This was a pretty fun read. I'm a pharmacist by trade, and I know people who work in federal facilities. Usually state laws are mere suggestions, but since the workers all have state-issued licenses they presumably want to keep, things stay pretty reasonable. Federal laws are also usually considered mandatory. Seems like nobody gave one iota of a shit here though, lmao. Guess military pharmacies are run different.
Former White House Medical Unit medical providers told investigators that ineligible White House staff members received controlled substance prescriptions and free specialty care, including surgery, at military facilities. Even though the office was only supposed to cover care for 60 enrolled patients, the office instituted its own policy that effectively let any of the 6,000 people working in or around the White House seek health care services. Those were all inappropriately billed to the Defense Department.
Lol this part slaps. Who gives a shit if someone got free care. Critical support for only letting ghouls and ghoul-adjacents in though.
Military Health System officials were unable to identify which organization was responsible for overseeing the office, though it is governed by the rules of the Navy, according to the medical unit. But the Navy told investigators that it was not in charge; the Defense Health Agency, which coordinates care on behalf of the different branches of the military, and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center were. Walter Reed told investigators that it supplies the White House’s pharmacy, but that Walter Reed was not in charge of it. The Defense Health Agency admitted to investigators that the White House Medical Unit actually has “no clear line of oversight.”
holy fuck I bet working here was a blast. imagine the stories! jesus christ part of me wants to write a little series of short stories in this setting.
White House Medical Unit officials, defending the practices to the OIG, emphasized that the unit “does not operate a true pharmacy,” telling investigators that “the unit does not handle a large enough volume of pharmaceuticals to qualify as a pharmacy or to require a full time pharmacist.”
Lol, up to 6,000 eligible patients and no full time pharmacist? I understand military pharm techs are allowed to do a lot of work that requires a pharmacist in the civilian world, but come on what the fuck? I wonder how much that 6,000 number was inflated. A good tech can outperform an average pharmacist at filling scripts any day in my experience but god damn, at some point somebody trained to make clinical decisions needs to be involved right?
TY for the link, this was super entertaining in the darkest way!
b-b-b-b-but without a profit motive there can be no innovation!
do you want the shit in the plastic bottle not to kill you?