18.7M pills diverted from healthcare organization in 2018: 5 report findings

One-hundred and seventy-nine drug diversion incidents were reported between January to June of 2018, costing healthcare organizations $162 million in lost pills, according to Protenus' "Drug Diversion Digest" report.

Here are five things to know:

1. The analysis is based on 179 reported incidents of drug tampering, fraud and theft in various healthcare settings.

2. About 32 percent of drug diversion incidents occurred in a hospital or medical center setting. About 30 percent occurred in a private practice and nearly 18 percent occurred at pharmacies.

3. Of the 179 total reported drug diversion incidents, about 18.7 million pills were lost, which equates to about $164 million redirected away from patient care.

4. About 95 percent of the drug diversion instances involved an opioid, and about 20 percent of the cases involved a form of benzodiazepine.

5. About 42 percent of drug diversion incidents involved physicians, 29 percent involved nurses and about 13 percent involved pharmacists.

Find the full report here. 

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