Kentucky hospital to pay $4M for opioid recordkeeping claims

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Prosecutors say a Kentucky hospital system will pay a $4.4 million civil penalty to settle claims that its faulty recordkeeping enabled a worker to divert 60,000 doses of opioids. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Lexington says Pikeville Medical Center agreed to pay the fine to resolve claims it violated the Controlled Substances Act. Prosecutors say the hospital system failed to maintain accurate and complete inventories and dispensing records for Schedule II substances over a two-year period. A former hospital pharmacy technician and her husband pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to distribute the drugs involved. The hospital’s settlement includes inspection, reporting and training requirements.