U.S. DEA webinar reveals 3 key takeaways for successful drug diversion prevention

Ensure staff are well-educated on systems and processes

In any DEA inspection, a hospital must be able to provide an accurate accounting of the data sought by the investigators upon request. Accordingly, it is imperative that each member of the health system team has a deep and comfortable knowledge of the controlled substances procedures, with ready access to a wide range of necessary data sources on demand. All staff members authorized to handle controlled substances should know the systems and processes. The webinar noted mandatory training around reporting loss and signs of substance abuse among staff as key drivers of safe and lawful practice.

Take a proactive approach to your drug diversion program

With drug diversion methods continuously adapting, health systems should take a proactive approach to prevention to protect both patients and staff. Best practices indicate that health systems should appoint a dedicated drug diversion compliance officer or committee, assigned to developing, evaluating, and continuously adapting and enforcing procedures. Regularly reviewing security measures, including safes, alarms, and camera systems, as well as revisiting employee access lists and credentials are important steps. Another key component is implementing mandatory training to identify patterns of medication diversion (some of which the webinar covers in detail), random screenings, and regularly reviewing warning signs with staff. 

Putting the takeaways into action: Embrace technology to streamline surveillance 

Customers frequently ask us what triggers a DEA investigation and what they should expect, so we hosted this webinar so we could hear it from the source. Reflecting on the webinar key takeaways, our Sentri7 Pharmacy team also believes that tech-enabled tools like Sentri7 Drug Diversion software can help busy staff and administrators accurately leverage records and data to identify these patterns, flag concerns and ultimately prevent future incidents. Having a system in place to maintain complete and accurate records of medication inventory and potential drug diversion risk is a critical component of a health system’s success, as data can serve as an indicator or evidence of incidents in reports. 

Learn more about Sentri7 Drug Diversion’s AI-backed approach to drug diversion surveillance.