Drug Topics®: Hello and welcome to Over the Counter, a podcast from Drug Topics®. I’m your host Lauren Biscaldi, Managing Editor. In this episode, I chat with George Euson, Director of Compliance at Associated Pharmacies Incorporated, a subsidiary of American Associated Pharmacies. George has had an extended profession within the trade, targeted on regulatory compliance and safety. Today we’re discussing the latest uptick in pharmacy fraud, in addition to offering some tips and greatest practices that unbiased pharmacies can use to guard themselves and their prospects. Hi, George, thanks a lot for becoming a member of us immediately. I wished to simply kick off this interview with a fast introduction. So, I’m going flip it over to you.

George Euson: My identify is George Euson, Director of Compliance for Associated Pharmacies Incorporated or API, which is a subsidiary of AAP. Basically, my job obligations are all compliance associated with AAP, largely associated to managed substances, suspicious order monitoring, due diligence on our pharmacy prospects. I’ve been within the trade for over 20 years doing compliance-type duties after a profession in legislation enforcement.

Drug Topics®: We’re tremendous glad that you simply had been capable of take the time to be with us immediately. When we talk about the latest uptick of fraudulent exercise within the pharmacy trade, what sort of actions are we discussing? What type of fraud is de facto on the rise proper now?

Euson: We’ve seen a variety of issues and I do not know if it is due to COVID pandemic that we have been concerned with, however there appears to have been an uptick in fraudulent actions throughout the board, after which additionally within the pharmacy and pharmaceutical trade. The causes will be quite a few, totally different workers shortages, workers coaching, added burden on pharmacists and pharmacies because of the vaccine rollout. As with something when there is a scarcity of time or perhaps a scarcity of consideration to particulars, fraudulent actions can actually take maintain. We’ve seen a variety of issues from prescription fraud, phishing, there’s at all times been a problem with workers. Theft points if the pharmacist or the proprietor cannot preserve good consideration on the small print so far as stock controls, checking in product because it is available in from the wholesaler, it leaves the chance there for theft and different felony or diversion actions.

Drug Topics®: I simply wished to speak a little bit bit about avoiding falling sufferer to one among these phishing schemes. What ought to pharmacies and pharmacists do? Are there sure questions they need to be asking themselves or protocols that they should put in place?

Euson: The pharmacies once they’re dealing particularly with their wholesalers and producers, however they’re primarily coping with their wholesalers. Most pharmacies have a major wholesaler after which perhaps secondary or tertiary wholesalers. There’s normally customary protocol that they use for coping with their wholesaler, buying product, the best way that they could get notifications as a consequence of recollects, cost kind points. If there’s something that adjustments in these kind of protocols or in the event that they get emails or cellphone calls from individuals they are not acquainted with, they actually need to test that out as a result of that could be a approach that the scammers will function, phishing kind emails having to do with merchandise, having to do with recall merchandise, having to do with their checking account or financial institution data. Basically, it is simply being vigilant, being alert. If there’s something that appears out of the odd, in the event that they’re being rushed to make choices, rushed to offer data, one thing simply does not really feel proper, it is type of your intestine test. Then they should make calls, ship emails, discover out if this individual, this data that they are getting is respectable and test it out earlier than they fall sufferer.

Drug Topics®:Great. I feel that is actually essential recommendation. Better to ask a query and have the reply be than to get wrapped up in one among these schemes. Do you suppose that the COVID-19 pandemic will be implicated as the explanation for the rise of this fraudulent exercise throughout the trade? And if that’s the case, how did that occur?

Euson: I do not know if it is the explanation. I feel it may trigger a rise. There’s at all times been fraudulent actions within the pharmacy world. I simply suppose that the alternatives because of the pandemic have exasperated that., Again, there’s a lot strain on the pharmacies, particularly with the rollout of vaccines. There had been a variety of pharmacies which were closed. Staffing throughout each trade is tough as of late. So, if you’ve acquired a scarcity of certified employees within the pharmacy, it places further burdens on the pharmacies and the pharmacy house owners and the pharmacists that work within the pharmacies, particularly unbiased pharmacies once they’re already at staffing minimums and now there’s added pressures to them. And I imagine the individuals perpetrating the frauds benefit from that.

Drug Topics®: It appears for the reason that pandemic began that there is a variety of situations of worth gouging and counterfeiting. I positively bear in mind seeing that reported on the information. So how can pharmacists and pharmacy house owners keep abreast of those points and actually defend themselves?

