On Feb. 29, Ohio and CVS settled 27 pending cases that alleged the pharmacy chain understaffed its stores, leading to prescription delays and dispensing errors.
In the settlement, CVS agreed to pay the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy $1.25 million, have eight of its stores on a three-year probation and hire a compliance liaison. The pharmacy chain agreed to pay an additional $250,000 to cover the cost of the board's enhanced monitoring, making the total settlement $1.5 million.
Of the 350 CVS pharmacies in Ohio, the pharmacy board accused 22 of them of allegations including "improper drug security, dispensing errors, prescription delays, lack of general cleanliness, understaffing and failure to report losses of controlled substances," according to the board.
The chain also agreed to change its electronic recordkeeping system and comply with the state's minimum standards, including mandatory rest breaks for pharmacy staff.
The inspections began in 2020. A CVS spokesperson told Becker's the company is "pleased to have reached an agreement with the [board] regarding years-old allegations."
"We look forward to working with the Board on these matters moving forward, including enhancing our positive identification systems, and continuing to provide safe, high-quality pharmacy care to our patients," the spokesperson said, adding that CVS has invested about $1 billion toward pharmacist wage increases.
Three weeks prior, the Ohio pharmacy board handed a $250,000 fine to one CVS store after a 2021 investigation found understaffing, a broken air conditioning unit, unsafe storage for medications and other issues.