National Pharmacists Association: Walgreens Workloads Exceed Patient Safety Threshold

Naperville, Ill., The National Pharmacists Association released documents today that said according to Walgreen Co.’s numbers, its pharmacies routinely go beyond the number of prescriptions filled per hour that are widely accepted as safe.

Researchers have said the safe average workload is 20 prescriptions filled per hour. According to Walgreens’ monthly store productivity reports, 58 Walgreens pharmacies in northern Illinois have exceeded filling 20 prescriptions per hour in 2005. An additional 130 pharmacies reported 15 to 20 prescriptions being filled per hour, which is also a concern because these pharmacies are likely to exceed the safe average at peak hours of operation. Currently, 1,200 Walgreens pharmacists in the National Pharmacists Association are on strike, affecting about 400 stores in northern Illinois and northwest Indiana. They also have filed unfair labor charges against the company.