Joseph L. Fink III, BSPharm, JD

How much does this federal program affect the success of the health care parties involved?

A pharmacist licensed in one state voluntarily surrendered his license to practice there, and that information became known to licensure authorities in another state where he held an inactive license.

Can an employee engaged in a legal tussle with her employer have access to records of her own prescription transactions maintained in the state’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program database to be used as part of the legal proceedings?

A patient in a mid-Atlantic state filed a lawsuit on his own, seeking to have his physician and 2 chain pharmacies split the cost of his insulin and rooting his argument in the Affordable Care Act.

A driver in a Midwestern state was charged with driving under the influence following a traffic stop. During the trial, a pharmacist was called as an expert witness on behalf of the driver.

When a mail order pharmacy is subject to sanctions by a board of pharmacy in a different state, may the board of pharmacy in another state to which the mail order pharmacy distributes prescription medications apply sanctions?

Employment issues are high on the list of conundrums lawmakers face.

Transgender patients face many barriers in the health care system, one of which is the lack of clarity on their rights as patients.

Can providers in a state’s Medicaid program sue program administrators for establishing low payment rates, for beneficiary services, claiming that these rates violate mandates in the federal Medicaid statute?

A controversial aspect of the operation of pharmaceutical manufacturing firms that continues to be an issue is the use of “pay-for-delay” contracts.

When an individual in the United States imports raw materials to make and distribute items classified as prescription medications, may the government pursue criminal charges against the individual for violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act?

With mortality rates continuously climbing due to drug overdoses, the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy now provides an active online registry that allows patients to locate pharmacies that supply naloxone without a patient-specific prescription.

The police arrested an intoxicated man who had passed out on someone else’s private property and possessed 2 vials containing prescription medications.

In July 2016, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 was signed into law by President Barack Obama. The act covers numerous grant programs.

A pharmacist was terminated from employment by a chain pharmacy due to a history of adverse action by the state board of pharmacy.

A pharmacist entered a plea of guilty to federal misdemeanor charges that he violated the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

Ease of access to birth control has always been an issue for women everywhere.

When pharmacists at a community pharmacy repeatedly honored prescriptions for controlled substances before the supply previously dispensed should have been exhausted, may a lawsuit be maintained by the representative of the patient’s estate for breach of a legal duty owed the now deceased patient?

The access to birth control act, S.2960, is proposed federal legislation that would mandate meeting the request of a patient seeking emergency contraception.

Allowing school access to epinephrine injectors improves patient care.

When the spouse of a patient discovers 2 dosage forms with different appearances in the same medication vial and returns them to the pharmacy, is there a legal duty to preserve the vial and its contents as potential evidence in a yet-to-be-filed malpractice case?

Following in the footsteps of its subsidiary hospira inc, Pfizer is the latest, and largest, pharmaceutical company to take a stand against its products being used for lethal injection.

A brand name pharmaceutical manufacturer and a generic firm entered into an agreement regarding which company would market a generic equivalent of a brand name pharmaceutical when the patent expired.

Individuals working in a health care field are often expected to have up-to-date information about the latest trends in laws and legislative changes related to their specialty.

A patient pursuing a legal claim on his own, without benefit of the services of an attorney, alleged that a pharmacy has a legal duty to maintain an inventory containing all medications, so his would be available when needed. May such a claim go forward through the court system?

A patient is discharged from a hospital and told that a certain pharmacy would have the medication he needs because it is unavailable at the hospital. Then the patient is told that dispensing the pharmaceutical will not be covered by insurance.

Following development of a severe adverse reaction to a prescription medication, a patient filed a lawsuit against the physician who prescribed it, the manufacturer of the product, and the pharmacy chain where she obtained it.

When a pharmacist's highly unusual behavior attracts the attention of the board of pharmacy and he is subject to a covert investigation, may he pursue a civil lawsuit against the board without legal counsel to represent him?

When a hospital fails to respond to a medication recall notice and a patient allegedly suffers major bodily damage as a result, do the statutory requirements in the state's medical malpractice act apply?

When a patient receives a bag containing medication for another, is the pharmacy staff legally obligated to deliver the right medication to the right patient?