What Happened
A former nurse at Intermountain Healthcare was convicted by a federal jury of stealing narcotics from a surgical and trauma ward and replacing painkillers with saline in syringes intended for other hospital staff.
Prosecutors said the nurse diverted hydromorphone from pre-loaded syringes for personal use, replaced the pain medication with saline solution, and returned the syringes containing greatly reduced amounts of hydromorphone for medical use by other staff. The nurse was convicted of three counts related to fraudulently obtaining and tampering with hydromorphone, a Schedule II opioid, and of making false statements to an FDA special agent during the investigation.
What the Record Shows
Convicted by a federal jury of three counts related to fraudulently obtaining and tampering with hydromorphone, and also convicted of making false statements to an FDA special agent.
Why It Matters for Diversion Programs
This entry comes from a news source rather than a federal enforcement release, and it is recorded as reported: Diverted hydromorphone from pre-loaded syringes for personal use, replaced the pain medication with saline solution, returned the syringes containing greatly reduced amounts of hydromorphone for medical use by other hospital staff, and made false statements to an FDA special agent during the investigation.. 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.