The Chicago Metro Area has over 9,400 pharmacists, committing to providing not only prescriptions but medication counseling to countless patients. The sprawling Chicago Metro area extends beyond the bustling Windy City into areas in neighboring cities in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. Parts of Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin that fall within the Chicago Metro Area include Naperville, Elgin, Kenosha, Ottawa, Michigan City, La Porte, and Kankakee.
The Chicago Metro Area is an excellent location for pharmacists, with no shortage of employment opportunities in various settings. Like other areas throughout the country, it has countless branches of major pharmacy chains like CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens. The area is also home to one of the largest mail-away pharmacies, Express Scripts.
Traditional pharmacies are hardly the only employers of pharmacists. The Chicago Metro Area employs pharmacists throughout its healthcare systems, including Advocate Health Care, NorthShore University Health System, and the University of Illinois Chicago System. Medical innovation is a sector where the Chicago Metro Area thrives and employs numerous pharmacists. Pharmaceutical companies employing pharmacists in the area include AbbVie, Abbot Laboratories, and Hospira.
Being a pharmacist in the Chicago Metro Area is a point of pride. You went through extensive schooling in competitive programs to secure your spot as a pharmacist in this highly competitive market. If you're facing allegations of misconduct and disciplinary action before your state pharmacy board, we know you have a lot to lose. At the Lento Law Firm, our Professional License Defense Team will fight vigorously to protect your license and get the best possible outcome in your case. Call us today at 888-535-3686 or contact us online.
Allegations That Can Threaten Your Chicago Metro Area Pharmacist License
Like all other medical professionals, pharmacists are held to a high standard. Public trust and safety are crucial in the profession, meaning they are highly regulated, and many actions can threaten your Chicago Metro Area pharmacy license. Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin all have their own laws and regulations that set the standards for pharmacists' behavior. While wording on the laws may vary, acts of misconduct below can get you in hot water with your state pharmacy board.
If you're working in a retail pharmacy, hospital, or other healthcare setting, behaviors that could result in disciplinary action include:
- Improperly handling controlled substances, including unlawfully distributing or using them
- Stealing or attempting to steal prescription medications
- Neglecting to take necessary precautions to prevent unauthorized access or distribution of controlled substances
- Making prescription mistakes that lead to a patient's hospitalization or displaying a repeated pattern of such errors
- Engaging in dishonest, fraudulent, misleading, or deceptive conduct related to dispensing medication or providing advice
- Creating, submitting, or maintaining false or fraudulent records
- Submitting false or deceptive billing reports
- Failing to offer counseling to patients, disregarding requests for counseling, or discouraging patients from receiving counseling about prescription medications
- Charging patients improperly for medications (e.g., billing for a brand-name drug while providing a generic alternative)
- Filling a prescription that a reasonable pharmacist exercising professional judgment would deem inaccurate or inauthentic
- Knowingly dispensing prescription medication without a valid prescription
- Dispensing or offering to dispense a drug that the FDA has not approved
- Providing prescription order forms to a physician that reference a specific pharmacist or pharmacy
- Participating in an agreement—actively or passively—to create prescription order forms that promote a particular pharmacist or pharmacy
- · Failing to maintain personal hygiene, wear clean clothing, or display identification that includes your name and title
- Performing pharmacy-related duties while under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Violating patient or customer confidentiality
- Failing to report a suspension or revocation of your pharmacist license in another state
Pharmacists working in research settings, whether at a university or a pharmaceutical company, have other misconduct allegations that could be made against them. Behaviors that can threaten your license when you focus on research can include, but are not limited to:
- Fabricating or falsifying research data, such as manipulating clinical trial results or lab findings
- Failing to adhere to Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) or Good Clinical Practice (GCP), including not following FDA laws or regulatory guidelines
- Improperly handling or storage of medications
- Failure to report adverse events or drug safety data from regulatory agencies
- Misrepresenting drug efficacy or safety
- Accepting bribes or kickbacks to influence lab results, approvals, and more
- Failure to disclose conflicts of interest
- Conducting authorized clinical trials
- Intellectual property theft
Regardless of the type of misconduct you are being accused of, the Lento Law Firm can help. Our Professional License Defense Team has seen it all. Your Lento Law Firm attorney will discuss common outcomes for similar cases and how to move forward with your state pharmacy board.
Disciplinary Action Process for Pharmacist Misconduct Allegations
The disciplinary action process for pharmacists in the Chicago Metro Area will differ slightly depending on whether your licensure is in Illinois, Indiana, or Wisconsin. If you are licensed in Illinois, your misconduct allegations will be handled jointly by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and the Illinois Board of Pharmacy. Pharmacists licensed in Indiana will have their cases addressed by the Indiana Board of Pharmacy. Wisconsin licensed pharmacist misconduct cases are overseen by the Wisconsin Pharmacy Examining Board.
