Drug Diversion Insights with Terri Vidals

Terri Vidals
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Daily

For everyone in the healthcare industry looking to reduce substance abuse and drug diversion. The host, Terri Vidals, is a pharmacist with over 30 years of experience; fifteen of those years in medication safety and drug diversion prevention and monitoring. Listen to an interview each week with a healthcare professional involved in diversion detection. Learn about how to leverage artificial intelligence to detect diversion and get exposure to products or services designed to facilitate diversion detection.

  1. 23h ago

    Catching the Diversion Your Software Is Not Built to See

    How do you build a single, standardized drug diversion program across a large health system when every hospital, infusion center, and outpatient location has developed its own processes? In this episode of Drug Diversion Insights, Terri welcomes Deepika Nayyar, Network Manager of Pharmacy Quality, Compliance, and Accreditation at Hackensack Meridian Health, to discuss the real-world challenges of implementing a system-wide diversion prevention program across diverse care settings. Deepika shares how her team evaluated existing practices, established baseline standards, and created a consistent approach to diversion prevention while recognizing the unique operational needs of inpatient hospitals, outpatient pharmacies, and infusion centers. The conversation also explores an often-overlooked area of diversion monitoring: medications with abuse potential that are not controlled substances. These medications frequently fall outside the capabilities of traditional diversion monitoring software, creating risks that require additional oversight, clinical expertise, and thoughtful auditing. In this episode, you'll learn: How to standardize a diversion program across multiple healthcare facilitiesWhy diversion monitoring differs between inpatient and outpatient settingsStrategies for monitoring medications with abuse potential beyond controlled substancesThe limitations of current diversion software and analyticsData elements that could improve diversion detectionHow medication safety and sterile compounding experience strengthen diversion prevention effortsPractical lessons from leading pharmacy quality, compliance, and accreditation across a large health systemWhether you're a pharmacy leader, diversion specialist, compliance professional, medication safety officer, or healthcare executive, this episode provides practical insights for building a stronger, more consistent diversion prevention program. Technology plays an important role—but successful diversion prevention still depends on strong processes, critical thinking, and a culture of accountability. More from Rxpert Solutions

  2. Jul 15

    The Biggest Mistake Diversion Auditors Make

    Every diversion investigation begins with data—but the quality of your conclusions depends on the objectivity of your audit. In this Quick Take on Diversion Insights, Terri explores one of the most overlooked challenges in diversion monitoring: confirmation bias. Before a report ever reaches leadership, bias can influence how data is interpreted, which transactions receive attention, and whether an employee is evaluated fairly. This episode focuses on practical strategies for conducting objective, evidence-based audits that protect both patient safety and the healthcare professionals whose careers may be affected by the findings. In this episode, we discuss: Why objectivity begins with the auditorHow confirmation bias can influence diversion investigationsThe importance of comparing employees with appropriate peer groupsWhy trends over time are more meaningful than isolated eventsUnderstanding the strengths and limitations of your audit toolsThe questions every auditor should ask before drawing conclusionsBuilding fair, consistent, and defensible diversion investigationsA strong diversion program isn't about proving a theory—it's about following the evidence wherever it leads. Whether you're a diversion specialist, pharmacist, compliance professional, medication safety leader, nurse leader, or healthcare executive, this Quick Take offers practical guidance for improving the quality and integrity of your auditing process. More from Rxpert Solutions

  3. Jul 8

    How to Define Significant Loss (When the DEA Won't) — Plus Building a Diversion Program Across a Health System

