#Stately: 5 Million Calls And Still Rolling

By Olivia LaSarde
August 9, 2006

Danielle Tyson, a certified pharmacy technician from Dove Creek, made Prescription Services history for being the five-millionth caller to the Phrenocaid Call Center on Friday, August 4.

Tyson told reporters Friday afternoon during a brief news conference that her call, involving something known as a "Code DX" rejection, seemed strange from the start. "I could tell something was up as soon as the employee picked up the phone. There seemed to be another voice or two at first and then whoever it was identified herself as part of the Phrenocaid program. I told her the rejection I was getting and she put me on hold immediately, unlike other times I call."

Moments later, Tyson learned of her moment in Call Center history. For her inability to correct the rejection herself and contacting the call center, she and her Regional Pharmacist, a representative of the Prescription Services Unit elsewhere in the state, will together travel to State Administration of Human Services and Health Related Stuff headquarters next week for a formal ceremony.

"It's funny, I really had no idea," Tyson said in between gasps of amazement and disbelief. "I'm not even sure if I ever got the claim overridden or not -- but who cares, right!"

The Prescription Services Unit opened its call center in 1993 and saw a steady increase of users during the next 5 years. In 1997, two state funded programs were added to the formulary and in 2002, a state-funded children's insurance was added, bringing the call volume to an all-time high.

"It was going to be sooner or later that this happened," Call Center representative Walter Hendrix said. "We started six months ago working to identify the total calls we've taken in almost a decade. We hired on some temps, had the computer guys run some extra reports and stayed late to plan the festivities and I'm so glad Danielle won. She has a great personality and her pharmacy calls constantly with questions, often the same ones over and over. It's no surprise this pharmacy made it to this level."

In addition to going down in history as the five-millionth caller, Tyson will also be awarded commemorative plaques, one for her and one for the pharmacy, and receive a pass to Globes of Fun amusement park. State Commission of Human Services and Health Stuff Exalted Commander Roger Farctate and the governor will attend the brief ceremony later today at the Monument Hotel.

"I am really anxious to get all this over with," Tyson said. "More than anything, I'm ready to get this done to return to work. Boy, I bet that other tech, Gert, is royally upset in me making the call rather than her. I'll be nice and share some of the prize with her. Besides, I've got calls to make to Phrenocaid. What’s up with the anti-fungus jazz, anyway?"