Storm of Confusion: Exclusive Drug Topics survey finds chaos in pharmacies at launch of Medicare Part D

Pharmacists say Medicare Part D caused chaos in their pharmacies at start-up; they hope for better days ahead

At a glance

To make it worse, Part D has had a serious negative effect on cash flow: More than half (56.4%) of respondents said they experienced money problems because of Part D. Of those, nearly a third (30.8%) said that the problems were "very serious." Many pharmacists reported taking out loans or extending lines of credit, and several said their wholesalers had to provide short-term extensions on their bills. "I am using my personal savings to keep afloat," said a pharmacist.

We wanted to know how our readers fared in January's implementation of the biggest transformation in healthcare delivery since Medicare began 41 years ago.