OptumRx paid $20 million to resolve U.S. allegations involving opioid-prescription red flags
Company: UnitedHealth Group
Summary
OptumRx Inc., part of UnitedHealth Group's Optum business, agreed on June 27, 2024 to pay $20 million to resolve U.S. government allegations concerning opioid prescriptions filled by its former Carlsbad, California mail-order pharmacy. The corporate relationship is documented on UnitedHealth Group's business page, which identifies Optum Rx as one of the group's operating businesses. The U.S. Department of Justice said the settlement followed a Drug Enforcement Administration investigation into prescriptions filled between April 2013 and April 2015. The government alleged that OptumRx filled certain opioid prescriptions combined with benzodiazepines and muscle relaxants—sometimes called “trinity” prescriptions—even when the combinations raised red flags suggesting possible abuse, diversion or a lack of legitimate medical purpose. According to the DOJ, these combinations presented a significant risk of harm and pharmacies were required to resolve such warning signs before dispensing the controlled substances. The DOJ expressly stated that the resolved claims were allegations only and that there had been no determination of liability. The settlement therefore should not be described as a conviction or admission by OptumRx. The agency also reported that OptumRx had introduced enhanced opioid-dispensing protocols beginning in 2017, strengthened concurrent drug-utilization review procedures, and closed the Carlsbad mail-order pharmacy during the investigation. Primary source — U.S. Department of Justice: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/optumrx-agrees-pay-20m-resolve-allegations-it-filled-certain-opioid-prescriptions-violation Corporate relationship — UnitedHealth Group: https://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/uhg/businesses.html This is attributed to UnitedHealth Group through its Optum Rx operating business. The record concerns a government settlement of Controlled Substances Act allegations, not a finding that every Optum or UnitedHealth operation participated in the conduct.
Record details
- Category
- Corporate Misconduct
- When it happened
- April 2013–April 2015
- Status
- Resolved (June 27, 2024)
- Severity
- high
- Added to Rotten Company
Source
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