Red Flags in ADM Cancel Transactions – What Auditors Need to Know

Red Flags in ADM Cancel Transactions – What Auditors Need to Know

Ever wondered what red flags might be lurking in your automated dispensing machine (ADM) data? Terri Vidals, a seasoned pharmacist with over three decades of experience, unpacks the importance of scrutinising cancelled transactions in ADM systems. These seemingly innocent entries can signal potential drug diversion, medication tampering, or substitution schemes. Vidals shares how auditors and compliance teams should pay closer attention to these transactions to safeguard medication security and prevent patient harm.

In this episode, Vidals offers practical steps for improving ADM oversight. From examining patterns of repeated accesses to specific medication compartments to investigating physical evidence like compromised medication packages, Vidals provides a roadmap for identifying diversion risks that traditional monitoring might miss. She also highlights the importance of tracking movement patterns within an organisation, as unexpected behaviours can indicate concealment or consumption activities. Vidals recounts a real-life case involving a nurse whose cancelled transactions revealed a sophisticated diversion scheme.

Through persistent monitoring and patient interviews, Vidals discovered that the nurse had an unusually high number of cancelled transactions for acetaminophen—a red flag that led to uncovering a larger issue. This episode is a must-listen for anyone responsible for diversion monitoring in healthcare settings. Vidals' insights underscore the need for vigilance and thorough auditing to prevent medication tampering and ensure patient safety. So, are you paying enough attention to those cancelled transactions in your ADM data?