Trying To Get Over

Even after the too-numerous-to-count news reports coming out of the state of Florida about pill mills and prescription drug abuse over the past five-years, there's still reports of highly-educated, superfly, healthcare professionals thinking that they're going to get over on "The Man".

According to the U.S. Attorney's Middle-District Office in Florida -

Tampa, FL - U.S. Attorney Robert E. O'Neill announces that U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore yesterday sentenced Dr. Sanjeev Grover (49, Lutz) to five years in federal prison for dispensing and distributing Oxycodone pills outside the professional scope of professional practice. He pled guilty on February 14, 2012.

According to court documents, Dr. Grover sold prescriptions for Oxycodone pills to a confidential informant and to an undercover agent on five occasions, between April and June 2011.

Dr. Grover met the confidential informant twice in a Burger King parking lot in Lutz, FL. The first sale involved four separate prescriptions, each for 60 eighty-milligram pills. The second sale included eight prescriptions, each for 180 thirty-milligram pills. On two other occasions, Dr. Grover met with the confidential informant and the undercover agent in a business center parking lot in Palm Harbor, Florida. During the first meeting, he sold six prescriptions. Four of the prescriptions were for 180 thirty-milligram pills and the other two for 180 fifteen-milligram pills. During the second meeting, he sold them twelve separate prescriptions, each for 180 thirty-milligram pills. On the fifth occasion, Dr. Grover sold six prescriptions to the undercover agent in a Walgreens parking lot in Palm Harbor. Each prescription was for 180 thirty-milligram pills.

Here's Mr. O'Neill's video report to the news media about this case -

Florida Independent Pharmacists Are Tough

What was it that caused Florida to become the "pill-mill" hotbed state? Of all of doctors that dispense oxycodone in the United States, 85% of all the oxycodone carriers are in Florida.

Was it because of a lack of law enforcement against suspicious pharmacists?

I don't think anyone really knows the reason, but I wonder if the attitude of some independent pharmacists contributed to lawmakers finally cracking down on pill mills, increasing the liability of all community pharmacists, and almost legislating smaller, but honest, independents out of being able to provide pain care?

So, I talked to a few law enforcement officials about the problem. They said that some Florida independent pharmacists were uncooperative, and didn't seem as though they wanted to help address the problem, especially the ones whom law enforcement deemed suspicious.

As would be expected with criminals robbing independent pharmacies left and right, and with corrupt politicians and corporate competitors seemingly set on putting them out of business, I can understand why independent pharmacists have become so tough throughout the years, and perhaps a little gruff and uncooperative. But were they that uncooperative?

Those officials also sympathized with the law-abiding independent pharmacists' plight, but said something had to be done to stem the prolific prescription drug abuse problem. They then showed me this video of police officers cross-examining just one of the prolific pill-mill pharmacists located in South Florida.

Now I think I can understand law enforcement's side of the issue, he's one tough pharmacist. Maybe their uncooperative attitudes did have something to do with creating these new laws.

Florida Pharmacists Under Fire

Once again, due to the actions of a few, the responsible pharmacists have to suffer.

The State of Florida, which many consider the epicenter of prescription drug abuse, has recently taken drastic measures to curb being known as the "pill mill" state.

Unfortunately, those measures include costly and punitive legislation for Florida pharmacists. According to a summary of Florida House Bill 7095 which takes effect on July 11th -

Community pharmacies must be re-licensed under the provisions of this act and rules adopted thereunder by July 1, 2012. Additional licensure requirements are intended to prevent felons and other nefarious persons from owning or operating pharmacies. In addition, pharmacies will be required to develop policies and procedures to minimize dispensing based on fraudulent representations or invalid practitioner-patient relationships.

A pharmacist must report to a local law enforcement officer any person who obtains or attempts to obtain a controlled substance through fraudulent methods or representations. The failure to report is a misdemeanor of the first degree. (my bold)

Principals associated with a pharmacy must undergo annual criminal background screening. The department must forward the results to wholesale distributors permitted under ch. 499, F.S., for purposes of complying with the requirements related to due diligence of purchasers.

The amendment includes additional requirements and disciplinary action related to activities in pharmacies and by pharmacists.

But, this is just a summary of the new laws. The finer details are still be worked out and could negatively-impact innocent and responsible pharmacists even further. According to an article in PNJ.com, one independent pharmacist is concerned about the ability of the profession to remain self-regulating.

And rightly so too. Who's to decide whether or not a pharmacist knew if a prescription was fraudulent? Would you rather have a board of your peers decide that, or someone else not familiar with how a pharmacy operates?

Not to mention that you could also be held criminally liable for your mistake. A first-degree misdemeanor in the State of Florida is a crime punishable by no more than one year in jail, one-year probation, and a $1,000 fine.