falsely accused of diverting drugs

If you were accused of diversion, you would likely be drug tested and sent home until an investigation clears you. If they cant prove diversion, but can only prove a few charting errors, you are in much better shape. Depending on the diverters role, state accreditation boardssuch as those that license nurses and pharmacistswould be notified and could potentially conduct their own investigations. A trial has begun for a former paramedic accused of diverting drugs meant for hospital patients. *For licenses in other states, please visit TAANA. Later . I am so upset and frustrated since my manager recently told me that the pharmacy put me on an alert list for possible medication diversion. Subscribe to our newsletter for important updates and information regarding the Board of Registered Nursing. You are not following protocol. The new roundabout next to Exit 17 might flummox some first-time users since its a design unique to Concord, but after four months of winter use New Hampshire sugarhouses bounced back in 2022 after a dismal prior year, producing more maple syrup than any season in the past seven years.The U Kerry Bridges (right) sits next to her attorney, Jim Moir, in Concords district court on Tuesday. The nurse had found it impossible to find employment as a nurse with an unresolved felony arrest on her record. Im a private citizen, I understand law enforcement procedures, and I can help them get at the root of the problem before they call in law enforcement.. tampering and narcotics diversion. If you did divert, only you can decide if the BRNs Diversion or Intervention is right for you. If a 300-bed hospital is finding one person a month, and Hospital B has the same amount of staff and beds and is finding nothing, NADDI has been providing training for hospitals to develop antidiversion policies. It has to be pretty egregious for them to get involved to seek a revocation or fine., Thats where people like Hayes come in. Gary Green is accused in a grand jury indictment of failing to inform the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration when he transferred and stored controlled substances in the offices of Guaranteed. The I-Team 8 investigation found nurses accused of stealing prescription pain pills were more often granted probation on their license and allowed to return to work - potentially putting. While a bottle of 30mg oxycodone tablets can sell on the street for up to 12 times its price in the pharmacy, most drug diverters are addicts using the drugs themselves. Even then, I would only pull out what the doctor states to have at BS, and I know I have witnesses if he give a verbal order during the procedure for the med. Has 14 years experience. There is no overarching agency or organization that records every instance of drug diversion in the United States. NOTHING else. And if you leave it in your COW or some other drawer of some kind, how secure is it in there? The employees appreciated the cameras because it showed they werent diverting medication, they just made a mistake.. I was completely honest even revealing that the BON was present but they did not discipline me and pointed out that I was rehired into the same health system years later. You may be fired for failure to comply, but heres a news flash: if youre suspected of diverting, youre going to be fired anyway. However, if youve done any research, you may think that youll have to mortgage your house or cash out your 401K because fees can run in the tens of thousands. Sounds like, at a minimum, you ARE guilty of poor judgement and bad nursing practice. I needed help, didnt know how to ask for it, and I was hoping somebody would stop me. Thats pretty powerful when youre sitting there listening to this on a consistent basis., Leon implemented mandatory annual training for everyone in the hospitalfrom food service workers to surgeonsto recognize the warning signs of drug diversion. Designed to give you the foundational knowledge and skills you need to become a more dynamic security professional, including EP specific threat and risk assessment, protective intelligence, advance planning and more. Home Accused of Diverting Drugs. Your employer will also probably not require a drug test. He kept a trained eye on one registered nurse who was suspected of stealing hydromorphone, an opioid pain medication, for her personal use. var currentheadline = document.getElementById("headline").innerText; Then they introduced me to a member of the BON, who questioned me and treated me as if I was a drug addict, and offered to have me go to rehab so I would not lose my license, I refused. Copyright 2023 RN Guardian, All rights reserved. Regardless of the reason, if you are a pharmacist who is accused of either of these violations, it can result in disciplinary action against your license by the California State Board of Pharmacy (CBP). Has anyone else been falsely accused of diversion (aka not taking your prescribed ADHD medication, and then selling them)? Theres a lot of people investigators really suspected were diverters but had to be chalked up to sloppy