CVS settles US Justice Department case over opioid prescriptions for $315 million
CVS•CVS Health agreed to pay $315 million to resolve allegations that it unlawfully filled medically unnecessary opioid prescriptions and sought reimbursement from federal healthcare programs. CVS will establish additional monitoring safeguards and said it disagreed with the allegations and admitted no wrongdoing.
1. Settlement terms
CVS Health agreed to pay $315 million to resolve allegations that it unlawfully filled medically unnecessary prescriptions for opioid painkillers. The lawsuit alleged that since October 2013, CVS illegally filled opioid and other narcotics prescriptions and sought payments from federal healthcare programs, including Medicare.
2. Additional safeguards
Under an agreement with the Drug Enforcement Administration, CVS will establish processes to monitor and receive reports of potentially illegal dispensing and evaluate doctors suspected of illegally prescribing opioids. CVS said it disagreed with the Justice Department’s allegations and was not admitting wrongdoing.
