Surgery Tech Charged for Tampering With Meds
For a Denver healthcare worker, using an employer’s painkillers led to some serious charges.
An article shows that the Denver surgery tech had hepatitis C and injected herself with painkiller-filled syringes. As a result of her activity, according to the report, 36 patients contracted her illness.
The medical worker pled guilty Feb. 5 and subsequently received a sentence of 20 years in prison as part of a plea bargain. A judge then ruled that the sentence was inadequate, and the final consequences will likely be even more extreme. The defendant faces charges including five counts of tampering with a consumer product and five counts of obtaining a controlled substance by deceit or subterfuge.
The above case shows just how important it is for healthcare workers to receive effective training and how careful these professionals must be to avoid various kinds of criminal charges related to a range of medications. All across the country, healthcare workers including pharmacists, nurse’s aids, techs, nurses and others have been subject to criminal law procedures involving the improper distribution of medications.
The widespread use of morphine and other high-impact painkillers to treat terminal patients adds to the potential for legal liability.Some cases, such as patient misidentification, are accidents. Others, such as the case above, result in stiff sentences when they are shown to be willful or the result of deliberate but careless actions on the part of medical staff. Part of fighting this kind of issue is in educating all medical staff about a Standard of Care written by competent administrative and legal professionals that will act as a guide for what goes on in a medical center or facility. It is also the responsibility of all workers involved in the medical industry to understand how criminal law regarding misuse of medications relates to their jobs.
Monheit is the managing lawyer at Monheit Law, outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has practiced law since 1989. Michael Monheit was the managing attorney of the law offices of Herbert Monheit — now Silverman and Fodera — a firm founded by... Michael Monheit→
