I've never found a drugstore quite like Gateway. If there were a way to take stars away, I would. \r
The employee changeover is unbelievable. No one knows what they are doing. There was not a month that went by that there was not an issue, usually due to the employees.\r
My scripts were never done on time, even when I called in advance on the prescription line. The pharmacist (one imparticular) seemed to screw everything up. Half the time they could not give any information to me concerning my medication. Thank goodness for the inserts. However, the majority of inserts had nothing to do with the prescription but had to do with rentals at local apartment complexes, their monthly drawing, some sort of 'natural' pharmaceutical or just anything to take up space so that you had to actually hunt down the medicine information. Once an employee in the pharmacy department took it upon herself to contact my (then) neurologist to let him know that I was receiving a prescription for a medication which she thought I should not be on. I received this medication monthly from a group of podiatrists. Sometimes a different doctors name would appear on the prescription form, which happens from time to time when you go to a group of a certain profession. If Doctor X was not available, Dr. A would write the script. She felt I was receiving this same prescription from too many doctors. Without her notifying me or asking a simple question or just adding 1 plus 1, she decided to call my neurologist and explain to him that I was receiving many different prescriptions from many different doctors. This went against the contract that I had signed with my then neurologist. He knew I was receiving this prescription from my podiatrist because I had told him so. But, with her calling and I guess acting like a raving lunatic, he dropped me due to what she had told him, which I have never found out to this day. Due to her kind heartedness and concern I lost my neurologist. You see, this neurologist was my intrathecal pump doctor who had my implanted pump refilled once every month and also provided me with medication for breakthrough pain. I have had this pump since 1998. Since he dropped me and gave me (out of the goodness of his heart) one last refill for both my pump and oral meds, I was then left to my own devices. Trying to find another pump doctor when you are on medicaid and no doctor wants to take on anothers pump patient...I was left to go through the most severe withdrawal you could ever imagine. When you are in a position like mine for over 21 years even going to the ER was not helpful. I suffered worse than anything anyone could ever imagine. All this was due to some idiot at Gateway. She, within a few days, no longer worked there. I wonder why? Also, my insurance provides me with approval for medications which I take regularly, like my heart meds, when I run out. They allow a 10 day supply of the medication while things are straightened out. Well, Gateway didn't agree with this and wouldn't fill the few days of medications without a fight. Guess they were afraid they would not be reimbursed. They are also the most expensive pharmacy around. Even my son who had prescriptions there was always given a hard time being as he had no medical insurance. It was just too hard for them to figure out and keep track of providing him with a weeks worth of medication at a time, being as that was all he could afford. I give Gateway a hugh THUMBS DOWN and would never again be a patron there. I now use Walgreens and I don't think I could ever find a more caring, helpful staff or pharmacist anywhere. And it is very important to me...being as I am on 17 different medications a month. There is NO room for error or being treated like a number instead of a human being.
Pros: It's close
Cons: Too many to list
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