Saludmayo 08, 2024

Three best practices for successful drug diversion prevention

Autor: Richard Dion, PharmD
Pharmacy Medical Inventory Inspection Audit

The International Health Facility Diversion Association estimates that at least 37,000 drug diversion incidents occur in U.S. facilities each year, and this number is likely underreported.1 Expect several components to an onsite visit from the DEA and explore best practices to prevent medication diversion. 

An onsite visit from the DEA can take place for several reasons. These may include a regularly scheduled inspection, when theft or loss occurs, after a patient complaint, or at the request of a hospital to help discover any issues. You can expect a DEA visit to follow a standard process. 

DEA investigators will traditionally meet with health system administrators and designated controlled substance handlers. As the investigation evolves, health-system staff should be prepared to proceed with a tour of the facility and controlled substance storage areas and to discuss standard operating procedures. DEA investigators may also conduct a controlled substance document request and a physical count of controlled substances on hand, including a review of the inventory process. In this article, we will review what to expect and records that may need to be produced for the audit. 

SOLUTIONS

Sentri7 Drug Diversion

Quickly uncover potential diversion from purchase to patient with predictive analytics and actionable dashboards.
Drug Diversion
Reconciles drug transactions using AI to rapidly and accurately identify patterns of behavior consistent with drug diversion.
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Ensure staff are well-educated on systems and processes

In any DEA inspection, a hospital must be able to provide an accurate accounting of the data sought by the investigators upon request. Accordingly, it is imperative that each member of the health system team has a deep and comfortable knowledge of the controlled substances procedures, with ready access to a wide range of necessary data sources on demand. All staff members authorized to handle controlled substances should know the systems and processes. There should be mandatory training around reporting loss and signs of substance abuse among staff as key drivers of safe and lawful practice.

Take a proactive approach to your drug diversion program

With drug diversion methods continuously adapting, health systems should take a proactive approach to prevention to protect both patients and staff. Best practices indicate that health systems should appoint a dedicated drug diversion compliance officer or committee, assigned to developing, evaluating, and continuously adapting and enforcing procedures. Regularly reviewing security measures, including safes, alarms, and camera systems, as well as revisiting employee access lists and credentials are important steps. Another key component is implementing mandatory training to identify patterns of medication diversion, random screenings, and regularly reviewing warning signs with staff. 

Embrace technology to streamline surveillance 

Our Sentri7 Pharmacy team believes that tech-enabled tools like Sentri7 Drug Diversion software can help busy staff and administrators accurately leverage records and data to identify these patterns, flag concerns and ultimately prevent future incidents. Having a system in place to maintain complete and accurate records of medication inventory and potential drug diversion risk is a critical component of a health system’s success, as data can serve as an indicator or evidence of incidents in reports. 

Learn more about Sentri7 Drug Diversion’s AI-backed approach to drug diversion surveillance.

Drug Diversion
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1. Briers, Stuart, and Lilly Chapa. “The Dirty Secret of Drug Diversion.” www.asisonline.org, ASIS International, 1 August 2017, https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2017/08/the-dirty-secret-of-drug-diversion/.

Rich Dion PharmD
Richard Dion, PharmD
Pharmacy Clinical Program Manager

Dr. Richard Dion has 15 years of experience in the practice areas of medication use safety, pharmacy informatics and clinical decision support in varied settings.

SOLUTIONS

Sentri7 Drug Diversion

Quickly uncover potential diversion from purchase to patient with predictive analytics and actionable dashboards.
Drug Diversion
Reconciles drug transactions using AI to rapidly and accurately identify patterns of behavior consistent with drug diversion.
Request A Demo
Press Release
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