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News


WALGREENS AGREES TO $7.5M SETTLEMENT OVER ALLEGED PHONY PHARMACIST


PROSECUTORS: WOMAN WORKING WITHOUT LICENSE HANDLED MORE THAN 745K PRESCRIPTIONS

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by Bay City News Service

Uploaded: Tue, Feb 4, 2020, 9:01 am 4
Time to read: about 2 minutes


Slideshow
Walgreens has settled a consumer protection lawsuit in which more than 745,000
prescriptions were allegedly handled by an unlicensed pharmacist for $7.5
million, the Santa Clara and Alameda district attorney's offices announced on
Feb. 3.
Previous Next

Pharmacy giant Walgreen Co. has agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle a consumer
protection lawsuit alleging that it put people's health at risk by allowing a
phony pharmacist to handle more than 745,000 prescriptions in the Bay Area,
prosecutors said on Monday.

"Consumers depend on pharmacies to make sure that the person behind the counter
preparing and giving out medical prescription drugs is trained, competent and
licensed to do so. Their lives may depend on it," Santa Clara County Deputy
District Attorney Tiyen Lin said in a statement.

Santa Clara County prosecutors filed the lawsuit with the Alameda County
District Attorney's Office after they learned that Walgreens had employed Kim
Thien Le as a pharmacist for over a decade, even though she wasn't licensed by
the California State Board of Pharmacy.

The complaint alleges that Walgreens failed to vet Le, 44, of Milpitas,
thoroughly when it promoted her to positions requiring a license and failed to
make sure that its internal systems were strong enough to prevent an employee
from evading them.

It alleges that Le, who worked as a pharmacist in Milpitas, San Jose and
Fremont, performed one or more of the pharmacist-required steps for more than
745,000 prescriptions, including over 100,000 prescriptions for controlled
substances such as oxycodone, fentanyl, morphine and codeine.

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Le's 15-year employment with Walgreens ended in October 2017.

Last July, the California Attorney General's Office charged Le with felony
counts of impersonating pharmacists, stealing their identities and obtaining
money under false pretenses between 2006 and 2017.

Her case is pending in Alameda County Superior Court.

"This case serves as a cautionary tale for every health care provider that hires
people into positions requiring a professional license," Alameda County District
Attorney Nancy O'Malley said in a statement.

"The burden is on the company to make sure its employees are properly licensed
and to complete a thorough background check. My office will be vigilant in
protecting consumers and enforcing licensing laws."

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O'Malley said that once the matter came to light, Walgreens took immediate steps
to re-verify the licenses of its pharmacy employees around the country and
instituted other remedial measures.

The civil judgment, which was filed in Alameda County Superior Court, requires
Walgreens to ensure licensure compliance by implementing a verification program,
posting proof of licensure, conducting annual audits and submitting an annual
compliance report.

The judgment also requires Walgreens to pay approximately $7.5 million in
penalties, costs and remedial payments.

O'Malley said Walgreens and its counsel worked cooperatively with prosecutors
and regulators to implement the changes.

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WALGREENS AGREES TO $7.5M SETTLEMENT OVER ALLEGED PHONY PHARMACIST


PROSECUTORS: WOMAN WORKING WITHOUT LICENSE HANDLED MORE THAN 745K PRESCRIPTIONS

by Bay City News Service /

Uploaded: Tue, Feb 4, 2020, 9:01 am


Pharmacy giant Walgreen Co. has agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle a consumer
protection lawsuit alleging that it put people's health at risk by allowing a
phony pharmacist to handle more than 745,000 prescriptions in the Bay Area,
prosecutors said on Monday.

"Consumers depend on pharmacies to make sure that the person behind the counter
preparing and giving out medical prescription drugs is trained, competent and
licensed to do so. Their lives may depend on it," Santa Clara County Deputy
District Attorney Tiyen Lin said in a statement.

Santa Clara County prosecutors filed the lawsuit with the Alameda County
District Attorney's Office after they learned that Walgreens had employed Kim
Thien Le as a pharmacist for over a decade, even though she wasn't licensed by
the California State Board of Pharmacy.

