Drug theft/diversion at VA hospitals

[MillCreek]

http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation-politics/ap-exclusive-drugs-vanish-at-some-va-hospitals/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all

I need to ask my pharmacy director if there is some sort of national benchmarking on drug diversion and theft; I don't know if the VA system is above or below the norm. 

[Hawkmoon]

Even being a veteran who uses the VA for most of my health care, I'm having a problem understanding why VA caregivers should be held to a "higher standard" than those who work in non-VA hospitals. Anyone who steals drugs from patients and knowingly puts patients at risk of infection should be drawn and quartered, regardless of where they work.

Reported incidents of drug losses or theft at federal hospitals jumped from 272 in 2009 to 2,926 in 2015, before dipping to 2,457 last year, according to DEA data obtained by AP. “Federal hospitals” include the VA’s more than 1,100 facilities as well as seven correctional hospitals and roughly 20 hospitals serving Indian tribes.

2,457 incidents across 1,127 facilities. And I'm sure most of these facilities are large -- the VA hospital I go to is huge. Maybe not that many in-patient beds, but between in-patients, same-day surgery, and all the clinics they operate, thousands of patients go through there every day. So we get basically two incidents per day per facility? Not good, of course, but in fact a lot less than I would expect.

[BobR]

I am not sure how other facilities do it but at mine we do a weekly narc count of the automated dispensing system which is at the point of care by the staff using them (wards, ER, surgery, etc.). We also do a facility wide inventory of all automated dispensing machines monthly by a team of 2 other non-medical personell every month. I would bet most of the diversion is coming up from the pharmacy or the mail order business. Just the amount of narcotics the VA dispenses would be unbelievable to many people. I have seen people who get 720 Hydrocodone a month, month in and month out. Just "misplacing" one months worth of drugs is a pretty good payday for someone diverting. The drugs vaporize and the patient gets a refill because they never showed up at their home. 5mg tabs dispensed as 1-2 every 4 hours as needed for gives them 720 a month. :(

It is not just a VA problem, it is a systemic issue. A few years ago the largest hospital in town had a huge diversion problem.

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2013/jul/20/sacred-heart-drug-theft-amount-incredible/

Police say pharmacy technician Paul Martsin, 25, is suspected of stealing 261,756 hydrocodone pills since December 2009, with a street value exceeding $1 million.

Prescription pain meds kill a lot of people which is why there is such a big push to limit them and to try alternative methods for pain relief these days.

bob

[Hawkmoon]

Prescription pain meds kill a lot of people which is why there is such a big push to limit them and to try alternative methods for pain relief these days.

The VA hospital I go to has an acupuncture clinic. I'm a trial case for seeing if acupuncture can arrest peripheral neuropathy in my feet, but the clinic is there to treat for chronic pain.

[BobR]

The VA hospital I go to has an acupuncture clinic. I'm a trial case for seeing if acupuncture can arrest peripheral neuropathy in my feet, but the clinic is there to treat for chronic pain.

The VA is now trying something called Battlefield Acupuncture for pain control. I like to think of myself grounded mostly in science so I will leave it at that, if interested please read about it.

bob

[Neemi]

Drug theft and diversion is big in any hospital. I don't have numbers, but even with double checks I've known a few nurses (and doctors and pharmacists and even techs) who have found ways to get ahold of whatever they want. At some hospitals it's just easier than others.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

[MillCreek]

I have dealt with a number of diversion cases in my career.  Diverting the pills is one thing; taking a bolus from the anesthetic/narcotic vials and refilling them with saline is another thing entirely insofar as the patient is getting inadequate pain relief even though we are insisting that they have received an adequate dose.  Refilling the vials with your contaminated needle such that the patient is exposed to HIV or Hep C is one of those 'Burn in Hades' situations.

[BobR]

I have dealt with a number of diversion cases in my career.  Diverting the pills is one thing; taking a bolus from the anesthetic/narcotic vials and refilling them with saline is another thing entirely insofar as the patient is getting inadequate pain relief even though we are insisting that they have received an adequate dose.  Refilling the vials with your contaminated needle such that the patient is exposed to HIV or Hep C is one of those 'Burn in Hades' situations.

I have been involved in chasing a few of those down. Mainly happened back when demerol was the drug of choice for pain control on the wards. Anesthesia services get the much better stuff, like fentanyl.  Losing their license and going to jail is not enough punishment for these people.

bob

[RoadKingLarry]

I have been involved in chasing a few of those down. Mainly happened back when demerol was the drug of choice for pain control on the wards. Anesthesia services get the much better stuff, like fentanyl.  Losing their license and going to jail is not enough punishment for these people.

bob

Reminds me of my nephews situation.
Woman dies from OD of illicit prescription pain meds.
She got them from her son.
He bought them from my nephew.
He got them from a his girlfriend's family member.
They got them from someone who had stolen them from a pharmacy.

My nephew got 5 years probation.

[sumpnz]

How much time did the son get?  What about your nephew's connections?

[RoadKingLarry]

I didn't really keep up with the mess but I'll see what I can find out. Initially the nephew was up on murder charges but I understand that got plea bargained.  

ETA:

Looks like all the 1st degree murder charges ended up getting dismissed on all 6 of the ones originally charged. No details as to the why.
The did stick them with possession of controlled drug and possession with intent to distribute.