Diversion Case Studies

Pharmacist-in-charge at a Houston pharmacy dispensed controlled substances pursuant to invalid prescriptions; temporary suspension

Houston, TX

The Board found a continuing threat and entered a temporary suspension order against a pharmacist-in-charge. The pharmacist-in-charge had dispensed controlled substances pursuant to invalid prescription orders while at Supreme Rx Pharmacy in Houston. The license was suspended until further order of the Board.

Hospital nurse diverted hydrocodone intended for a patient and falsified records

Parkersburg, WV

A staff nurse at Camden Clark Medical Center in Parkersburg, West Virginia, pleaded guilty to obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception, and subterfuge. The nurse admitted to taking two 5 mg hydrocodone pills intended for a patient on June 23, 2015, keeping them for personal use, and falsely documenting in the patient file that the medication had been given. The nurse was terminated on June 27, 2015, and faces up to four years in federal prison when sentenced on October 1, 2018.

Twin Falls Pharmacy Technician Sentenced for Selling Stolen Oxycodone

Twin Falls, Idaho

Krista Federer, a pharmacy technician at a Twin Falls, Idaho pharmacy, stole bottles of Schedule II painkillers from pharmacy stock and sold them to another individual outside the normal course of pharmacy practice. She arranged the sales by text message, then left the pill bottles in her car's glove box in the pharmacy parking lot for pickup, including two sales in October 2014 of oxycodone and hydromorphone (Dilaudid) tablets totaling $2,700. She was sentenced on May 19, 2015, to 12 months and one day in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $1,000 fine.

Applicant for reinstatement granted probation after prior controlled substance diversion from pharmacy

An applicant for reinstatement was granted reinstatement with three years probation. The action followed a prior agreed board order that cited diversion of a controlled substance from a pharmacy, with a violation date of May 2015.

Hospital nurse diverted fentanyl from secure medication management stations

Madison, WI

A hospital investigation concluded that a registered nurse diverted 18 vials of fentanyl between May 2 and 3, 2015, by accessing secure medication management stations on a day off, making duplicate withdrawals for the same patient from multiple stations, withdrawing while not scheduled, and withdrawing from units where not providing care. The Board of Nursing adopted a stipulation and suspended the nurse's license for an indefinite period, with the suspension eligible to be stayed after three months under conditions. The nurse neither admitted nor denied the allegations.

Twin Falls Pharmacy Technician Sold Stolen Oxycodone and Hydromorphone Tablets from Pharmacy Stock

Twin Falls, ID

A pharmacy technician at a Twin Falls, Idaho pharmacy was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison for distributing a controlled substance after stealing bottles of oxycodone and hydromorphone from pharmacy stock and selling them to a buyer, arranging the exchanges by text message and leaving the pills in a car glove box in the pharmacy parking lot in exchange for cash.

California hospital system agreed to $1.55 million civil penalty after hydrocodone losses at Stockton outpatient pharmacy

A large California hospital system agreed to pay $1.55 million to resolve federal claims that its Sacramento-area facilities failed to properly record hundreds of controlled-substance transactions and lacked adequate controls to prevent diversion. The DEA investigation began after the outpatient pharmacy at a Stockton medical center reported losses of more than 20,000 hydrocodone tablets in late 2010 and 2011, and a 2011 audit found shortages of multiple controlled substances. The settlement resolves civil claims and includes a detailed action plan, with part of the payment deferred pending compliance.

New Hampshire practical nurse's license suspended on emergency basis after nursing home diversion allegations

The New Hampshire Board of Nursing suspended a Claremont practical nurse's license on an emergency basis after receiving a complaint from the director of nursing at a county nursing home in Westmoreland and information from a Sullivan County nursing home where she had previously worked. The allegations involved drug diversion activity. The board issued its emergency suspension order and notice of hearing on March 20, 2015, under its authority to act immediately in cases posing imminent danger to public health or safety. The suspension was temporary pending a hearing set for March 27, 2015, on whether misconduct occurred and what sanctions, if any, were warranted.

New Hampshire Practical Nurse Given Emergency Suspension Over Nursing Home Drug Diversion Allegations

Westmoreland, New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Board of Nursing issued an emergency Order of Emergency License Suspension against a practical nurse after a complaint from the Director of Nursing at Cheshire County Nursing Home and information from a prior employer, the Sullivan County Nursing Home, raised allegations of drug diversion activity.

Search warrant at Norwalk, OH physician's office over alleged prescriptions issued while physician absent

Norwalk, OH

State and local law enforcement served a search warrant at a physician's office in Norwalk, OH, as part of an investigation into questionable prescribing. The alleged activity included issuing prescriptions for controlled and non-controlled substances while the physician was absent due to illness, and prescriptions were not dated as of the day issued. No arrests were made, and the case was to be presented to the county prosecutor for requested charges of Illegal Processing of Drug Documents and Trafficking in Drugs.

Louisiana registered nurse voluntarily surrendered license on charges of controlled-substance diversion and a positive for-cause drug screen

At its January 14, 2015 hearings, the Louisiana State Board of Nursing recorded the voluntary surrender of a registered nurse's license for a minimum of two years with stipulations. The charges listed were diversion of a controlled substance and testing positive for THC on a for-cause drug screen. The listing does not identify the controlled substance, the workplace, or how the matter was detected.

Billings man sentenced to 48 months in prison for theft of drugs from a Walgreens pharmacy

A Billings man was sentenced in federal court to 48 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for drug theft from a Walgreens pharmacy, and was ordered to pay $19,997.75 in restitution to the company. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Billings Police Department investigated. The available excerpt does not state whether the defendant worked at the pharmacy, which drugs were taken or how the theft was discovered.