BAKERSFIELD, CA - A local pharmacy owner is in the middle of an investigation she says took Medi-Cal two years to look into. She says the claims against her and her business were brought to light by an employee who was fired in 2011.
Kalpana Patel of San Dimas Pharmacy says allegations that her pharmacy shorted patients on prescriptions is a misunderstanding. She says the complaints date back to 2011, but since then she says they have corrected the issue.
The Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse is investigating San Dimas Pharmacy for filing false Medi-Cal claims and grand theft.
The affidavit states that San Dimas Pharmacy submitted claims to the Medi-Cal program for completely filled prescriptions when only partially filled prescriptions were dispensed. It also states the owner of the pharmacy, Kalpana Patel, was paid for the false claims which were submitted to Affiliated Computer Services in excess of $950.
But, Patel says the dollar amount is not that much and these claims are redundant now.
"When they came in we did inform them that this is not what we're doing anymore. It was never something that was intentionally doing wrong. It was a system that we were following that was wrong," Patel said.
Patel says in 2011, when the pharmacy ran out of a medication, it would write an "I owe you" to the patient. She said the pills were available upon request but not delivered, although the pharmacy charged the full amount.
The Board of Pharmacy informed Patel of the problematic procedure and she says it was corrected immediately. Patel's lawyer Barry Goldner says if Medi-Cal is looking for any current wrongdoing on Patel's part or her pharmacy, it will come up empty.
"We're confident that when they complete their review of the situation they're going to find that once the problem was corrected in 2011 there has not been a further issue with San Dimas Pharmacy," Goldner said.
The affidavit lists one patient complaint dating back to August 2011, but the investigator assigned to the case could not locate that patient. Our calls to the Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse on Friday were not returned.
Kalpana Patel of San Dimas Pharmacy says allegations that her pharmacy shorted patients on prescriptions is a misunderstanding. She says the complaints date back to 2011, but since then she says they have corrected the issue.
The Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse is investigating San Dimas Pharmacy for filing false Medi-Cal claims and grand theft.
The affidavit states that San Dimas Pharmacy submitted claims to the Medi-Cal program for completely filled prescriptions when only partially filled prescriptions were dispensed. It also states the owner of the pharmacy, Kalpana Patel, was paid for the false claims which were submitted to Affiliated Computer Services in excess of $950.
But, Patel says the dollar amount is not that much and these claims are redundant now.
"When they came in we did inform them that this is not what we're doing anymore. It was never something that was intentionally doing wrong. It was a system that we were following that was wrong," Patel said.
Patel says in 2011, when the pharmacy ran out of a medication, it would write an "I owe you" to the patient. She said the pills were available upon request but not delivered, although the pharmacy charged the full amount.
The Board of Pharmacy informed Patel of the problematic procedure and she says it was corrected immediately. Patel's lawyer Barry Goldner says if Medi-Cal is looking for any current wrongdoing on Patel's part or her pharmacy, it will come up empty.
"We're confident that when they complete their review of the situation they're going to find that once the problem was corrected in 2011 there has not been a further issue with San Dimas Pharmacy," Goldner said.
The affidavit lists one patient complaint dating back to August 2011, but the investigator assigned to the case could not locate that patient. Our calls to the Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse on Friday were not returned.