Boston hospital to pay $2.3 million settlement over stolen drugs

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston agreed to pay $2.3 million as part of a settlement over allegations that its shoddy drug supply controls led to employees stealing pain medication.

The Boston Globe reports that the settlement is the largest ever paid in a case involving drug diversion, which is the use of substances for nonmedical purposes. Between October 2011 and April 2015, one nurse stole 14,492 pills and another took 1,429; most of the pills were the painkiller oxycodone.

U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz told the Globe that authorities began an investigation in 2013 after MGH notified the Drug Enforcement Administration about the thefts. It took a year for MGH to realize that one of the nurses had been stealing pills. The agreement also detailed drug diversion incidents involving other staff.

Read the Boston Globe article.