Latest news with #IowaBoardofPharmacy
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
After child's drug overdose, Iowa pharmacy is fined $500 for prescription error
Houck Pharmacy of Mason City, Iowa. (Photo via Google Earth) An Iowa pharmacy has been fined $500 for committing an error that resulted in a child's drug overdose. The Iowa Board of Pharmacy recently charged Houck Pharmacy of Mason City with incorrectly compounding a medication resulting in an overdose to a minor patient. The available board records give no indication as to the patient outcome or when the incident occurred. The board charged Houck Pharmacy with five regulatory violations: dispensing an incorrect medication to a patient; failure to comply with regulations related to compounding nonsterile preparations; failure to include all of the required information in compounding records; failure to maintain a perpetual inventory of Schedule II narcotics; and failure to maintain a controlled substance accountability program. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX To resolve the case, Houck Pharmacy has agreed to pay a $500 civil penalty and have its pharmacy license placed on probation for 12 months. In a related matter, Hillary Lee Lunning of Mason City was charged by the board with incorrectly compounding a medication resulting in an overdose to a minor patient. The available board documents give no indication as to where or when the alleged violation occurred, but corporate records indicate Lunning is the president of Houck Drug Co., which operates Houck Pharmacy. Lunning has agreed to pay a $500 civil penalty and have her license placed on probation for one year. A central Iowa pharmacist has agreed to refrain from practicing in Iowa. According to the Iowa Board of Pharmacy, Jeffrey Bates of Indianola has agreed to refrain from practicing any aspect of pharmacy in Iowa in order to 'meet the board's interest in protecting the public.' The publicly available board documents provide no information as to what led to the agreement but stipulates that Bates is 'unable to practice' due to an administrative regulation that relates to pharmacists 'diverting prescription drugs from a pharmacy for personal use or for distribution.' Although the board has not disclosed where Bates worked at the time of the alleged regulatory violation, his National Provider Identifier records indicate he has worked at the Hy-Vee pharmacy at 910 N. Jefferson Way in Indianola. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Horseracing veterinarian now faces charges from pharmacy board
(Photo courtesy of Prairie Meadows Casino, Racetrack and Hotel) An Iowa-licensed veterinarian who has faced multiple sanctions in the past is now facing disciplinary action from the Iowa Board of Pharmacy. Veterinarian Bradley Gordon of Altoona is charged by the Board of Pharmacy with failing to ensure physical security controls for controlled substances, failing to maintain accountability of controlled substances and related records, and failing to ensure inventory records included the drug strengths and dosages. He's also charged with failing to follow the rules for maintaining a perpetual inventory system for all Schedule II controlled substances, failing to ensure accountability of Schedule III through Schedule V controlled substances, failing to comply with the rules for disposing controlled substances, failing to create and maintain complete and accurate records, and committing acts that would render their Controlled Substances Act registration 'inconsistent with the public interest.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The board has not disclosed when or where the alleged violations took place, nor has it disclosed any of alleged actions that led to the charges being imposed. The board's statement of charges doesn't specify the nature of Gordon's profession, but board records show his controlled substance license is tied to his veterinary practice. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for June 25, 2025. State records indicate Gordon has faced licensing sanctions on several occasions: May 2003: The Board of Veterinary Medicine sent Gordon a letter concerning an alleged failure to adequately document and maintain medical records. July 2007: The Board of Veterinary Medicine sent Gordon a letter concerning an alleged failure to provide clients with medical records upon their request. May 2017: The Board of Veterinary Medicine entered into a settlement agreement with Gordon related to allegations involving a surgery that failed to meet state standards. That case resulted in his license being placed on probation for one year and the imposition of a $1,000 fine. 2022: Gordon was suspended by the Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino's board of stewards for allegedly violating regulations of both the state and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority. The board of stewards subsequently concluded Gordon possessed chemical or biological substances that were not FDA approved; that he had administered thyroxine or thyroid hormones in horses; and that he had failed to maintain adequate records, had possessed expired drugs and had improperly stored controlled substances. The board of stewards fined Gordon $1,000 and suspended for two years his license to operate at the racetrack. Gordon appealed that decision and the board later agreed to reduce the suspension by nine months. 