Stark County now has 2 CVS stores on probation as Ohio fines CVS $1.5M for violations
Ohio fined CVS $1.25 million for multiple violations at 22 stores across the state, including a location in Massillon.
The violations ranged from dirty, understaffed stores to missing pills and a customer sent to the emergency room after ingesting the wrong medication.
The fine is the largest in recent Ohio Board of Pharmacy history. It is more than double the $480,000 penalty that Mount Carmel Health System paid after a doctor was accused of playing a role in more than two dozen patients' deaths.
The penalty also comes shortly after Ohio placed a Jackson Township store on probation and fined CVS $250,000 for issues that risked patients' safety.
The violations paint a picture of how understaffed pharmacies led to mistakes and missed steps amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
More: CVS in Jackson Township gets probation, $250K fine over inspection violations
Ohio CVS stores faced multiple problems
The Massillon pharmacy at 1130 Lincoln Way E — which also was one of eight placed on three years' probation — would close intermittently because of understaffing, leaving patients unable to pick up their prescriptions. A patient went without her blood pressure medication for two days because it was never dispensed and was forced to transfer to a different pharmacy.
Inspections in 2021 and 2022 also found pills on the floor, dust on the shelves, prescription delays, a drug collection receptable so full that it couldn't be closed all the way, and the wrong person listed as being in charge of the site.
A Willoughby CVS dispensed the wrong medication to a patient in January 2022, which led to her increased anxiety, rapid heart rate and sweating. In mid-February, she went to the emergency room for an accidental drug ingestion.
A Toledo location was cited repeatedly for running five to six days behind on prescriptions, leaving expired medication on the shelves and overworked staff with low morale. A March 2022 review of 49 prescriptions found 31% had potentially inaccurate addresses and 14% had errors in directions to patients.
A CVS Pharmacy on South State Street in Westerville couldn't find 650 tramadol tablets in May 2023. It reported the loss to the DEA in mid-July but couldn't determine why it happened. A Reynoldsburg location had 480 prescriptions listed as “past due” in December 2021.
A CVS in Lebanon had multiple expired drugs, including creams and ointments, in the active drug stock. A patient received an expired blood thinner in October 2022. At a Steubenville location, three pharmacy technician trainees administered 126 COVID-19 shots that they were not qualified to give.
What does CVS Pharmacy say about Ohio settlement?
In a statement, CVS Pharmacy said it was "pleased to have reached an agreement with the Ohio Board of Pharmacy regarding years-old allegations involving some of our Ohio pharmacies." It also acknowledged the importance of proper staffing.
"We’re committed to ensuring there are appropriate levels of staffing and resources at our pharmacies," according to a statement from CVS Pharmacy.
The company has doled out $1 billion in wage increases for pharmacists between 2021 and 2024 and roughly $70 million in bonuses.
Eight Ohio CVS stores places on probation
In addition to the financial penalty, eight stores, including the Massillon one, were placed on probation for three years. CVS will pay the Ohio Board of Pharmacy $250,000 to monitor these locations more closely.
The other locations are:
4121 Monroe Street, Toledo
8467 East Main St., Reynoldsburg
2801 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood
2284 Back Orrville Road, Wooster
200 South Second St., Coshocton
2532 E. Main St., Columbus
2987 Derr Road, Springfield
CVS must also make changes to its electronic record-keeping system. The company acknowledged that virtual verification, a method of pharmacist dispensing that relies solely on images, isn't allowed in Ohio without prior approval from the Board of Pharmacy.
CVS settlement by Jessie Balmert on Scribd
Jessie Balmert is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Massillon Ohio CVS pharmacy fined, placed on probation
