Hospital must pay $2 million fine for failing to keep drugs safe
Compliance Monitor, August 15, 2007
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Saint Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis must fork over $2 million for failing to keep track of controlled pain killers in the hospital pharmacy, according to local news reports. A pharmacy clerk stole the prescription pills and gave them to her son to sell.
For more than a year, according to federal officials, Dianne Hauss stole at least six bottles of Hyrdocodone every week. In total, more than 600,000 pills hit the street. Hauss, a long time employee of St Vincent Hospital, manipulated the record keeping systems to hide the thefts.
"Well I think she just knew the system and she took advantage of the system. It is just unfortunate that she would use this against our overall policy but since this has happened we have actually been working with the DEA for over a year now," says Johnny Smith, a spokesperson for the hospital.
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