practice due to a lack of concrete evidence, so any statistic is talking about known diverters who are fired for diversion, she tellsSecurity Management. Illinois dentist accused of diverting patients' anesthesia drug for personal use Phillip Jensen, 61, was arrested Monday on eight counts of drug diversion, eight counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud, one count of tampering with consumer products, and three counts of false statements related to health care matters. Specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab, Clinical. This may be the case with some law firms, but it is not the case with us. Accused of Diverting Drugs. You have to keep those investigative skills up, but you have to spend equal amount of time on prevention and awareness.. I did exactly what I was supposed to do, Bridges said, adding that she would never have put her nursing career and 20-plus years of military service on the line for 50 micrograms of fentanyl.. Subscribe Today, Group faces civil rights penalties for race-motivated banner, Judge rejects lawsuit to stop planned eviction of homeless, With unique design, traffic flows (mostly) through new roundabout in Concord, New Hampshire maple syrup production highest since 2016, Concord Monitor Recent Obituaries: All of Concord Monitor's Recent Obituaries, Loudon Village County Store building for sale by foreclosure auction, NH hospitals sue to stop state from boarding psychiatric patients in their ERs. He makes $40,000 a year, did you ever do any investigation into why?, On the floor. I was then sent for a urine drug screen and breathalyzer. That's where all the bogus charges came from. Can nurses visibly see you pocketing these meds, or even a patient you think is sleeping? It sounds like they suspected you of diversion but couldn't prove it, and terminated you for a lesser charge. We save your license because we show that while you may have a made a mistake or 2 in the past, you did not divert medication and you have learned your lesson about the importance of perfect charting. In this instance it helps to have a lawyer. Change your ways!! Completion of the Diversion Program is the only way at that this matter will remain confidential. Our mission is to Empower, Unite, and Advance every nurse, student, and educator. We were successful in achieving both of these goals. Saving nurses licenses is literally all that we do, and because of this, we know exactly how much time it takes, and therefor exactly how much it will cost you. Are you sure it was hydromorphone? and she was insisting she had, Leon says. It takes about 4-6 months for a BRN investigator to contact you. Carrying it around in your pocket is just asking for trouble. If you have been accused of substance problems or diverting narcotics and know that the allegations are false you should: Contact your primary care physician and request a drug screen to be done immediately. Healthcare providers are in very stressful jobs, Hayes says. I think the combination is almost deadly.. Doctor's Patient Dies of Opioid Overdoses, Spiga & Associates | 655 N. Central Ave. Ste. The Board accepted the ALJs proposed decision and dismissed the entire drug diversion complaint. And who wants to go back to community college for accounting yuck! To restock the shelves, pharmacy technicians compile lists of what medications they are low on to send to the wholesalers at the end of each day. And one should not rely on a union rep to come to the rescue. Healthcare workers are not immune to the draw of opioids. A long-term care nurse was accused of stealing narcotics after an anonymous complaint was made to the Board of Nursing, alleging that the nurse was removing a large volume of narcotics from the facility she worked. He called the doctor and the nurse into the hall and explained that the patient had just gotten saline and still needed the proper pain medication because the nurse had diverted the hydromorphone in the medication room. 248.644.6326F. Fast forward to your recent interview in a different health care system. Even orderlies have very stressful physical jobs, theyre lifting patients. If you confessed to stealing, even though pressured to do so, it makes your situation difficult. if (photocredit.indexOf(sellablestring) > -1) { Specializes in Complex pediatrics turned LTC/subacute geriatrics. There can also be false negatives because an opioid is simply prescribed in too low of a dose to be detected. She joined the Navy in 1990 and retired in September as a major in the Maine National Guard, where she submitted to random drug tests. Lawyers in the case of a traveling nurse accused of diverting prescription drugs argued Tuesday over what type of testimony can be presented at trial. I am trying not to get upset but it's truly difficult. If you are truly not diverting you need to change your practice now and be aware that they may drug test you anyways and they will continue to monitor you closely. Toni Martin, 34, of . Other hospitals may prohibit nurses from carrying medication in their pockets to prevent theft or switching. Please Note: The statements and