2023: The Board of Veterinary Medicine alleged it had received a complaint concerning Gordon's treatment of racehorses at Iowa's racetracks and that his actions may have violated state regulations. The board subsequently concluded Gordon possessed expired drugs and medications, failed to properly store and label controlled substances, failed to maintain the required log of controlled substances, and failed to complete accurate and legible medical records as required. According to the Board of Veterinary Medicine, Gordon admitted to each of the allegations. As a result, his veterinary license was placed on probation for one year beginning in March 2024, he was fined $1,000, and he was ordered to take online courses veterinary law and ethics, medical recordkeeping, and the legal requirements associated with medical records. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Yahoo
Western Iowa pharmacy cited for numerous violations
The Food Land store in Woodbine, Iowa, before a fire that occurred in August 2024. (Photo via Google Earth) A western Iowa store where a pharmacist was cited last year for incorrectly filling prescriptions for patients is now facing multiple charges from the Iowa Board of Pharmacy. In 2024, the board alleged that pharmacist Christopher Steele of Underwood incorrectly filled prescriptions for at least four patients in 2023. The board did not publicly disclose where Steele was working when the drugs were dispensed, the nature of the alleged errors, the types of drugs that were dispensed, or the effect the alleged errors had on the patients. Steele told the Iowa Capital Dispatch the errors occurred at the pharmacy within the Food Land store in Woodbine where he worked. Earlier this month, the board charged Food Land Pharmacy with 10 separate regulatory violations — an exceptionally large number of violations for a pharmacy of that size. The charges include failing to follow board rules related to recordkeeping, failing to follow board rules related to temporary pharmacy staff, failing to follow proper procedures related to controlled-substance registrations, failing to follow proper procedures for a change in the pharmacist in charge, failing to follow board rules related to accountability of controlled substances, failing to follow rules related to system security and safeguards, and failing to comply with the required drug utilization review process for a patient. The nature and timing of the alleged actions that serve as the basis for those charges has not been publicly disclosed by the board. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for May 21, 2025. Last August, a major fire at Woodbine's Food Land store forced the business to close. Company officials demolished what remained of the building and construction has begun on a new store that is expected to open later this year.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Yahoo
Pharmacist accused of theft, addiction, and working while impaired wins back license
Summit Pharmacy in Fairfield, Iowa. (Photo via Google Earth) A southeast Iowa pharmacist who allegedly admitted stealing drugs for personal use over a period of six years is being fined $500 and allowed to resume the practice of pharmacy. Records of the Iowa Board of Pharmacy indicate that Bryan Vander Linden, the former pharmacist in charge and owner of Summit Pharmacy, 300 W. Burlington Ave., Fairfield, admitted last year that he had intentionally diverted an undisclosed amount of controlled substances 'for personal use' over the course of six years while working at a Hy-Vee pharmacy in Fairfield. According to the board, Vander Linden's admission came about after federal agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration launched an investigation into some form of unspecified 'discrepancies' at Summit Pharmacy. In May 2024, Vander Linden was charged by the board with knowingly making misleading or untrue statements in the practice of pharmacy; habitual intoxication or addiction to drugs; being convicted of a state or federal law related to drugs or the practice of pharmacy; stealing prescription drugs from a pharmacy for one's personal use; and practicing pharmacy while under the influence of illegally obtained drugs or while impaired by legitimately prescribed drugs. Board records indicate Vander Linden's license was suspended last year when he signed an agreement to refrain from practicing. At the time, the board barred Vander Linden from entering the Summit Pharmacy building and barred him from remotely accessing pharmacy records or software. As part of a separate agreement with Vander Linden's father, Thomas Vander Linden, Summit Pharmacy agreed to name a new pharmacist in charge and to change all of the locks at the pharmacy. Recently, the board agreed to settle the charges against Bryan Vander Linden, in part by lifting the May 2024 license suspension. Vander Linden, the board stated in its decision, 'may return to practicing as a pharmacist at Summit Pharmacy.' The settlement stipulates that Vander Linden