The abuse of prescription drugs– especially controlled substances–is a serious social and health problem in the United States. As a healthcare professional, you share responsibility for solving the prescription drug abuse and diversion problem.

•You have a legal responsibility to acquaint yourself with the state and federal requirements for dispensing controlled substances. You also have a legal and ethical responsibility to uphold these laws and to help protect society from drug abuse.

•You have a personal responsibility to protect your practice from becoming an easy target for drug diversion. You must become aware of the potential situations where drug diversion can occur and safeguards that can be enacted to prevent this diversion.
The dispensing pharmacist must maintain constant vigilance against forged or altered prescriptions. The law holds the pharmacist responsible for knowingly dispensing a prescription that was not issued in the usual course of professional treatment.

This guide will help you meet these responsibilities.

Law Offices of Robert I. Kahn

111 Soledad St, Suite 1700, San Antonio, TX 78205 (210) 225-6600 Google Review | Website | Directions

Castle Hills police arrested a pharmacy technician accused of filling fraudulent prescriptions for narcotics early sunday.  Nadara Goodrum, remained in Bexar County jail on sunday on a charge of obtaining drugs by fraud.  Bail was set at &15,000.

Goodrum, who worked as a pharmacy technician for a local CVS pharmacy was arrested  after a police affidavit accused Goodrum of filling at least five prescriptions for hydrocodone or acetaminophen and alprazolam over the past year and a half.

An anonymous tipster alerted the Texas State Board of Pharmacy that Goodrum was allegedly filling fictitious prescriptions for a fee.

Types of Fraudulent Prescriptions

Pharmacists should be aware of the various kinds of fraudulent prescriptions which may be presented for dispensing.

• Legitimate prescription pads are stolen from physicians’ offices and prescriptions are written for fictitious patients.
• Some patients, in an effort to obtain additional amounts of legitimately prescribed drugs, alter the physician’s prescription.
• Some drug abusers will have prescription pads from a legitimate doctor printed with a different call back number that is answered by an accomplice to verify the prescription.
• Some drug abusers will call in their own prescriptions and give their own telephone number as a call back confirmation.
• Computers are often used to create prescriptions for nonexistent doctors or to copy legitimate doctors’ prescriptions.

The following criteria may indicate that the purported prescription was not issued for a legitimate medical purpose.

• The prescriber writes significantly more prescriptions (or in larger quantities) compared to other practitioners in your area.
• The patient appears to be returning too frequently. A prescription which should have lasted for a month in legitimate use, is being refilled on a biweekly, weekly or even a daily basis.
• The prescriber writes prescriptions for antagonistic drugs, such as depressants and stimulants, at the same time. Drug abusers often request prescriptions for “uppers and downers” at the same time.
• Patient appears presenting prescriptions written in the names of other people.
• A number of people appear simultaneously, or within a short time, all bearing similar prescriptions from the same physician.
• Numerous “strangers,” people who are not regular patrons or residents of your community, suddenly show up with prescriptions from the same physician.

Law Offices of Robert I. Kahn

111 Soledad St, Suite 1700, San Antonio, TX 78205 (210) 225-6600 Google Review | Website | Directions