    What exactly counts as a "significant loss" of controlled substances? It's one of the most common questions in diversion prevention—and one the DEA intentionally leaves unanswered. That ambiguity can make reporting decisions difficult, especially for large healthcare systems with multiple facilities. In this episode of Drug Diversion Insights, Terri is joined by Calvin Parmiter, System Pharmacy Manager for Diversion and Compliance at WVU Medicine, and Shannan Molnar, Drug Diversion Coordinator, to discuss how their team created a standardized process for defining significant loss and built a diversion prevention program that works across an entire health system. In this episode, we discuss: Why the DEA intentionally leaves "significant loss" undefinedHow WVU Medicine developed standardized reporting criteriaCreating a checklist that removes guesswork from reporting decisionsBuilding consistency across multiple hospitalsThe unique challenges of supporting rural and community facilitiesPreparing local leadership to respond effectively when diversion specialists aren't on siteLessons learned from implementing a system-wide diversion programPractical advice for organizations looking to improve consistency and strengthen compliance Whether you're a diversion specialist, pharmacy leader, compliance professional, medication safety officer, or healthcare executive, this conversation offers practical strategies for creating scalable, standardized diversion prevention processes that support both regulatory compliance and patient safety. Sometimes the most effective diversion programs aren't built around reacting to problems—they're built around creating consistent processes before problems occur. More from Rxpert Solutions

  4. Jul 1

    The Findings That Surprised Me: Three DEA Inspections, One Pharmacy Leader

    What really happens during a DEA inspection? In this episode of Drug Diversion Insights, Terri sits down with Brennan Luke, Regulatory and Controlled Substance Pharmacy Manager at ECU Health, to discuss what he learned after building a drug diversion prevention program from the ground up—and leading it through three DEA cyclic inspections. Drawing from firsthand experience, Brennan shares practical lessons on regulatory compliance, controlled substance accountability, and what it takes to build a diversion prevention program that earns the trust of frontline staff while standing up to regulatory scrutiny. In this episode, we discuss: What to expect during a DEA cyclic inspectionThe findings that surprised Brennan the mostLessons learned from building a diversion prevention program from scratchHow to prepare your organization before a DEA visitCommon compliance gaps and documentation challengesWhy successful diversion programs depend on collaboration—not suspicionHow to engage nursing, anesthesia, pharmacy, and leadership as partners in diversion preventionAdvice for organizations looking to strengthen their controlled substance oversightWhether you're a pharmacy leader, diversion specialist, compliance professional, medication safety officer, nurse leader, or healthcare executive, this conversation provides practical insights for creating a sustainable diversion prevention program that protects patients, supports staff, and improves compliance. Strong diversion programs aren't built on fear—they're built on trust, accountability, and continuous improvement. More from Rxpert Solutions

  5. Jun 24

    What Can the US Learn From the UK's Approach to Drug Diversion?

    Drug diversion is a global challenge, but not every country approaches it the same way. In this episode of Drug Diversion Insights, Terri welcomes Mark Jackson, whose work in the United Kingdom is roughly equivalent to the FDA's Office of Criminal Investigations in the United States. Together, they explore the similarities and differences between how the UK and US regulate controlled substances, investigate diversion, and address medication security across healthcare settings. This wide-ranging conversation covers: How the UK classifies controlled substances using Classes A, B, and CHow UK classifications compare to the US scheduling systemMark's journey into diversion prevention and investigationsDiversion risks in pharmaceutical manufacturing and healthcare settingsWhy benzodiazepines appear more frequently in UK diversion cases than opioidsDifferences in opioid prescribing practices between the UK and USCultural differences in pharmacy operations and medication accessA UK perspective on American drive-thru pharmacies• Lessons both countries can learn from one another in preventing diversionWhether you work in pharmacy, healthcare compliance, medication safety, healthcare security, or diversion monitoring, this episode offers valuable insight into how two healthcare systems tackle many of the same challenges in very different ways. If you've ever wondered how drug diversion prevention looks on the other side of the Atlantic, this conversation provides a fascinating comparison. More from Rxpert Solutions

