Combating Fraud, Waste and Abuse in the Pharmacy Setting

Pharmacist Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this continuing education activity, the participant will be able to:

1. Define fraud, waste, and abuse (FWA) and identify the differences between each one.

2. Recognize common situations in the pharmacy that may be at risk for FWA.

3. Describe the legal landscape for FWA, including the Whistleblower Protection Act, the False Claims Act, and qui tam actions.

4. Recognize how to respond to suspected FWA, including how to respond to reports from other pharmacy staff, good practices for reporting to the pharmacy manager or district manager, and how to report directly to CMS.

Pharmacy Technician Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this continuing education activity, the participant will be able to:

1. Describe what fraud, waste, and abuse (FWA) are and how they differ.

2. Recognize common ways that FWA can occur in the pharmacy.

3. Appreciate laws related to FWA and your rights and protections for reporting suspected FWA.

4. Describe how to respond properly to suspected FWA, including who it should be reported to and how to report directly to CMS.

This activity will help pharmacy staff identify FWA in the pharmacy setting. This CE activity will be using public case studies of CMS actions taken specifically against pharmacies for FWA to highlight some of the various ways that FWA can take place in both community and inpatient pharmacies.

Practical points and best practices are highlighted throughout the presentation that will help pharmacies address FWA. Tips will be included to help everyone from technicians and staff pharmacists to district managers, who may be responsible for numerous stores throughout a region and need to approach FWA with a much broader view than staff that are in the store on a regular basis.