Is it ethical for my prescriber to delay refills of ongoing medications? i've been seeing my psychiatrist for 12 years. he's had the same assistant during this time. his assistant is the one about whom i am inquiring. over the last 12 years the asst. ha

This : This is problematic. I know at our clinic, we tell patients that it could take up to 72 hours for a provider to return a routine call (to include refills). But, from the sounds of it, your problem goes well beyond that. You indicated that you have spoken with the assistant's supervisor. Have you spoken to your psychiatrist about this? I don't know if you go to a private doctor's office. At every clinic and hospital that I have worked at, there is a process in place. We have people that are appointed that are pretty much like customer service representatives. They take information from the patient and then take it for action. It sounds like the current situation puts your health at risk. I would speak to your psychiatrist and you could also inquire as to what system is in place to address this type of problem. Good luck.

Refill..may need f/u: The condition which comes to my mind under which i would not refill a long-term patient would be if i had not seen the patient for an extended period of time. You see, the physician must ensure the medication(s) prescribed and dosing continue to be safe and appropriate.