  6. Jun 17

    No Software, No Problem: Directed Audits That Actually Catch Diversion

    Think you need diversion analytics software to identify diversion risk? Think again. In this Quick Take on Diversion Insights, Terri shares a practical, structured approach to diversion monitoring using reports that most healthcare organizations already have access to through their Automated Dispensing Machines (ADMs). The key isn't more software—it's more direction. In this episode, you'll learn about a five-week directed audit cycle that helps organizations focus limited resources on the areas most likely to uncover risk. Topics include: • High-risk controlled substance dispense volume audits• Total waste audits• Full-dose waste audits• Controlled substance cancel transaction audits• Non-controlled substance cancel transaction audits• How ADM reports can identify audit populations• Why directed audits are often more effective than random reviews• One of the most overlooked indicators in diversion monitoring: barcode scanning compliance Terri also explores a powerful but underutilized strategy—comparing barcode scanning habits for controlled substances versus non-controlled substances. Significant differences between the two may reveal workflow issues, policy drift, or patterns that deserve further investigation. Whether you're a diversion specialist, pharmacist, compliance professional, nurse leader, or part of a medication safety team, this episode offers practical steps for strengthening diversion monitoring without investing in specialized software. Sometimes the most effective audit program starts with data you already have. More from Rxpert Solutions

  7. Jun 10

    Borrow, Don't Build: A National Peer Support Toolkit for Healthcare Organizations

    How can healthcare organizations better support professionals in recovery—and help them seek assistance before substance use disorder impacts their lives, patients, or careers? In this episode of Drug Diversion Insights, Terri is joined by Kristin Waite-Labott and Dr. April Lenzmeier to discuss a powerful new resource designed to help healthcare organizations establish and strengthen peer support and recovery programs. Kristin, who previously shared her own recovery journey on the podcast, co-chaired the IHFDA committee responsible for developing the Peer Support & Recovery Toolkit. Together with Dr. Lenzmeier, co-founder of the National Association of Peer Support for Nurses (NAPSN), they discuss how organizations can leverage existing best practices instead of building programs from scratch. In this episode, we explore: • Why peer support is a critical component of recovery• The importance of reaching healthcare professionals before a crisis occurs• How organizations can create recovery-friendly cultures• The value of lived experience in supporting colleagues• Common barriers to implementing peer support programs• How NAPSN is helping expand peer support resources nationwide• Practical ways healthcare organizations can use the toolkit to strengthen their programs Download the IHFDA Peer Support & Recovery Toolkit Whether you're a healthcare leader, diversion specialist, nurse leader, pharmacist, compliance professional, or someone passionate about workforce wellbeing, this episode offers practical guidance for building systems that support recovery while protecting patients. Sometimes the best solution isn't to build something new—it's to borrow what's already working. More from Rxpert Solutions

  8. Jun 3

    The Diversion Blind Spot Nobody Is Auditing

    Most diversion analytics platforms are built to monitor controlled substance activity. That's where the regulatory focus is, and that's where most dashboards direct attention. But what if an important diversion risk is hiding in a place few people review? In this Quick Take on Diversion Insights, Terri explores the often-overlooked world of cancel transactions and why they can represent a significant blind spot in diversion monitoring programs. This episode covers: • Why cancel transactions frequently go unreviewed• How non-controlled substance activity can be linked to diversion schemes• The risk of returning tampered medications to inventory• How non-controlled substances may be substituted for controlled substances• Why bedside clinical observations may not identify these events quickly• The importance of reviewing raw transaction logs, not just dashboard alerts• A real-world case where the warning signs were present in the data but initially overlooked For diversion specialists, pharmacists, compliance professionals, medication safety teams, and healthcare leaders, this episode highlights an area that deserves greater attention in audit and monitoring strategies. Sometimes the most important clues aren't hidden—they're simply sitting in data that no one is reviewing. More from Rxpert Solutions: https://www.rxpert.solutions/

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For everyone in the healthcare industry looking to reduce substance abuse and drug diversion. The host, Terri Vidals, is a pharmacist with over 30 years of experience; fifteen of those years in medication safety and drug diversion prevention and monitoring. Listen to an interview each week with a healthcare professional involved in diversion detection. Learn about how to leverage artificial intelligence to detect diversion and get exposure to products or services designed to facilitate diversion detection.

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