If you are a pharmacist working in the Detroit area -- which includes cities such as Ann Arbor, Warren, Sterling Heights, and Dearborn, among others. You are no doubt very aware of the many laws, rules, regulations, and requirements that apply to you on a daily basis. After years of education and training, and studying and passing the NAPLEX and MPJE exams, you know firsthand how much time, effort, and money you've invested in your career. Whether you own your own pharmacy or work for someone else, your pharmacist license is the key to your livelihood and your future.
That's why, if you learn from the Michigan Board of Pharmacy (BOP) that someone has filed a misconduct complaint against you, it's important to take it very seriously and pay close attention to things like response deadlines and requests for information. Working with one of the experienced attorneys from the Lento Law Firm's Professional License Defense Team is the best way to protect your pharmacist license and your reputation in the Detroit metro area. Call us today at 888.535.3686 or fill out our online contact form, and we will schedule a confidential consultation where you can tell us about your case, and we can tell you the ways we can help.
Pharmacists in the Detroit Metro Area
The Detroit Metro Area is home to more pharmacists per person than most other areas of Michigan. Obviously residents living in the Detroit Metro Area have a lot of options when it comes to selecting a pharmacist – more options than residents in less densely-populated areas of the state. And where those pharmacists work is also varied; in the Detroit Metro Area many pharmacists work for large national chains, such as CVS and Walgreens, while others work for local chains and independent pharmacies.
But no matter where you're employed, it's very important that you take it very seriously if you are notified by the Board of Pharmacy that a misconduct complaint has been filed against you. When that happens, particularly if the state's Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) begins an investigation into the allegations you're facing, you need someone on your side who knows how to protect your rights during an investigation and to defend you and your license if you are formally accused of misconduct. One reason to take it so seriously is that LARA publishes disciplinary outcomes – called “Action Reports” – on a weekly basis, making it easy for anyone to learn if you have been disciplined for misconduct.
In addition, and again according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, licensed pharmacists in the Detroit area tend to earn significantly more than workers in most other professions: well over $120,000 per year in 2023. The upside to this is obvious: Pharmacists generally are well-paid for their efforts, at a rate that reflects the amount of education, training, and skill that their profession involves. The downside, on the other hand, is that a pharmacist whose license is suspended or revoked has a lot to lose, namely their ability to make that kind of money.
That is why if you are a pharmacist in the Detroit metro area – whether you work in the Motor City itself, or in a nearby suburb such as Troy, Farmington Hills, Dearborn Heights, Rochester Hills, or Pontiac – you should contact the Lento Law Firm's Professional License Defense Team as soon as possible after you're notified that someone has filed a complaint against you. Because you have so much to lose in terms of your reputation, your livelihood, and your future the sooner you have someone on your side who can help protect your rights and defend you against the allegations you're facing, the more likely it will be that you can emerge from the process with your license (and your ability to make a living) intact.
Disciplinary Actions Against Pharmacists in the Detroit Metro Area
Michigan's Board of Pharmacy sets the standards, based on Michigan laws and regulations, for pharmacists in the state. Pharmacists can be disciplined for any number of types of misconduct, including:
- Breaching the obligation to keep patient information confidential
- Working while intoxicated – whether by alcohol or drugs
- Making mistakes when dispensing medication
- Taking medication for personal use
- Failing to properly complete necessary records
- Practicing beyond the scope of what their license permits
- Being convicted of certain types of crimes
That said, complaints can cover a wide range of issues, and of course, not all complaints result in an investigation or disciplinary action by the BOP and LARA. But sometimes the difference between when a complaint results in a disciplinary proceeding and when it doesn't depends on the information that LARA receives during the investigation process.
That's where working with one of the experienced attorneys from the Lento Law Firm's Professional License Defense Team can make a difference. We understand the kinds of issues that are important in Pharmacist disciplinary proceedings, and we know what it takes to defend pharmacists in the Detroit Area and all across Michigan against disciplinary charges.
Many times, we are able to anticipate the issues that will concern the BOP and LARA, and can provide the investigator with information that they can use to determine that there should be no disciplinary action in a specific case. That, of course, is the best outcome. But even in cases where the investigation results in formal disciplinary charges being filed against a pharmacist, we can use our experience and understanding of the laws, rules, and regulations that apply in these cases to mount as strong a defense as possible under the circumstances. What's more, we can often negotiate an outcome that is favorable to our client, one that removes the uncertainty that comes with taking the matter to a formal hearing.
Help During Disciplinary Investigations
One of the main ways our attorneys can help you if you are being investigated because of a complaint that has been filed against you is in connection with your interview. In almost every case, the LARA investigator will want to interview you about the allegations made in the complaint. When that happens, it's important to be prepared for what is almost always a stressful encounter.
And let's be clear – the stress has nothing to do with whether you're responsible for the alleged misconduct or not. It has everything to do with being in the unfamiliar situation of having to answer questions from someone whose job it is to uncover evidence that relates to alleged misconduct. Most of us have very little experience with that kind of encounter, where the answers we give to questions we're asked can have such a significant impact on our future.
