Staying in compliance with DEA for controlled substances becomes easy when a professional compliance consulting team is at the helm of affairs. Find out more about the different avenues where they can help.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) enforces federal laws and regulations under the Controlled Substances Act. All DEA registrants – be it pharmacies, physicians, hospitals, manufacturers or distributors – are obliged to comply with these rigid requirements. In fact, staying in compliance has to be a top priority for all DEA registrants at all times as the authorities aggressively check for diversion DEA and crack down heavily on defaulters.
In this atmosphere of heightened enforcement and regulatory scrutiny, no individual or institution can run the risk of being non-compliant. And when it comes to DEA regulations, there is a very thin line between lawful and unlawful conduct!
Therefore, the most prudent approach for ensuring that ‘everything is being done right’ is to engage an expert DEA compliance consulting service. The professionals bring a robust compliance program to the table that comprises of:
Registration – Registering with the DEA and obtaining a DEA license is a must for all those who wish to handle controlled substances. The consultants can assist at every level from assessing eligibility for registration, preparing the registration applications and managing DEA registrant inspections to applying for renewal of registration.
Record keeping – DEA regulations involve a lot of documentation. Maintaining complete, accurate and up-to-date records is a complicated process with a scope for a lot of inadvertent errors. Here it is not just about documenting the various forms, receipts, invoices, inventory records, etc. The consultants will also help in developing customized compliance policies and procedures in keeping with the specific operations of the facility.
Reporting – The DEA maintains constant oversight over the flow of controlled substances to check for diversion, illicit distribution and potential abuse. The registrants are required to regularly report any kind of thefts, significant loss, and suspicious orders apart from submitting information about orders, transfers and destruction of the scheduled drugs.
Security – Being well-versed with the security requirements for storing scheduled drugs, forms, etc., the compliance professionals will design and implement a foolproof security program on the premises of the registrants.
Audit preparation – The DEA perform regular inspections of the registrants’ premises and conduct surprise audits as well. It can be tough to handle the scrutiny on one’s own. A consultant will prep the facility through mock audits so that the real scrutiny passes through in a quick and favorable manner.
Training – The compliance professionals will further train the registrants and their staff about the rules and requirements of the DEA and how to stay in compliance at all times.
Consultation – The DEA compliance consultant will always be on hand to advise and assist in tackling the various issues related to controlled substances that can crop up on a day-to-day basis.
In sum, the need and benefits of having a compliance consultant firm on board cannot be discounted at all!