Euson: One of the principle issues I imagine is to guarantee that they’re coping with a good wholesaler. Most pharmacies have a major wholesaler or secondary wholesaler and I do know they get bombarded with particular offers and shopping for alternatives from totally different wholesalers and distributors, however they actually need to cope with a good wholesaler. One that’s VOD accredited, one which has repute within the trade. They’ll get bombarded too by different wholesalers who wish to purchase product from them, which implies they could be a participant in a fraud with out realizing it. Lots of the value occurring was product that was in brief provide, particularly hospital product and a variety of this was being sourced by disreputable wholesalers by way of pharmacies. Giving them an incredible deal on product that they will purchase or they promote at an incredible worth. It’s the previous adage. “If it’s too good to be true, it’s too good to be true.” The important factor is purchase from a good wholesaler and in addition demand that their product is sourced correctly, sourced straight from the producer. They get this data by way of their DSCSA data that they get from their wholesaler. They ought to test that. Demand that they are getting product that was solely sourced straight by way of the producer or an unique distributor for that producer or somebody that is a certified distributor for that producer as a result of there’s a variety of main producers who solely deal by way of approved distributors and unique distributors. So, should you’re getting a product that is being provided at an incredible worth, there could also be a problem. Again, “if it’s too good to be true, it’s too good to be true.”

Drug Topics®: It’s humorous that that saying additionally applies to pharmacy. I say that loads in my life like “that sale simply appears too good to be true.“ It’s good to remember for certain. Great. So, I’m going to shift gears just a bit bit. There’s been will increase in different sorts of well being care fraud, notably round private well being data. It’s really some of the profitable items of knowledge on the darkish internet and it could actually promote for as a lot as $1,000 per medical document, which is simply wild to me, if you evaluate that to a bank card it is 5 bucks a bank card quantity. How can unbiased pharmacies defend themselves and their affected person information from some of these breaches and having that affected person data unfold on the darkish internet?

Euson: You know pharmacies are aware of a variety of private well being data and it is their accountability to safeguard that by way of the HIPAA legal guidelines and rules. Lots of it’s defending that data by way of any kind of phishing makes an attempt that we simply mentioned, the place somebody could also be searching for private data. What’s of their meting out data and the kind of data that they are offering lots of the wholesalers in, and as a consequence of some latest litigation, there’s going to be much more prevalence the place the wholesalers are going to be prescription information. They should guarantee that whoever is accessing that prescription information, that they’ve a enterprise affiliate settlement with, which is vital to guard the pharmacy. If that information can be breached, it is not on the pharmacy. It’s on the third social gathering that will have entry that information. But guarantee that they’ve a enterprise affiliate settlement in place. They could wish to have their very own. They could wish to have an legal professional draw one up for them or no less than evaluation one which’s given to them to signal to ensure it has all of the provisions in HIPAA to guard them. Train their workers, that is enormous. There’s a variety of techs they usually could not have that kind of coaching and should not know the significance of defending the private well being data of a affected person. Just be educated on the HIPAA rules, they do change. Make certain they’re updated and guarantee that they’ve their workers educated on that data.

Drug Topics®: Great. I feel that is a very essential level, particularly as a result of there may be a lot staffing turnover due to the pandemic and the Great Resignation and all of that, in order that’s a very nice level to remember. You did contact on this a little bit bit in your final reply, but when we had been going to type of give our listeners high 3 to five type of greatest apply tips that they may take away from this dialog on learn how to defend themselves from fraud. What would these tips be?

Euson: Just principally to stay vigilant, prepare their workers. Know that we reside in a world the place we solely know our personal 4 partitions, however simply know that there is unhealthy individuals on the market, doing unhealthy issues, and simply pay attention to that. It’s type of like being conscious of your environment. Be conscious of your online business. Be conscious of the individuals which are making an attempt to assault your online business. Conduct audits and inventories repeatedly, that is the best way you are going to catch somebody, both an worker or another person that could be stealing from you. Especially in managed substances and excessive greenback merchandise, conduct audits, conduct inventories. Under legislation, they should do inventories, however they’re spaced out. Do them extra repeatedly. Do them randomly. Have a separation of duties. Don’t have one tech do every thing for you. I’ve seen too typically when one individual has an excessive amount of accountability and the proprietor does not even know what is going on on. They will be stealing from you, both cash or product, having product exit the again door. Have a separation of duties. Audit these duties, audit these individuals. If you will have new techs coming in, do background checks. They’re not that costly. Find out who these persons are simply to guarantee that they’ve all of the certifications that they are saying they did. Don’t be trusting. It’s once more the previous adage ‘trust but verify’.

Drug Topics®: Awesome. Well, this was an excellent informative dialog. I do know I realized loads so I’m certain that our listeners are going to take a variety of this away and have the ability to implement it in their very own pharmacies. I simply wished to thanks once more, George, for becoming a member of us immediately. I admire you taking the time. Thank you.

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