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Hospital Drug Diversion Prevention Checklist

Check each item that applies to your program. Use "Not Applicable" where appropriate. Score is calculated in real time.

This checklist scores a controlled substance program against what an internal auditor, a Joint Commission surveyor or a DEA investigator expects to see documented. There are three versions: hospital, community pharmacy and multi-site health system. Each one is written for the workflows and obligations of that setting.

Every item carries a weight, so the score reflects how much of the program's strength is in place rather than how many boxes are ticked. Read the score this way: above 90% is a strong, well-documented program. Between 70% and 90% means gaps worth scheduling. Below 70% means foundational controls are missing and need attention now.

Work through it with your program team before an audit, not during one. Where a section scores low, the investigation playbook, policy templates and training materials cover the fix. Progress saves in your browser, and results export to PDF or CSV. Section scores may be included anonymously in DivertGuard's benchmarking. No facility, personal or device identifiers are collected.

Governance & Program Oversight

0 / 7
Cases that illustrate this

Controlled Substance Lifecycle Management

0 / 9
Cases that illustrate this

Perioperative & Procedural Areas

0 / 6
Cases that illustrate this

Data Analytics & Surveillance

0 / 9
Cases that illustrate this

Personnel & Access Controls

0 / 8
Cases that illustrate this

Physical Security

0 / 7
Cases that illustrate this

Incident Reporting & Investigation

0 / 9
Cases that illustrate this

Regulatory Compliance

0 / 8
Cases that illustrate this

Assessment Summary

0%
Overall Score
Governance & Program Oversight 0%
Controlled Substance Lifecycle Management 0%
Perioperative & Procedural Areas 0%
Data Analytics & Surveillance 0%
Personnel & Access Controls 0%
Physical Security 0%
Incident Reporting & Investigation 0%
Regulatory Compliance 0%
Select items above to see your score.

Frequently Asked Questions

The checklist covers the full lifecycle of a controlled substance diversion prevention program: governance and oversight structure, drug lifecycle accountability from receipt through waste and destruction, medication dispense cabinet controls, surveillance metrics and analytics, physical security and camera placement, incident investigation and reporting, and staff training and competency documentation. It is aligned with guidance from DEA, ASHP, and major accreditation bodies.

No. DEA inspections do not follow a publicly available checklist format, and there is no single official DEA checklist for diversion programs. This tool is designed to help programs self-assess readiness across the areas DEA and accreditation bodies consistently expect to see documented. It is not a substitute for review by your DEA diversion investigator or legal counsel — think of it as structured preparation, not a guarantee of compliance.

Most users working through a single-facility checklist finish in 20 to 45 minutes. The multi-hospital version takes longer depending on how many sites are being assessed. Your progress is saved automatically in your browser — you can close the page and return to the same session later without losing your work. No account or login is needed.

Yes. Use the Export PDF button to generate a formatted report you can share with leadership, a compliance committee, or your DEA contact. The Export CSV option produces a spreadsheet of every checklist item and its current status for further analysis. The Share button generates a link that reflects your current score, making it easy to share with peers or colleagues for comparison.

No. The DivertGuard checklist offers separate versions for hospital settings, community pharmacies, and multi-hospital health systems. Each version tailors the checklist items to the policies, workflows, and DEA registration requirements relevant to that setting — so the questions you see reflect your specific practice environment. Select the version that matches your organization from the checklist landing page.
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Last reviewed: September 2026 · Content is educational, not legal advice.

Related Resources

Risk Assessment by Unit

Risk profiles for ED, ICU, OR, Med-Surg, Oncology, and Pharmacy departments
Investigation Playbook

Step-by-step guide from initial report through resolution and corrective action
Policy Templates

Ready-to-adapt diversion prevention, waste witnessing, POM, and camera policies
Drug Diversion Prevention Program

What a hospital drug diversion prevention program needs — oversight, surveillance, waste controls, investigation — and the questions to ask about each.