Drug diversion can hit a health care provider or pharmacy at any point of time. The best way to abet the issue and stay in compliance is to avail the services of compliance professions right from the outset. Drug diversion refers to the illegal obtaining or using of prescription drugs. Analgesics and psychoactive drugs like opioids and benzodiazepines are the common ones that are unlawfully channeled from legal sources like health care providers and pharmacies to the illicit marketplace. And the diverters are usually the physicians themselves or their staff, family and friends. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) enforces the various provisions of the Controlled Substances Act pertaining to licensing and registration, veterinary controlled drug log and other documentation, storage and more. It also conducts regular inspections and audits to check whether the registrants are in compliance or not. Various other measures are also underway to check for drug diversion and other criminal activities. However, cases of drug diversion still keep rearing their ugly head now and again. And the headline cases usually involve settlements in thousands of dollars! The other end of the picture Indeed, drug diversion is a growing menace in the United States. So much so that, health care providers dealing with controlled substances are routinely advised that it is not a matter of if drug diversion will hit them but when it will happen! And once detected, it all boils down to the extent to which the DEA registrant is found to be in compliance with the DEA. This will directly impact the level of fine, penalty and even legal action initiated against the perpetrator of the drug diversion. Alas, non-compliance does play a starring role in most cases of drug diversion. Here, the blame is not limited to lapses in diversion monitoring alone. The fault more often lies in non-maintenance of proper records, failure to follow security protocols, not reporting theft/loss to the DEA, etc. The dirt can fly high and wide – from monetary fines and civil penalties to losing registration and even judicial action. Not to mention the disastrous effect on reputation and business potential! Locking the stable before the horses have bolted There is so much that can go wrong at the DEA registrant’s end – from the storage of the controlled substances to messing with the veterinary controlled drug log and so on. The most effective approach for staying on the right side of the law is to engage a professional compliance consultant. Take the Titan Group for instance. They thoroughly review and analyze the client’s procedures, workflow and compliance levels before providing an in-depth assessment of the facility’s risk for drug diversion or failing a DEA regulatory audit. They will meticulously scan for gaps in the controlled substance procedures and security protocols that can run afoul of the DEA. Ultimately, the focus will be on strengthening the policies, procedures and day-to-day operations to ensure that everything proceeds smoothly without any potential entanglements with any of the regulatory agencies.
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April 2023
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