Review of opioid ‘loss’ raises red flags for medical watchdogs

[unhappycamper]

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_coverage/2016/03/review_of_opioid_loss_raises_red_flags_for_medical_watchdogs



Boston hospital pilfering tough pill to swallow

Review of opioid ‘loss’ raises red flags for medical watchdogs
Matt Stout Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Two of Boston’s most prestigious hospitals are seeing dangerous, addictive painkillers get stolen or go missing from their pharmacies and labs, a Herald review found, raising concerns among watchdogs that the medical centers aren’t being vigilant enough amid the state’s new crackdown on the lethal drugs.

Massachusetts General Hospital — just months after paying a record $2.3 million settlement following allegations employees were stealing thousands of painkillers — reported more than 40 instances of controlled substances going missing to the state in 2015 alone, nearly three times as many as any other Bay State hospital, the review found.

Another elite hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, combined with its Needham campus, filed far fewer reports overall than MGH, but eight of them disclosed instances of suspected “diversion” or “pilferage.” That’s the most reported thefts among Hub hospitals, and four employees in all were disciplined.

Each of the 43 reports MGH filed last year classified the incidents as a “loss,” giving no indication of whether theft was suspected. But when a hospital is disclosing the disappearance of “hundreds of pills” in some cases, that should raise concerns, said Charlie Cichon, executive director of the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators.