DOJ Joins Whistleblower Lawsuit

Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice joined a whistleblower lawsuit against PharMerica, which, according to its mission statement, has provided prescription drugs to long-term care facilities for more than 20 years.

Despite the pharmacy’s claim that it builds relationships “on integrity, price transparency, and ethical business practices,” the lawsuit alleges that, for two years, PharMerica dispensed Schedule II narcotics such as oxycodone “several thousand times” without prescriptions and defrauded Medicare by billing the insurance agency for those drugs. Further, PharMerica filed unsigned doctor’s authorization forms in a storeroom that employees called “the Harry Potter room.”

Former employee Jennifer Buth (nee Denk) filed the whistleblower suit in 2009, according to McKnight’s Long-Term Care News.

“The complaint that we are filing today reflects the abiding commitment of the Justice Department to the qui tam process, encouraging people with information about alleged fraud and abuse to report it in a timely and effective manner,” said James L. Santelle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

On Monday, the pharmacy stated that it will “vigorously defend itself.”

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