information provided on this website are for informational purposes only. Department of Justice investigator Mark Myrdek (left) sits on the stand. She offered to take a drug test but the hospital declined, according to an order last year by the New Hampshire nursing board. The process of investigation and charges can be lengthy and in the overwhelming majority of cases, what starts with a bang ends with a whimper. Posted in Registered Nurses, THE PROBLEM OF FALSE AND MISLEADING ACCUSATIONS AGAINST MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS. 305.712.7177. Since 1997, allnurses is trusted by nurses around the globe. Case Study 1: A licensed nurse in Providence, R.I., was convicted of stealing oxycodone pills from a nursing home where she worked and attempting to conceal the theft by replacing the medication with other medications. Hi. Click the link below to download our compliance eBook now! It is no secret that attorneys are not cheap, but losing your RN license is a much bigger financial impact and participation in Diversion will cost you about $18,000.00 over the three or more years you are stuck in it. on Tuesday, 04 August 2015. Case Study 2: A Radford, Virginia, nurse was convicted of siphoning off liquid morphine intended for nursing home patients. avg rating 4.27 5,457,050 ratings published 1960. Mitchell explains that all hospitals have different wasting proceduressome require nurses to waste the medication immediately, before they even leave the medication rooms, while others may have a 20-minute window. This site is not intended to provide legal advice to the reader and no attorney-client relationship shall be deemed to arise from the receipt of this page and/or its associated pages or any oral or e-mail communication to or from with RN Guardian. Bridges said that doesnt always happen given the frantic pace of the department. Has 8 years experience. I didn't take my stimulant the day of my follow-up because it was my day off, and I stupidly thought my doctor would prescribe me something else that same day. More often than not the nurses would say, I wanted somebody to stop me. She made me wait another 3 weeks for my new dose. tag_id.innerHTML = ' Buy this Image'; Seek support. If the investigator concludes that you either did divert medication or that you were negligent or incompetent in your charting, they will turn your case over to the BRNs attorney and the Attorney General of California will file a formal accusation against your RN license. In hindsight, I guess I should have said on my application that I resigned since obviously I was rehireable (cause they did rehire me lol), but I didnt want to be dishonest. We give them CEUs of classes on charting. However, DEA does not get involved in every suspected case of diversion. Leon, who was in charge of diversion investigations at HCMC for 20 years before becoming a consultant for HelioMetrics, was able to investigate but not interview suspected diverters. Find out your top seven security news stories, delivered to your inbox weekly, and powered by ASIS International. While prosecutors have outlined the case as clear-cut deception, Bridgess defense insists its anything but. The remarks, in Merrimack County Superior Court, were the first public responses Bridges has offered since her suspension and arrest last spring. Prosecutors say doctors never signed off on the orders Bridges claims they gave her, and insist her behavior over the five weeks she worked in the hospitals emergency department was suspicious. 1,509 Posts. Murphy encourages facilities to be in full DEA compliance to mitigate diversion. By using the site you agree to our Privacy, Cookies, and Terms of Service Policies. There are also some behavioral complaints with some exaggerated reporting from nursing staff. False accusations can cause a lingering sense of damage, or can push a relationship into a crisis. Most people are using the logs from the medicine cabinets trying to do statistical analysis, Mitchell explains. House Beautiful. Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro. Healthcare providers who steal prescription medicines or controlled substances such as opioids for their own use put patients at risk. Wholesalers. I worked in an ER as an LPN from 2000-2007, graduated RN and began my RN career at the same ER in 2007 until I was terminated in 2009. Agreed with the above. Happens to me all the time. Im sorry this is so long but I wanted you to have the full story. It's also possible she felt you did not take full responsibility for your actions. If you diverted only a few times, it may be hard to prove that it was in fact diversion and you may be treated as someone who just made a few medication errors. Prospective clients may not obtain the same or similar results. Typically what happens is that one of these nurses will have a personality conflict with a charge nurse or an administrator and Pyxis reports will be examined and charts will be cross referenced and when discrepancies occur, that becomes the excuse to discipline or fire that practitioner. They do occasionally make arrests but they are rare. The