The complaint alleges that Walgreens failed to vet Le, 44, of Milpitas,
thoroughly when it promoted her to positions requiring a license and failed to
make sure that its internal systems were strong enough to prevent an employee
from evading them.

It alleges that Le, who worked as a pharmacist in Milpitas, San Jose and
Fremont, performed one or more of the pharmacist-required steps for more than
745,000 prescriptions, including over 100,000 prescriptions for controlled
substances such as oxycodone, fentanyl, morphine and codeine.

Le's 15-year employment with Walgreens ended in October 2017.

Last July, the California Attorney General's Office charged Le with felony
counts of impersonating pharmacists, stealing their identities and obtaining
money under false pretenses between 2006 and 2017.

Her case is pending in Alameda County Superior Court.

"This case serves as a cautionary tale for every health care provider that hires
people into positions requiring a professional license," Alameda County District
Attorney Nancy O'Malley said in a statement.

"The burden is on the company to make sure its employees are properly licensed
and to complete a thorough background check. My office will be vigilant in
protecting consumers and enforcing licensing laws."

O'Malley said that once the matter came to light, Walgreens took immediate steps
to re-verify the licenses of its pharmacy employees around the country and
instituted other remedial measures.

The civil judgment, which was filed in Alameda County Superior Court, requires
Walgreens to ensure licensure compliance by implementing a verification program,
posting proof of licensure, conducting annual audits and submitting an annual
compliance report.

The judgment also requires Walgreens to pay approximately $7.5 million in
penalties, costs and remedial payments.

O'Malley said Walgreens and its counsel worked cooperatively with prosecutors
and regulators to implement the changes.

COMMENTS

resident
Community Center
on Feb 4, 2020 at 10:00 am
resident, Community Center
on Feb 4, 2020 at 10:00 am

Is any of this money going to Walgreens' customers? Or only to the lawyers and
government?

Report Objectionable Comment   |  
Email Moderator

Resident
Old Palo Alto
on Feb 5, 2020 at 1:13 am
Resident, Old Palo Alto
on Feb 5, 2020 at 1:13 am

Be careful.
There are a lot of phony professionals nowadays.

How many people actually do a thorough check of educational credentials?
This state is full of people who have dubious credentials from universities and
schools from overseas.

It is easy to pay off people for certifications, degrees, and references because
many people who approve these degrees and certifications have been paid off.

In the past, our system was largely honor based.
People from other countries have been taking advantage of our system for decades
but we have only recently started realizing this.

Be careful who you hire.
Peer reviewed scientific articles have also come under closer scrutiny since it
is easy to pay off people to review them.





Report Objectionable Comment   |  
Email Moderator

Nick
another community
on Feb 5, 2020 at 8:49 am
Nick, another community
on Feb 5, 2020 at 8:49 am

As phony as she is, I hope she at least had some schooling. ALL licenses should
be verified in any profession. It's common sense.

Report Objectionable Comment   |  
Email Moderator

CrescentParkAnon.
Crescent Park
on Feb 6, 2020 at 8:09 pm
CrescentParkAnon., Crescent Park
on Feb 6, 2020 at 8:09 pm

Googling "Kim Thien Le" shows a picture of someone who is a Registered Nurse ...
don't know if this is the same person. But a nurse would have some acquaintance
for pharmacology one would think.

I don't know much about pharmacists, but isn't what they do basically just
deciphering a doctor's request, then pattern matching a string on the
prescription and a dosage and number to bottles of drugs stored on-site, then
counting them out, then labelling it and doing the payment transaction. If asked
questions they seem to rely on their experience or can look up relevant
information in reference guides.

Can someone explain the offense here? Did she get prescriptions wrong?

In other words, it came to someone's notice that she was operating illegally,
Walgreen's bad, but what was her training and what was the actual harm and
damages except to show that someone who is not a licensed pharmacist can do the
job of a pharmacist to some extent or another?

What is the fine in proportion to? Is it related to how much salary Walgreens
saved by not paying her as much as a pharmacist?

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