In its blog “The Dose,” the National Community Pharmacists Association gave the human angle to difficulties encountered by pharmacy patients due to an information glitch by Aetna/Coventry Medicare Part D plan enrollees.

Because of incorrect information, Medicare beneficiaries weren’t able to fill prescriptions at pharmacies promoted by Aetna/Coventry Part D plans listed on the Medicare Plan Finder website used during the 2014 Medicare open enrollment to choose a 2015 drug plan, NCPA reported. Specifically, wrong information was posted on Medicare Plan Finder and Aetna websites and provided to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services regarding which pharmacies were in-network. As a result, beneficiaries may have signed up for Aetna plans thinking that their pharmacy was in-network when it was not.

In one case, according to NCPA, a rural Montana pharmacist said he serves 25 patients impacted by the situation, some of whom have acute medication needs. The closest in-network pharmacy is 85 miles away in North Dakota, and the area has experienced blizzard conditions.

And in another case reported by NCPA, a 93-year-old patient had to arrange a special trip to his pharmacy to switch to a new Medicare drug plan that enabled him to stay with his pharmacy. Accompanied by his caregiver, he sat beside the pharmacy counter in his wheelchair while breathing through his oxygen (supplied by the pharmacy) for over an hour on the phone with 1-800-MEDICARE, NCPA said, adding that the patient ended up requesting to pay cash for an immediate supply of warfarin and levothyroxine.