At the Lento Law Firm, we know that any contact about misconduct from your state pharmacy board is stressful, but we are here to guide you through the process. Each state pharmacy board has its own policies and procedures for handling pharmacist misconduct, but generally, the process looks like this:
Complaint
Your state pharmacy board or state professional regulatory agency will receive a complaint. Complaints can come from anyone, from colleagues to patients or their family members. Not all complaints are credible, and state pharmacy boards recognize that, which is why they have preliminary screening processes in place to assess whether you have potentially violated your state's Pharmacy Practice Act or other laws or regulations. If the relevant regulatory body believes the case is legitimate, it will refer it for investigation.
Contact the Lento Law Firm as soon as you learn that a complaint has been filed against you or even if you hear that a complaint may be filed against you. The sooner our Professional License Defense Team gets on the case, the better we can prepare and get you the best possible outcome.
Investigation
Pharmacy board investigations are thorough. It is likely that you will be called in for an interview, as well as many others, such as the person who filed the complaint, witnesses, your employer, and other relevant parties. The investigative team will also collect all evidence related to your case. This includes photos, videos, digital evidence, work documents, personnel files, and more.
At the end of the investigation, the pharmacy board or investigating body may decide that there is no probable cause to proceed in your case, and the matter will be closed. Alternatively, they can find probable cause for the misconduct allegations and pursue formal charges against you.
Temporary Action
If your state board of pharmacy believes you are an immediate threat to public health and safety, they may temporarily suspend your license. This action is also called an emergency suspension.
Negotiations
This entire time, your Lento Law Firm attorney can negotiate with your state pharmacy board to find a solution that protects your license and ability to practice in the Chicago Metro Area. Our Professional License Defense Team has successfully negotiated with the Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana pharmacy boards for our pharmacist clients. We will do everything possible to find a solution that mitigates the harm to you and your license.
Hearing
Hearings are similar to court cases. They are usually held before an Administrative Law Judge and have rules of procedure and evidence established by state law. Your Lento Law Firm attorney will do everything from preparation to representing you at your hearing. At the hearing, your attorney will present your defense, examine and cross-examine witnesses, and provide evidence to support your case.
Determinations
Following your hearing, your state pharmacy board will decide if disciplinary action is necessary and which form is most appropriate. Disciplinary actions you could be facing include:
- Letter of reprimand
- Probation
- Supervised practice
- Monetary fines
- Mandatory condition education courses or training
- Practice Restrictions
- Mandatory drug or alcohol treatment
- License suspension
- License revocation
Consequences of Disciplinary Action
Disciplinary action against your Chicago Metro Area pharmacist license can have widespread professional and personal impacts. When your state pharmacy board takes an adverse action, it justifies your current employer to terminate your employment. It can inhibit your ability to find employment in the future.
Living in the Chicago Metro Area, you may be living geographically close enough to another state that a fresh start in a new state might be an option. Unfortunately, it isn't that easy. When your state pharmacy board takes disciplinary action against you and your license, it can be reported to the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) Clearinghouse, a national database that documents pharmacist disciplinary actions nationwide. State pharmacy boards reference the NABP Clearinghouse when issuing pharmacy licenses.
Reporting to the NABP Clearinghouse will also impact you if you are already licensed in more than one state in the Chicago Metro Area. Any time a pharmacist's disciplinary action is reported to the NABP Clearinghouse, it sends an alert about the disciplinary action to every state pharmacy board where that pharmacist is licensed.
Appealing Disciplinary Action Against Your Chicago Metro Area Pharmacist License
Having your state pharmacy board take action against your license and inhibit your ability to practice in the Chicago Metro Area can be devastating. It's possible you went into the disciplinary action process without an attorney or retained an attorney who wasn't well-versed in professional license defense in the Chicago Metro Area, and now you aren't happy with the outcome of your case.
The Lento Law Firm can still help regardless of how you got here. We frequently join cases at the disciplinary action appeals stage. Our Professional License Defense Team can often get our Chicago Metro Area pharmacist clients better outcomes on appeal. When your pharmacy license and livelihood are threatened, you must keep fighting with the help of the Lento Law Firm Professional License Defense Team. Set up a consultation with us to learn if your case is eligible for appeal and how we can fight for you.
If you're a Chicago Metro Area Pharmacist Facing Misconduct Allegations, the Lento Law Firm Can Help
At the Lento Law Firm, we know that misconduct allegations can result from any number of things, from miscommunications to misunderstandings or malice. Regardless of how you ended up in this situation, it can be incredibly upsetting. Any threat to your Chicago Metro Area pharmacy license and livelihood must be taken seriously. You can't lose your reputation or ability to practice in this competitive market where you have built your career and personal life. The Lento Law Firm is here to fight for you wherever you are in the Chicago Metro Area, Illinois, Indiana, or Wisconsin.
Our Professional License Defense Team will walk you through your state pharmacy board's disciplinary action process and explain your case's likely and possible outcomes. We know this is stressful, but we are here to support you as much as possible and get you the best outcome in your case. Mitigating the damage to your Chicago Metro Area career and pharmacist license is our top priority. Get started with our Professional License Defense Team today by calling 888-535-3686 or contacting us online.
