I’m so sorry, Katie.

Please report pharmacy errors! Document the errors in writing. States have pharmacy licensing boards. You can usually submit complaints online. You can also anonymously report errors to a nonprofit that works to gather data on medical errors: home.ecri.org/pages/ecri-i... 6/6

The pharmacist filled the Rx incorrectly. My mother had been drugged into a stupor. She thought she was losing her mind and her memory. She had unknowingly been driving under the influence of sleeping pills, endangering herself and others. Staff indicated no plans to hold anyone accountable. 5/6

My polite, Midwestern, don’t- make-a-fuss Mom didn’t raise a stink. She went home, called me, and complained about the rude pharmacy staff. Rudeness was not the problem. 4/6

Mom took the bottles to the pharmacy to point out the error. The person at the pharmacy counter then accused my mother of somehow making a mistake and insisting she must have another bottle at home. No apology. Only after my mother balked did they refill the diuretic. 3/6

She noticed two bottles had pills that looked the same. The evening pill was a sleeping pill, the morning pill was a diuretic. According to Google, the pills in one bottle were the wrong color and had the wrong stamp. Turns out both bottles held sleeping pills; she’d been taking two daily. 2/6

And a slow clap for the jerk who bought out all of the Kevlar-lined wheelchair tires from all of the suppliers a while back, set up a website, and doubled the cost. I curse your mother daily. And not under my breath.

Someone should teach an economics course on market defects. Two case studies—wheelchairs and elevators—could well cover a broad range of the defects (e.g., inelastic demand, captive market, regulatory capture, moral hazard, monopoly).

And let’s not forget that some parts can only be ordered by phone, meaning either a wheelchair user or someone at the repair company will have to sit on hold for an hour just to order a part.

And then there are the wheelchair manufacturers that have redesigned components so that you can’t do minor repairs. Need to change out a $6 bearing in a caster wheel? Sorry. Can’t be done anymore because the bearings have been sealed in. You now have to buy a new casters—sold in pairs. Cost: $700+.

The weeks-long process for getting an insurance company to approve a repair and the months-long process for approval of durable medical equipment is unbelievable. How many work hours are lost and how many injuries suffered during those wait periods?

The mergers of various wheelchair manufacturers and various wheelchair sellers means there is no competition. Wheelchair users are stuck.

Calls to wheelchair companies to request repairs often prompt the receptionist to ask, “Did you buy the wheelchair from us? We only service wheelchairs that we sell.” Asking whether that is an antitrust violation usually will usually get you in for an appointment.

I’m sorry, Omri. I hope they remain safe.

www.cnn.com/2025/06/12/p...