Nursing homes often have elderly patients, most of whom are on multiple prescription medications. When those medications go unused, either due to a change in prescription by a doctor or due to patient relocation or death, those medications have to be returned to pharmacies or properly disposed of accordingly. However, one pharmacy has been found guilty of fraud for recycling medications, as the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Iserve Technologies, a subsidiary of Med-Fast Pharmacy, resolved civil and criminal charges in connection with a scheme to re-use medications left over in nursing homes.
The firm pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to fill prescriptions for nursing homes using recycled medications.
Iserve operated out of a Med-Fast store that served as a collection point where unused medication was opened and repackaged with existing drug stocks at the facility.
Med-Fast drivers picked up unused medications from nursing homes and brought them back to the facility. They were then opened and returned to stock to be re-used in the filling of subsequent prescriptions.
This caused drugs from different manufacturers and with different expiration dates to be mixed together in stock bottles.
Employees then prepared fake labels and sent the medications out to nursing homes.
Iserve Technologies will have to pay $400,000 in forfeiture, a $44,600 criminal fine, and a special assessment of $400. They must also pay $1,555,000 to reimburse Medicare and Medicaid for over-billing.
Have you or a loved one been the victim of nursing home abuse or neglect? You may have a case. Let the experienced attorneys at the law firm of Schenk Smith fight to get you the compensation you deserve. Call today for a consultation.