That's why at your attorney from the Lento Law Firm's Professional License Defense Team will prepare you for that situation, so that you can anticipate the kinds of questions you'll be asked; so that you'll know how important it is to understand the question that the investigator is asking before you answer it; and so that you know how to focus on the question and prepare a response that is clear and accurate. In addition, we can be there with you during your interview to make doubly certain that the questions you're asked are fair ones and that you understand the question before responding.
You may also be asked to provide documentation to the investigator. Your attorney will work with you to review the request and gather information that fairly responds to it in a timely way.
Throughout the entire investigation process, your attorney can be the BOP and LARA investigator's point of contact. This can take a lot of pressure off of you, because all communications about your case will go through your attorney so that you don't have to field them and decide how and when to respond.
After the Investigation
Once the investigation is complete, the BOP and LARA will decide whether to bring formal disciplinary charges against you. If they decide to move forward, you'll be served with an administrative complaint, and will need to file a response within 30 days or risk having the case automatically decided against you and your license suspended immediately.
Of course, if you are working with one of the experienced attorneys from the Lento Law Firm's Professional License Defense Team, we will review the charges, discuss them with you, and prepare and file your response. That response may also include one or more points in your favor, depending on your situation.
This is another area where it can be enormously helpful to be working with an attorney who has done this kind of work before. Our license defense attorneys help professional license holders, including pharmacists, defend themselves against disciplinary charges all over the US, Michigan, and the Detroit Metro Area. This is what we do – and we know what it takes to mount an effective defense. We will go over the facts of your case with you in detail and will use our understanding of your case and of the laws, rules, and regulations that apply in these kinds of cases to craft as strong a defense as possible to the allegations you're facing.
The Compliance Conference
Most pharmacist disciplinary proceedings resolve themselves in an agreement between the pharmacist and the BOP. This is true for cases in the Detroit Metro Area, cases across Michigan, and cases across the country. The simple fact is that most matters like this can be resolved through negotiation because hearings consume a lot of time, and the outcome is uncertain.
The Compliance Conference is where many cases either resolve themselves or take large steps towards resolving themselves. This is another area where working with an attorney who has experience negotiating favorable settlements to disciplinary charges can be so helpful. At the Lento Law Firm, our Professional License Defense Team understands how the BOP will typically resolve disciplinary matters, and we will use our experience, our understanding of the law, and our knowledge about your particular case to negotiate for the best result we can.
But bear in mind: you are always in control of your case. While we can negotiate a favorable resolution, if you don't agree with it then you have the right to turn it down and proceed to a formal hearing. Our job is to give you the information and the opportunity you need to be able to make that decision.
The Administrative Hearing
If your disciplinary matter does not settle with a written consent agreement, it will likely proceed to an administrative hearing. At the hearing, you have the right to an attorney, and both sides can present and cross-examine witnesses and introduce (and oppose) evidence. At the close of the hearing, the administrative panel will make a decision that will then be reviewed by a disciplinary subcommittee. It will be the decision of that subcommittee that will determine whether and to what extent your pharmacist license will be impacted by the result of the hearing.
If the administrative hearing goes against you, it is possible to appeal the matter. Appeals can be difficult to win, but not impossible; in some cases, the result may be that the matter goes back to the hearing panel for further proceedings. Our Professional License Defense Team can review your case and discuss whether you have grounds for an appeal and, if so, what the result of the appeal may be.
Potential Outcomes
The best outcome for any disciplinary matter is, of course, dismissal. That happens sometimes, especially if we are able to provide the LARA investigator with evidence and arguments in our client's favor early on. Aside from that, potential outcomes can include:
- Fines
- Formal reprimands
- Probation along with a requirement that the pharmacist undergo specific types of training
- A requirement that the pharmacist receive treatment for substance abuse or other types of mental health issues
- Suspension of the pharmacist's license
- Revocation of the pharmacist's license
Our goal in every case is to help bring about the least amount of disruption to your ability to work as a pharmacist. The sooner we can become involved in your case, the more we can help.
The Lento Law Firm Can Defend Your Pharmacist License in the Detroit Metro Area
No matter where you are working as a licensed pharmacist in the Detroit Metro Area, whether it's in Detroit itself, a nearby city such as Ann Arbor, or a smaller suburb like Grosse Pointe, you deserve a strong defense if you've been accused of misconduct. The Lento Law Firm's Professional License Defense Team has years of experience defending licensed professionals – including pharmacists – all across the country against misconduct allegations, investigations, and proceedings.
When it comes to Michigan, we understand the laws, rules, regulations, and procedures that apply in pharmacist misconduct cases. We will use our experience and our understanding of the law and the process to protect your rights and to defend you against the misconduct allegations you're facing.
If you are a pharmacist in the Detroit Metro Area who has been accused of misconduct, contact us as soon as possible for help. Your pharmacist license is the key to your livelihood and your future, and we are here to protect it. Call the Lento Law Firm's Professional License Defense Team today at 888.535.3686 or fill out our contact form, and we'll schedule a confidential consultation.