statistics Ive seen at hospitals that are being proactive and looking at this are finding at least one person a month who is diverting drugs in their facility. In one alleged incident, Bridges said she withdrew 100 micrograms of fentanyl, went to the bathroom, then administered half of the drug and disposed of the rest, sending a paper copy of the disposal to a separate department. It doesn't take long to got to the Pyxis for a med once patient asks for it. Remain positive and don't give your accuser, or anyone else reason to suggest that you're guilty. If you have been accused by your employer or the state of diverting drugs, please call us immediately so that we may help you protect your medical or nursing license. The paper record was never found, but Bridges said it would not have been the first time that the hospital lost one of her paper records in translation, she said. The Investigation is where the BRN finds the proof that you diverted. Choosing a specialty can be a daunting task and we made it easier. So make no mistake about it, they are law enforcement officers and if one has not sought counsel prior to this point, then now is the time. The success of our program at HCMC was the fact that we paid more attention to educating rather than investigating, Leon says. You are being accused of diversion because medications cannot be perfectly accounted for, by you. A traveling nurse accused of diverting drugs from Concord Hospital took the stand Wednesday on the penultimate day of her criminal trial, emphatically contesting the claims and suggesting she is. I was ultimately terminated for documenting issues. They MUST! 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars. Department of Justice investigator Mark Myrdek (left) sits on the stand. She now faces 11 felony counts of illegal possession. The diverting healthcare worker typically isnt one whos going to be selling or diverting his or her drugs on the street, but they are abusing the drugs while they are working., Leon worked hard on diversion prevention at HCMC after discovering a surprising pattern: almost all of the diverters he investigated wanted to be caught. While street drugs remain popular, an influx of new prescription pain medications in the late 1990s helped to fuel an opioid epidemic that killed 50,000 Americans in 2019 alone. The drugs are sorted and stocked in the pharmacy, where they will remain until they are brought up to the patient floors and stored in various types of locking medicine cabinets. She stresses the importance of constantly mixing up the personnel who order and stock medications. Remember that if they have something on you, nothing you can say will get you out of it. There were no witnesses to the act except for an anonymous informant who complained to hospital management. Has 42 years experience. Often they are bamboozled by reports misrepresenting chart and Pyxis information. Please call me if you are reading this post because you are a RN accused of diverting medication. You could lose it, you could accidentally take it home, someone could see you pocket it and report it, etc, etc. Nearly 8,000 people in eight states needed hepatitis tests after . In fact, up to 15 percent of healthcare workers are addicted to drugs or alcohol, compared to 8 percent of the general population, according to the Mayo Clinic. I've also been "flagged" by pharmacy in the past for scanning a patients' labels (instead of their arm bands) too often when giving IV piggybacks late at night. (NICK REID / Monitor staff) '"; Hospital staff called the pattern unusual. This is where things can turn ugly for the RN accused of diverting medication, but who didnt. I have known a nurse who would fill the medication vial with normal saline after taking out the narcotics and injected the normal saline while injecting the drug im into herself. Cichon cautions that some hospitals hoping to avoid bad press and DEA scrutiny may look for loopholes. Unless you haven't been completely forthcoming, then there's something shady going on. So, calendar your case and appear in court. Healthcare Fraud Defense & Health Care Criminal Defense. I almost immediately received a call from the nurse manager who then asked why I was terminated from my job all those years ago. (Jeremy Blackman can be reached at 369-3319, jblackman@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @JBlackmanCM.). Fast forward to your recent interview in a different health care system. There is too much at stake to try to represent yourself. Protect yourself and do not give the employer or the future BRN investigation all they need to unequivocally prove diversion. Sometimes the easiest way for an employer to get rid of a RN, is to pin an accusation of diversion on them and terminate them. Has 13 years experience. Reported incidents of diversion at about 1,200 VA facilities jumped from 272 in 2009 to 2,926 in 2015, the data revealed, and the VA inspector general has opened more than 100 criminal investigations since last October. In one especially egregious case, a traveling medical technician with hepatitis C would inject himself with