the pharmacy uses. Meaning it isn't live data, just at certain times across the day it is updated (or when a push from the system the pharmacy uses pushes an update.. i.e. something needs to be filled)
In very short and basic way to think about it is.. the CVS website isn't live data to the pharmacy.
Ugh. CVS.
Ugh. CVS.
Based on my experiences with
Based on my experiences with CVS the past few months, and now this, I'd guess they've been having severe IT problems for some time, and this was the moment that all the duct tape and zip ties finally burst.