What Happened
The Nebraska Attorney General's Office filed disciplinary charges against the former executive director of an Omaha hospice, a licensed practical nurse, alleging misappropriation of medications, improper handling and dispensing of controlled substances, record falsification, practicing beyond the authorized scope, ethics violations, and violations of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act.
The nurse was accused of keeping an unlocked cabinet of narcotics from deceased patients in her office, directing employees to return unused medications, and signing patient records as a physician, social worker and volunteer coordinator. The petition in the same matter alleged that narcotics of deceased patients were re-used for other patients and documented as "destroyed." Under an agreed settlement, the nurse's license was suspended for 90 days, ethics training was ordered, and a $10,000.00 civil penalty was assessed.
What the Record Shows
90-day nursing license suspension, ethics training, and a $10,000.00 civil penalty under an agreed settlement approved by the Chief Medical Officer of DHHS
Why It Matters for Diversion Programs
This entry comes from a primary source rather than a federal enforcement release, and it is recorded as reported: accused of keeping an unlocked cabinet of narcotics belonging to deceased patients in her office, directing employees to return unused medications, misappropriation of medications, falsification or inadequate maintenance of patient records, practicing beyond the authorized scope, aiding unlicensed practice, and signing patient records as a physician, social worker and volunteer coordinator. Board and news records are a lagging indicator - by the time a licensing authority or a reporter learns of a diversion, the diversion was normally detected internally first, which makes each entry a signal that inventory reconciliation, waste observation or dispensing oversight failed earlier.