There are various shortcomings of the modern healthcare system, and some of them are connected with lies, the lack of ethical values, and finances. Prescription fraud includes misrepresenting oneself to a pharmacist or doctor or being dishonest when obtaining controlled substances from them, physicians prescribing drugs without a legitimate purpose, and doctor shopping. Researchers note that “U.S. nonmedical use of prescription painkillers results in more than $72.5 billion annually in direct healthcare costs” (Acuna, 2014, p. 56). The purpose of this paper is to discuss how negligence and breach of duty apply to prescription drug fraud. In other words, the questions of what ethical values are lacking in caregivers that commit prescription drug fraud and what healthcare providers can do to avoid the temptation to cheat will be discussed. Moreover, healthcare leaders’ ways to restore and build trust with consumers after the fraud is detected will be provided.
The Lack of Ethical Values
Various people involved in prescription drug fraud schemes may be identified as fraudsters. They are medical employees, pharmacy staff, prescribers, and patients and their family members (Acuna, 2014). One of the reasons why caregivers let themselves commit prescription drug fraud is the lack of specific ethical values. There are several core moral values: caring, fairness, responsibility, respect, and trustworthiness. However, those caregivers and medical workers who are involved in prescription drug fraud lack all of them.
First, they do not care if they harm the persons they are supplying with drugs, and they do not care about doing their best to help them. Second, they are not fair as they may lie to the family members and other medical workers (DuBois et al., 2018). Third, it is hard to disagree that they are irresponsible and untrustworthy – no one would want to rely on a caregiver who breaks the law. Finally, such people are also disrespectful because they do not respect the rules, the lives and health of their patients, and the family’s trust.
Avoiding the Temptation to Cheat
Almost all people sometimes find it challenging to resist temptation, especially when it comes to easy money. Thus, there are some prompts on how a medical worker can avoid the idea of cheating and become involved in prescription drug fraud schemes. The main reason for not becoming a fraudster is remembering that it is illegal, and getting caught is not one of the nicest things (Acuna, 2014). It is much better to work harder and get money in the right way than going to jail or paying a significant fine and regretting it. Then, it is hard to disagree that it takes just one mistake to lose the reputation and the whole life to gain it back (DuBois et al., 2018). If a healthcare provider does not want to be known as a criminal, he or she will reconsider getting involved in such schemes. Finally, medical workers’ duty is to help people, but prescription drug fraud is the way to harm them.
Restoring and Building Trust with Consumers
If the fraud is detected, it is not easy for healthcare leaders to restore and build trust with consumers. First, it is essential to let the patients ensure that there are no chances for this situation to repeat. Healthcare leaders need to convince people that they have taken all the necessary measures (DuBois et al., 2018). Then, they need to provide individual supervision to all health workers and inform their consumers about this to renew their trust. Finally, it is crucial to educate patients and doctors about the actions that they must take if they become witnesses of prescription drug fraud. This will help convince patients that healthcare leaders are also against such schemes.
Conclusion
To draw a conclusion, one may say that the problem of prescription drug fraud is indeed serious. After marijuana, prescription drugs were identified as the second most abused category of narcotics. Healthcare fraud drains valuable healthcare resources, and all Americans are affected by it. It is essential to do everything necessary to solve this problem, which threatens people’s health and the reputation of medical workers.
References
Acuna, E. (2014). The many faces of prescription drug fraud. Fraud Magazine, 56-58.
DuBois, J. M., Anderson, E. E., Chibnall, J. T., Diakov, L., Doukas, D. J., Holmboe, E. S., … Whelan, A. J. (2018). Preventing egregious ethical violations in medical practice: Evidence-informed recommendations from a multidisciplinary working group. Journal of medical regulation, 104(4), 23–31.