May 2021
The following are several drug diversion news that has captured our industry’s attention and encouraged others to change.
Mayo Clinic experts meet to discuss the ongoing drug crisis in Minnesota
A group led by Mayo doctors met recently with the intention of changing the narrative around drug addiction. Their aim was to remove the stigma surrounding drug use and to treat it like other debilitating illnesses.
McLaren Health and feds reach record $7.75 settlement of drug allegations
McLaren Health Care Corp. agreed to pay a record $7.75 million penalty to settle a federal investigation into officials distributing opioids and other drugs without prescriptions, the largest amount in U.S. history involving allegations of drug diversion.
The penalty settles a years-long investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration into whether officials at the Grand Blanc-based health system violated federal drug laws by illegally distributing powerful pain medication central to the nation’s opioid crisis.
State allowed drug-stealing nurse to keep practicing
A nurse was caught stealing pain pills meant for patients — first in Beloit, WI then in Williams Bay, WI. Nearly four years later, she was found still working (and still fully licensed) at a nursing home in Janesville, WI. Now, the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) is proposing changes because of what news investigators uncovered.
For nearly a year, health care workers across the state have been greeted at work by signs that remind them they are the heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic. They risk their lives to treat patients infected with a potentially deadly virus. But like those in any line of work, nurses sometimes battle another demon — substance abuse — and that can put patients at risk.
Drug Diversion Identification and Prevention Strategies
The nation is in the middle of an unprecedented opioid epidemic, with more than 130 people dying every day from opioid-related drug overdoses. In 2018, 32% of all opioid overdose deaths involved a prescription opioid. While the prevalence of drug diversion by health system employees is unknown, the risks posed to patients, health care workers, hospitals, and the public are significant.
Drug diversion may cause unnecessary suffering to patients who receive inadequate analgesic relief, potentially unsafe care due to the health care worker’s impaired performance, and places patients at risk of infections from contaminated syringes. In addition to facing civil and criminal penalties, health care workers who divert are at risk of overdose and death. The hospital must pay the direct costs for the diverted drugs and subsequent investigations, and may also face regulatory fines for lack of safeguards. Moreover, diverted drugs impact the community by contributing to drug misuse.
Pharmacy Tech Charged with Opioid Pill Theft
A pharmacy technician who allegedly took thousands of opioid prescription pills from her employer was charged by Greeneville, TN police with prescription drug fraud.
Police were called by a Walgreens manager about “a pharmacy technician (who) was caught stealing prescription drugs from the business,” Officer Robert Anderson said in a report.
Amid COVID-19, Fight Against Rx Diversion Continues
An updated set of ASHP Guidelines on Preventing Diversion of Controlled Substances, planned for 2021-2022, will help hospitals implement best practices using newer technologies.
The new version will review and evaluate market improvements targeting diversion from many angles, David Chen, MBA, BS Pharm, the assistant vice president for pharmacy leadership and planning at ASHP, told Pharmacy Practice News.
Nurse Pleads Guilty to Swapping Saline for Fentanyl Used in Fertility Procedures
Donna Monticone, a 49-year-old nurse at the Yale Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility clinic in Orange, Connecticut, pleaded guilty to tampering with fentanyl intended for fertility patients.
As part of her job at the fertility clinic, Monticone ordered and inventoried a variety of narcotics, including fentanyl, which were used by physicians to anesthetize patients during outpatient procedures, according to the US attorney’s office.
Ex-New Jersey hospital employee charged with stealing $8.2M worth of medication
A former pharmacy technician was arrested and charged with stealing prescription HIV medications from the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in East Orange, N.J., according to the U.S. Justice Department.
According to court documents, Lisa Hoffman was responsible for ordering drugs and supplies for the hospital’s outpatient pharmacy. She allegedly used her position to steal about $8.2 million worth of medication from the hospital between August 2017 and November 2019.
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Drug Diversion Expert and Collegiate Dean Shares her Expertise
When it comes to the topic of drug diversion among healthcare workers, few are as knowledgeable as Simone Cummings, PhD. Not only has she published research on the topic, but she also has been sought out by companies to share her expertise. As the Dean of the George Herbert Walker School of Business & Technology at Webster University, Dr. Cummings is sharing her knowledge base on technology and healthcare with tomorrow’s future leaders.
Recently, Dr. Cummings spoke of her concern about the impact the pandemic is having on healthcare workers. She indicated that the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in substance abuse and drug diversion at healthcare facilities.
“We have been hearing about cases of healthcare workers who have been caught diverting drugs during these chaotic times,” said Dr. Cummings. “We recently heard of a nurse in Wisconsin who was caught diverting drug. With the increased speed in which hospitals were recruiting to fight the pandemic, many of the facilities expedited the standard onboarding process, bypassing background checks. This created an environment ripe for drug diversion,” she noted.
“Now more than ever, hospitals need to be vigilant about taking steps to prevent drug diversion from happening,” she said. “This means establishing an effective drug diversion prevention system in place,” noted Dr. Cummings.
With so many non-essential procedures cancelled because of the pandemic, hospitals are struggling financially. Diverted drugs lead to lost revenues, which can make a facility’s financial strain even more dire. According to Dr. Cummings, drug diversion already costs hospitals about $70 billion per year.
Dr. Cummings recently joined ANiGENT’s Board of Advisors (BOA) to offer her expert guidance as the company seeks to inform facilities about the importance of protecting patients and healthcare workers from drug diverters. Dr. Cummings said she decided to serve on the BOA once she heard about one of MAAP Analytics’ unique features — the ability to track and monitor all users and all medications in all locations.
“One of the best ways to mitigate drug abuse in the healthcare setting is to track expired drugs that can no longer be sold, and to develop improved inventory tracking systems to identify missing groups. It will take many more months before healthcare facilities can begin to function normally again,” according to Dr. Cummings.
Until the pandemic ends, her advice to facilities is to remain vigilant when it comes to protecting patients and staff from drug diversion. Hospitals should consider the multiple ways a diverter may access medications and build a prevention plan or consider a comprehensive platform that has the ability to track medications stored, removed and wasted.
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