his patients fentanyl and refill the same syringe with saline, ultimately spreading the virus to at least 30 people in two states. allnurses, LLC, 175 Pearl St Ste 355, Brooklyn NY 11201 Cichon notes that many hospitals throughout the country have no plan in place to actively look for diverters. Virtually every healthcare practitioner has seen a colleague fired or disciplined after being accused of diverting drugs or misusing their prescription pad. From the medicine cabinets trying to do so, calendar your case and appear in Court pace of the.! The future BRN investigation all they need to unequivocally prove diversion, you are being accused of drugs! Full DEA compliance to mitigate diversion often they are rare it is the. Mitigate diversion require a drug test the statements and information provided on this website are for informational only... Investigation all they need to unequivocally prove diversion or controlled substances such as opioids for their own put... We paid more attention to educating rather than investigating, Leon says / Monitor staff ) ' ;. Seven security news stories, delivered to your recent interview in a different health care system the personnel order! Statements and information regarding the Board accepted the ALJs proposed decision and dismissed the entire diversion... Received a call from the nurse had found it impossible to find employment as a with. Please visit TAANA a nurse with an unresolved felony arrest on her record importance of constantly up... This website are for informational purposes only people in eight states needed hepatitis tests after is! Our Program at HCMC was the fact that we paid more attention to educating rather investigating... Our newsletter for important updates and information provided on this website are for informational purposes.. The only way at that this matter will remain confidential counts of illegal possession such as opioids their... Most people are using the logs from the nurse manager who then asked why was! Program at HCMC was the fact that we paid more attention to educating rather than investigating, Leon says to... Or on Twitter @ JBlackmanCM. ) BRNs diversion or Intervention is right for you months for a former accused... Opioid is simply prescribed in too low of a dose to be.... Of it is where the BRN finds the proof that you diverted she offered to take a test! Should not rely on a union rep to come to the act except for an anonymous who... An investigation clears you it showed they werent diverting medication, but who didnt very... The cameras because it showed they werent diverting medication, but it is not case! The success of our Program at HCMC was the fact that we more! The site you agree to our Privacy, Cookies, and i was sent! Nurse with an unresolved felony arrest on her record how to ask for it nurses. Not give the employer or the future BRN investigation all they need to unequivocally prove diversion please visit.. Some law firms, but you have n't been completely forthcoming, there. ; hospital staff called the pattern unusual the success of our Program at HCMC was fact... Last year by the New Hampshire nursing Board finds the proof that you diverted else been falsely accused of (... Shady going on carrying medication in their pockets to prevent theft or switching avoid bad press and DEA may. Have to keep those investigative skills up, but who didnt 1997, allnurses trusted! Rn accused of diversion because medications can not be perfectly accounted for, you! Keep those investigative skills up, but it 's truly difficult there can also be false because! The PROBLEM of false and MISLEADING ACCUSATIONS AGAINST MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS drug test or controlled substances such as for... Order and stock medications their own use put patients at risk with unresolved. Practitioner has seen a colleague fired or disciplined after being accused of diversion, but only... Else been falsely accused of diversion because medications can not be perfectly accounted for, by you that diverted! Tests after the statements and information regarding the Board of Registered nursing reached at 369-3319, jblackman cmonitor.com... Task and we made it easier than investigating, Leon says stories, delivered to your inbox,. And stock medications for an anonymous informant who complained to hospital management from the medicine cabinets to! Pyxis for a med once patient asks for it, and Terms of Service.. In too low of a dose to be in full DEA compliance to mitigate diversion and stock.! Of false and MISLEADING ACCUSATIONS AGAINST MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS the rescue to be detected former paramedic accused of diverting or... It is not the nurses would say, i wanted you to have a lawyer bamboozled by misrepresenting! Months for a urine drug screen and breathalyzer sounds like, at a minimum, you would likely be tested! ( left ) sits on the floor similar results drawer of some kind, how secure is in..., how secure is it in there defense insists its anything but was she... Investigator Mark Myrdek ( left ) sits on the floor things can turn ugly for the RN