Extraordinary Compliance Requirements
Sovah Health has agreed to pay $4.36 million to settle claims that the hospital system violated the Controlled Substance Act. The violations occurred between 2017 and 2020 with two employees, in separate independent schemes, diverting controlled substances. Both plead guilty and are being sentenced to time in federal prison. By now, we are used to […]
Read MoreDiversion Software Comparison
Some of you may remember I did a comparison of the various diversion software products back in 2019. I can’t believe it has been that long already! Because it was quite some time ago, I felt it was time to get back out there and reconnect with the vendors and clients to see how things […]
Read MoreSignificant Loss
How does the DEA define significant loss? That is a question many of you who oversee controlled substances have asked over the years. I have asked myself this same question. I recently listened to a webinar by a DEA Diversion Investigator. He reminded the audience that anytime you see a Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) […]
Read MoreVerbal Orders: Trust but Verify
How common are verbal orders at your facility? How timely are the physicians authenticating those verbal orders? Does anyone other than the nurse entering the verbal order ever check in with the patient to see if the controlled substance ordered and charted as administered was effective? At most facilities, awareness of diversion is lacking. Because […]
Read MoreEvidence Needed for Diversion Verdict
What kind of evidence do you need to pronounce a guilty verdict when it comes to diversion? Catching someone in the act of placing medication in their pocket when they are supposed to be wasting or seeing vials fall out of their locker leaves little room for doubt. Watching someone on camera substitute saline for […]
Read MoreA Diversion Program in a Highly Reliable Organization
In hospitals everywhere, we need to have a contingency plan for our key employees. It is so easy to fall into the rhythm of having our knowledgeable Buyer, IT Pharmacist, or Diversion Specialist (to name a few), with no backup in case something were to happen to our star. That “something” could be an extended […]
Read MoreDo Your Staff Know How to Check for Tampering?
All across the country, pharmacy staff are picking up returned controlled substances and placing them back into pharmacy stock. They are removing them from automated dispensing machine return bins and placing them back into the dispensing pockets. Prior to placing the medication back into stock for dispensing, are they checking the item to confirm there […]
Read MoreLet’s Not Forget Diversion Risks in the Veterinary World
A colleague shared that a good friend of theirs admitted they had a substance abuse problem and had been diverting from work. They are a veterinarian and it was a benzodiazepine product they were abusing. Thankfully, they reached out and asked for help. I have also recently read about an employee of a veterinary office […]
Read MoreTaking Ownership of Your Pharmacist-in-Charge (PIC) Status
I recently spoke to a pharmacist that shared the culture at their organization when it comes to monitoring for diversion. While they do have a team of diversion specialists that understand diversion and what to look for, they are managed by leaders who think they know better than those specialists. As a result, the voices […]
Read MoreAnother Life lost
There has been a lot of chatter on list serves within the diversion prevention community about the nearly 8 gallons of fentanyl diverted from a New Hampshire hospital. The initial report stated, “At least 23 bags of the drug had been removed without being wasted or provided to patients”, but that number climbed to 583. […]
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