Beckman's Greene Street Pharmacy, Inc.
Outcome
U.S. District Court approved July 2023 consent decree requiring pharmacist John Beckman and Beckman's Pharmacy to pay $120,000 civil penalty for knowingly filling fraudulent opioid prescriptions since 2017, including dangerous "holy trinity" combinations; pharmacy dispensed opioids to over 10 patients who died within 10 days of their prescription.
Details
Beckman's Greene Street Pharmacy, Inc. — Holy Trinity Dispensing and Patient Deaths (2017–2023)
Outcome: U.S. District Judge Lydia K. Griggsby approved a consent decree in July 2023 requiring pharmacist John A. Beckman and Beckman's Greene Street Pharmacy, Inc. of Cumberland, Maryland to pay a $120,000 civil monetary penalty for knowingly filling fraudulent controlled substance prescriptions since at least 2017, including the extremely dangerous "holy trinity" drug combination; DEA alleged the pharmacy dispensed opioids to more than ten patients who subsequently died within ten days of receiving those opioids.
John A. Beckman was a pharmacist operating Beckman's Greene Street Pharmacy, Inc. in Cumberland, Maryland. According to the Government's allegations, since at least 2017, Beckman and his pharmacy knowingly filled fraudulent prescriptions for controlled substances and dispensed dangerous combinations of controlled substances without resolving red flags.
The most serious allegation was that Beckman and his pharmacy dispensed the extremely dangerous "holy trinity" — a combination of an opioid, a benzodiazepine, and carisoprodol. This combination is widely known in pharmacy practice to dramatically increase the risk of respiratory depression, overdose, and death. The Government also alleged that the pharmacy dispensed opioids to more than ten patients who subsequently died within ten days of the date they received those opioid prescriptions.
Under the consent decree, Beckman and the pharmacy paid a $120,000 civil monetary penalty and are required to document any red flags and their resolution before filling prescriptions. The consent decree prohibits filling prescriptions when patients would exceed 90 daily MME, fills for the holy trinity combination, most buprenorphine-without-naloxone prescriptions, cash-pay controlled substances for patients with available insurance, and any controlled substance prescription for a pharmacy employee.
Primary Source: DEA Press Release — Consent Decree Approved Among the U.S. and Cumberland, MD Based Pharmacy and Pharmacist (Jul. 6, 2023)
How Crucible Prevents This
DEA alleged the pharmacy dispensed opioids to more than ten patients who subsequently died within ten days. The "holy trinity" combination (opioid + benzodiazepine + carisoprodol) is one of the most dangerous and widely recognized drug cocktails in pharmacy practice. Crucible's drug combination alert controls would have flagged and blocked these holy trinity fills automatically, and Crucible's post-dispensing outcome monitoring — tracking patient mortality events correlated with recent prescriptions — would have triggered mandatory clinical review.
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