Zarzamora Healthcare LLC d/b/a Rite-Away Pharmacy & Medical Supply
Outcome
A federal court ordered Zarzamora Healthcare LLC and pharmacist-owner Jitendra Chaudhary to pay $275,000 and submit to five-year DEA monitoring after a complaint alleged they repeatedly dispensed opioids while ignoring red flags and altered prescriptions to make them appear compliant.
Details
Zarzamora Healthcare LLC d/b/a Rite-Away Pharmacy & Medical Supply #2 — Opioid Dispensing Violations and Prescription Alteration (2023)
Outcome: A federal court ordered Zarzamora Healthcare LLC and pharmacist-owner Jitendra Chaudhary to pay $275,000 and submit to five-year DEA monitoring after a complaint alleged they repeatedly dispensed opioids while ignoring red flags and altered prescriptions to make them appear compliant.
Zarzamora Healthcare LLC operated Rite-Away Pharmacy & Medical Supply #2 at 2716 SW Military Drive in San Antonio, Texas, under the ownership and management of pharmacist Jitendra Chaudhary. The pharmacy came to federal attention through DEA investigation of its opioid dispensing practices.
The government filed a civil complaint on January 21, 2022, in the Western District of Texas, alleging that the defendants repeatedly dispensed opioids and other controlled substances in violation of the Controlled Substances Act by filling prescriptions while ignoring obvious red flags indicating the prescriptions were not for legitimate medical use. The complaint further alleged that the defendants altered prescriptions that lacked required information — such as DEA registration numbers or proper dosage instructions — in order to make them appear compliant with DEA regulations, rather than contacting prescribers to obtain properly completed prescriptions.
On October 11, 2023, the federal court entered a consent decree resolving the civil complaint. Zarzamora Healthcare LLC and Chaudhary were ordered to pay $275,000 in civil penalties. The consent decree also enjoined the defendants from dispensing certain opioid prescriptions, including combination opioid and benzodiazepine prescriptions. Under the five-year monitoring provision, the pharmacy and Chaudhary are required to demonstrate ongoing compliance with the Controlled Substances Act, with DEA oversight of their controlled substance practices for the full five-year period.
Primary Source: Federal Court Orders San Antonio-Area Pharmacy and Pharmacist to Pay $275,000 — DOJ
How Crucible Prevents This
Crucible's prescription authenticity and red-flag controls would have flagged both the pattern of dispensing without resolving red flags and the prescription alteration conduct. Immutable audit logs enforced by Crucible would have prevented alteration of dispensing records. Mandatory escalation workflows for incomplete prescriptions — rather than allowing staff to modify prescription information to achieve apparent compliance — would have surfaced the systemic practice before it generated federal civil liability. The five-year DEA monitoring consent decree mirrors exactly the type of ongoing compliance oversight Crucible automates from day one.
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