PRIVACY EVEN VEXES PHARMACIES

On Wednesday the state Board of Pharmacy will deal with a thorny issue that
pharmacists sometimes must confront: What should a pharmacist do when he
suspects that a customer may be abusing drugs? The state Board of Pharmacy
is weighing disciplinary action against Scott Larsen, a Walgreen's drug
store pharmacist in Las Vegas, for telling the North Las Vegas Police
Department last August that one of its officers had filled a number of
prescriptions for controlled substances from different physicians.

Larsen's revelation resulted in quite an impact -- for the police officer
and for himself, too. The North Las Vegas Police Department fired the
officer, Gina Carmody (the state Board of Pharmacy said she had sought the
prescriptions for controlled substances after becoming addicted to them
following a painful shoulder injury). Carmody is attempting to get her job
back and the dispute is now being handled by an arbitrator. Larsen,
meanwhile, faces the prospect of the board imposing sanctions, which could
result in his license being taken away.

Pharmacists are placed in a tough role if they suspect substance abuse is
occurring. Illegal drug use shouldn't be condoned, and pharmacists
obviously want to prevent a customer from putting themselves in danger. But
pharmacists also have an obligation -- morally and legally -- to protect
patient confidentiality.

Joseph Kellogg, a pharmacist who is a member of the Board of Pharmacy,
acknowledged to Sun reporter Emily Richmond that there are no required
written steps that a pharmacist is supposed to take when it comes to
reporting suspected substance abuse. Kellogg said a pharmacist should use
his "professional judgment" in making the decision, which would include
either calling the physician who wrote the prescription or contacting the
pharmacy board's task force on controlled substances.

It's critical that the Board of Pharmacy constantly update the guidance it
provides to pharmacists, clearly explaining in writing what's permissible
and what's off-limits when disclosing patient information. Not only will
this help pharmacists, but in the end it also will benefit their customers,
who will feel more confident that adequate safeguards exist to protect such
highly personal information.