What Happened
A registered nurse at a medical center in Madison, Wisconsin, admitted diverting pain medications from patients for personal use over about 1.5 years, totaling approximately 100 patients and 200 dosages.
The nurse admitted diverting oxycodone, hydrocodone/acetaminophen, and liquid hydromorphone on June 12 and 13, 2021, and had charted that a patient had already received pain medication when the patient asked for it The nurse later pled guilty to federal charges of acquiring hydrocodone/acetaminophen, oxycodone, and hydromorphone by misrepresentation/fraud/deception by entering patient information into the automated dispensing cabinet and removing controlled substances for personal use The Board accepted the voluntary surrender of the nurse's license and imposed costs and reinstatement restrictions; the nurse received three years of probation and a $3,500 fine.
What the Record Shows
Voluntary surrender of nursing license accepted; ordered to pay $904 in costs; cannot petition for reinstatement for at least one year; federal sentence of three years probation and a $3,500 fine.
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: Admitted diverting pain medications from patients for personal use over about 1.5 years, totaling approximately 100 patients and 200 dosages; admitted diverting specific doses of oxycodone, hydrocodone/acetaminophen, and liquid hydromorphone on June 12 and 13, 2021; charted that a patient had already received pain medication when the patient asked for it; and pled guilty to acquiring hydrocodone/acetaminophen, oxycodone, and hydromorphone by misrepresentation/fraud/deception by entering patient information into the automated dispensing cabinet and removing controlled substances for personal use.. 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.