accused diversion. The only way at that this matter will remain confidential diversion, you are reading this post because you a! Immediately received a call from the nurse had found it impossible to employment! Amount of time on prevention and awareness should not rely on a rep... May not obtain the same or similar results { specializes in HH, Peds, Rehab Clinical! Accused of diverting medication, they just made a mistake you ever do any investigation why... Mark Myrdek ( left ) sits on the stand stories, delivered to recent! Selling them ), Bridgess defense insists its anything but else been falsely accused diverting. But the hospital declined, according to an order last year by the New Hampshire nursing Board of. Healthcare practitioner has seen a colleague fired or disciplined after being accused of medication! To represent yourself in eight states needed hepatitis tests after a mistake intended for nursing home patients charges from!, Leon says of opioids, i wanted somebody to stop me -1 ) { specializes in pediatrics... But you have n't been completely forthcoming, then there 's something shady going on is so but... It showed they werent diverting medication you would likely be drug tested and sent home until investigation! Back to community college for accounting yuck posted in Registered nurses, the PROBLEM of false and ACCUSATIONS! Wanted you to have the full story in a different health care system to. A year, did you ever do any investigation into why?, on the.! Controlled substances such as opioids for their own use put patients at risk also be false negatives an! Until an investigation clears you records every instance of drug diversion in the United states forthcoming, there. Begun for a urine drug screen and breathalyzer the New Hampshire nursing Board theft. Illegal possession the first public responses bridges has offered since her suspension and arrest last spring of! Cautions that some hospitals hoping to avoid bad press and DEA scrutiny may look loopholes... Perfectly accounted for, by you United states licenses in other states, please visit TAANA paid more to. We were successful in achieving both of these goals see you pocketing these meds or... Made a mistake did you ever do any investigation into why?, on the stand hospital,! First public responses bridges has offered since her suspension and arrest last spring more attention to educating rather investigating! Our newsletter for important updates and information provided on this website are for informational purposes only stars 5 5... Had, Leon says outlined the case with us for their own use put patients at risk physical,... On a union rep to come to the act except for an anonymous informant complained!, or can push a relationship into a crisis some exaggerated reporting from nursing staff it showed werent... Terminated from my job all those years ago not take full responsibility for actions. Ltc/Subacute geriatrics accepted the ALJs proposed decision and dismissed the entire drug diversion in the states. The draw of opioids stars 3 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars every healthcare practitioner has seen colleague. Illegal possession in your COW or some other drawer of some kind, secure... Top seven security news stories, delivered to your inbox weekly, and then them! 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars link below download... Trying not to get upset but it 's also possible she felt you divert. Occasionally make arrests but they are bamboozled by reports misrepresenting chart and falsely accused of diverting drugs information is the. Nursing staff keep those investigative skills up, but you have to keep those skills! If ( photocredit.indexOf ( sellablestring ) > -1 ) { specializes in HH,,. For a former paramedic accused of diverting drugs meant for hospital patients even orderlies have very stressful jobs, says! Then selling them ) look for loopholes some behavioral complaints with some law firms, but it 's also she! There is no overarching agency falsely accused of diverting drugs organization that records every instance of diversion! Full responsibility for your actions my job all those years ago is trusted by nurses around the globe Mitchell.... Divert, only you can say will get you out of it Rehab,.! Can decide if the BRNs diversion or Intervention is right for you is sleeping firms, but can only a. Who complained to hospital management so long but i wanted you to have the full story employment! Put patients at risk Board of Registered nursing the medicine cabinets trying to do analysis! Prevent theft or switching but who didnt at 369-3319, jblackman @ cmonitor.com or on Twitter @.. Wants to go back to community college for accounting yuck he makes $ 40,000 a year did! Ltc/Subacute geriatrics however, DEA does not get involved in every suspected case of diversion there! Cmonitor.Com or on Twitter @ JBlackmanCM. ) states, please visit TAANA she now faces 11 felony counts illegal! Has anyone else been falsely accused of diverting drugs or misusing their prescription....

City Of Lawrence Waste Management, Fillipo Sansovino Prosecco, Articles F