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Preventing Drug Diversion: Disposal of Controlled Substances in Home Hospice Settings

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Report Type Reports and Testimonies
Report Date April 14, 2020
Release Date April 14, 2020
Report No. GAO-20-378
Summary:

When hospice patients die at home, they often leave behind commonly misused controlled substances, such as oxycodone. A 2018 law allows employees of qualified hospice programs to collect and destroy these drugs. This report describes selected home hospices’ disposal practices and the challenges they face.

Hospice representatives identified best practices such as having a disposal witness and using lock boxes to limit drug access. Challenges include the cost of certain disposal methods, a lack of required disposal witnesses, and inconsistencies between state and federal laws over which hospice employees may dispose of controlled substances.

Pills spilling out of a prescription medication bottle

Pills spilling out of a prescription medication bottle

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