ProCare LTC Pharmacy (Clarest Health) paid $499,525 civil settlement August 2023 for distributing controlled substances to unregistered practitioners 96 times and systematic DEA Form 222 recordkeeping failures while servicing 65 Connecticut and Rhode Island long-term care facilities between September 2020 and September 2022.

ProCare LTC Pharmacy of Connecticut, LLC (Clarest Health) — DEA Settlement for LTC Emergency Box Distribution Violations (2020–2023)

Outcome: Clarest, LLC (doing business as Clarest Health), ProCare LTC New England LTC, and ProCare LTC Pharmacy of Connecticut LLC paid $499,525 in a civil settlement announced August 31, 2023, to resolve allegations that between September 2020 and September 2022 the pharmacy distributed controlled substances to unregistered practitioners 96 times and committed systematic DEA Form 222 recordkeeping failures while servicing long-term care facilities.

ProCare LTC Pharmacy of Connecticut, LLC, located in Cheshire, Connecticut, is a long-term care pharmacy servicing 65 long-term care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living locations, and rehab and nursing practices in Connecticut and Rhode Island. The pharmacy supplies controlled substances for LTC facilities' emergency box stock — sealed boxes of medications held at LTC facilities for emergent use.

The government alleged two categories of violations. First, between September 2020 and September 2022, ProCare distributed controlled substances to practitioners that were not registered to dispense those controlled substances on 96 documented occasions — meaning ProCare supplied controlled substances to facilities or practitioners without verifying DEA registration status at the receiving end.

Second, ProCare failed to record required information on DEA Form 222s on numerous occasions. Form 222 is the DEA's controlled substance ordering document for Schedule I and II drugs; required fields include dates, numbers of containers furnished, and the recipient's DEA registration number. ProCare also failed to reject order forms that were not properly prepared, were incomplete, or had been altered.

As part of the $499,525 settlement, ProCare agreed to a three-year Corrective Action Plan with the DEA to ensure future compliance.

Primary Source: DEA Press Release — Health Care Company and Cheshire Pharmacy Pay $500K to Resolve Controlled Substances Act Allegations (Aug. 31, 2023)