A company that operates eight long-term care pharmacies with nursing home clients throughout the Northeast and Midwest agreed this week to pay nearly $500,000 to settle allegations it mishandled controlled substances.
The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut announced the resolution of the civil case Tuesday.
Law enforcement officials said Clarest, doing business as ProCare LTC New England LTC, and ProCare LTC Pharmacy, violated the civil provisions of the Controlled Substances Act over a two-year period by improperly filling facilities’ “emergency” medication boxes.
ProCare LTC Pharmacy of Connecticut has 65 long-term care facility clients in Connecticut and Rhode Island. In addition to filling prescriptions for those providers, the pharmacy also fulfills orders for controlled substances that facilities can keep on hand for emergency needs.
Starting in September 2020, the AG’s office said, ProCare distributed controlled substances to practitioners that were not registered to dispense those controlled substances on 96 occasions. The government also accused ProCare of failing to record certain information on required Drug Enforcement Agency order forms “on numerous occasions.” The missing details included dates, numbers of containers furnished, and DEA registration numbers.
Law enforcement also said that through September of 2022, ProCare sometimes failed to reject order forms that were not properly prepared, were incomplete or had been altered.
A message left for a ProCare vice president seeking comment was not returned by Wednesday evening.
As part of the settlement, ProCare agreed to a three-year DEA Corrective Action Plan. Officials noted that strict record keeping is a key way to ensure controlled substances only go to the patients for whom they are intended by prescribers.
“The DEA is committed to ensuring that all registrants, including ProCare, are in compliance with the required regulations, which are enforceable through the Controlled Substances Act,” Brian D. Boyle, special agent in charge of the DEA for New England, said in a press release. “Failure to do so increases the potential for diversion and jeopardizes public health and public safety.”
