Today’s Pharmacy Law Topic: Did you know that your controlled substances policies should be protecting your pharmacy and helping you identify risks before the DEA comes knocking?
By: Karen Davila
As I’ve said in earlier articles, controlled substances are a big part of the business and create significant risks faced by retail pharmacies. But many of those risks can be mitigated through written policies and procedures and consistent adherence to those policies and procedures. These are the first line of defense and one of the most important strategies to identify and mitigate the risk of regulatory enforcement action before the DEA comes knocking.
Regardless of the size of your pharmacy, you should have written policies and procedures addressing the core requirements of both federal and state law. Below is a list of essential controlled substances policies relating to inventory controls, dispensing and destruction/reverse distribution. Although not an exhaustive list, these are key to decreasing the myriad risks inherent in stocking and dispensing controlled substance prescriptions.Continue reading
