In 2015, the owner and pharmacist-in-charge of Lane Pharmacy passed away. The Pharmacy, however, carried on as nothing had happened. Allegedly, the Pharmacy continued to operate without a pharmacist. This “unusual” Pharmacy operated until 2017, when the California Board of Pharmacy received a complaint that non-licensed individuals were dispensing medications. The Board investigation revealed that
Are you ready for E-Prescribing?
More and more states are mandating e-prescribing. Some states require e-prescribing only for CII controlled substances, some for all controlled substances, and some require e-scripts for all medications.
States with current e-Rx mandate laws are:
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- Connecticut (e-prescribing for controlled substances only, no penalties for non-compliance)
- Maine (e-prescribing for controlled substances only, penalties provided)
- Minnesota (all
Meet Dsuvia – a new extremely potent opioid
Despite warnings of likely abuse, the FDA has recently approved a new form of an extremely potent opioid – Dsuvia – a fast-acting alternative to IV painkillers. Dsuvia is a tablet form of sufentanil, which has been used since 1980s. The critics, however, point that Dsuvia “is 10 times stronger than fentanyl a parent drug
New CURES Law for Prescribers. What it Means for Pharmacies.
CURES (California state prescription history database) has been around since 1997 but not many providers took advantage of what it has to offer. Ignoring CURES is ignoring a tool that could shine light on what is really happening with the patient. News are full of stories describing opioid deaths, which could have been easily prevented
Highlights of a recent webinar “Prescription Audits by DEA”
Last week, I was speaking in Strafford live webinar, “Prescription Audits: When the DEA or AG Come Knocking.” Our panel discussed the increased scrutiny of healthcare providers’ prescribing and dispensing practices by the DEA, audit preparation, and enforcement actions.
After the webinar, I received several questions regarding some of the points discussed and
California’s extended efforts to increase access to Naloxone
In 2015, California permitted pharmacists to furnish Naloxone – the antidote drug for opioid overdose – without a prescription. Pursuant to AB 1535, pharmacists who wish to dispense naloxone must complete a one-hour training and briefly train its customers purchasing naloxone on its use. In addition, the protocol requires pharmacists to screen customers, provide
Efforts to Curb Opioid Epidemic – New Solutions Affecting Pharmacies
It’s getting harder and harder to fill an opioid prescription. Many pharmacies – particularly chains – are very reluctant to dispense them in the first place. Many require a patient to go through various procedural issues such as signing a lock-in contract. While others are capping the amount of opioids to be dispensed. The latter
Tips from recent DEA audits and Importance of suspicious order monitoring
While the opioid epidemic continues, every provider in the drug supply chain has a duty to identify and report suspicious orders. Retail pharmacies in particular have been hit with a number of settlements in 2017 for failure to report suspicious prescribing. See Related Blog. Surprisingly, many pharmacies still do not have policies and procedures addressing
Overprescribing and Overdispensing of Controlled Substances continue to be a priority in investigations of healthcare providers.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the largest ever healthcare fraud enforcement action by the Medicare Fraud Strike Force. Fraud charges were filed against 115 licensed professionals and payment suspension actions were initiated against 259 providers. DOJ’s announcement.
A particular focus is on medical professionals involved in the excessive prescribing and distribution of
California agencies can dig through CURES without a justifiable reason.
Data accumulated in CURES[1] is available to appropriate state and federal agencies, law enforcement, and regulatory boards for disciplinary, civil, or criminal purposes. But when should CURES be reviewed for such purposes? When a government suspects overprescribing? May it be used against a prescriber or a pharmacist when no controlled substances are involved in the