cannot hold a controlled-substances registration at Summit Pharmacy until the board orders otherwise. In addition, he must pay a $500 civil penalty and participate in the state's Impaired Practitioners' Health Program for Pharmacy and submit to any required drug screenings. Federal court records indicate Vander Linden is currently facing undisclosed criminal charges, with his initial appearance in the case, his arraignment, and a plea-agreement hearing all scheduled for Thursday before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Helen C. Adam. Other licensees subject to recent action by the Iowa Board of Pharmacy include: — Heather Henkelvig, who was charged last year with incorrectly dispensing a prescription drug. The board alleges that on April 25, 2023, a patient was incorrectly given Clomipramine, an antidepressant, instead of the prescribed medication, Clomiphene, which is used to induce ovulation in women. As part of its case, the board alleged that on that same day the incorrect drug was dispensed, Henkelvig was the sole pharmacist working at a Hy-Vee pharmacy. 'On that day,' the board alleges, Henkelvig and three registered pharmacy technicians in the store 'dispensed 588 prescriptions,' and Henkelvig was also responsible that day for 'verification and counseling' for a telepharmacy located in Winwood, Iowa. Henkelvig has been fined $500 and ordered to complete educational training on patient safety and medication errors. Board of Pharmacy records include conflicting information as to the Hy-Vee store where the error occurred, with one set of records indicating it occurred at a Mount Pleasant store, and another indicating it happened at a store in Washington, Iowa. — CVS Pharmacy at 3804 Metro Drive in Council Bluffs, which was charged with the incorrect dispensing of drugs and failing to maintain complete and accurate records related to medication errors. The pharmacy allegedly removed the drug Clobazam from its original packing, which indicated the drug must be used within 90 days of opening, and placed it in a pharmacy vial that carried what the board calls a 'beyond-use date of one year.' The pharmacy has been fined $1,000, issued a warning, and is required to provide all staff with educational training on patient safety and medication errors. — Todd Thompson of Iowa City, who is charged with six regulatory violations, including knowingly making misleading or deceptive representations in the practice of pharmacy; violating a state or federal law related to the practice of pharmacy or the distribution of controlled substances; willful or gross negligence; obtaining a fee by fraud or misrepresentation; failing to create and maintain complete and accurate records; and obtaining or possessing prescription drugs with legal authority. Thompson is the owner of the SmartScripts pharmacy in Washington, Iowa, which is charged with the same six offenses as Thompson. The underlying actions that led to the imposition of the charges has not been disclosed by the Board of Pharmacy. A hearing on the two cases is scheduled for May 7, 2025.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Pharmacy fined $1,000 for medication-dispensing error
The Hy-Vee Pharmacy at 410 N. Ankeny Blvd. in Ankeny, Iowa. (Photo via Google Earth) An Ankeny pharmacy has been fined $1,000 for dispensing the wrong medication to a customer and then failing to report the incident within the required timeframe. The Hy-Vee Pharmacy at 410 N. Ankeny Blvd. in Ankeny was charged by the Iowa Board of Pharmacy with incorrectly dispensing a prescribed medication to a patient and with failing to properly record all medication errors in its quality-control reports. The board alleges that on July 24, 2024, a patient went to Hy-Vee to pick up her prescription for Aimovig, a drug commonly used to treat migraine headaches. A pharmacy technician pulled the patient's will-call bag with the printed receipt but retrieved the wrong medication from the refrigerator. The pharmacy technician incorrectly provided the patient with Ajovy, another drug often used to treat headaches, that was prescribed for another patient, according to the board. The pharmacy did not discover the dispensing error for five days, when the second patient arrived to collect her prescribed allotment of Ajovy. It was then discovered that the Ajovy was missing, while the Aimovig — which had theoretically been given to the first patient — was still sitting on the shelf. Upon realizing what had transpired, the pharmacist in charge immediately called the first patient to determine whether, as suspected, she had mistakenly been given the Ajovy. The patient reported that she had, adding that she had disposed of the Ajovy, believing it to be an old prescription she had been given in error. Upon investigation, the board determined that the pharmacy did not report the medication error in its Continuous Quality Improvement report within the required timeframe of 24 hours. The board and the pharmacy recently agreed to a settlement that requires the Ankeny store to pay a $1,000 civil penalty and to provide all of its pharmacists and pharmacy technicians with a board-approved continuing education course on patient safety and the prevention of medication errors.
