A retired pharmacist in Pella could face discipline from the Iowa Board of Pharmacy after accusations of taking cash payments from customers instead of filing to insurance.
Former owner of Crown Pharmacy Don Versluys tells KNIA/KRLS News the charges of inaccurate prescription documentation surfaced from an anonymous tip to the Board of Pharmacy from what he believes to be a disgruntled former employee, not from pharmacy customers. He says after months of searching records during an investigation from the Board of Pharmacy, he found several customers that were not charged the correct amount for their prescriptions.
“Some of them paid less than insurance allowed. We lost money on those transactions. Those that paid more than if billed correctly were reimbursed. None of them expressed dissatisfaction. Some thanked me. To my knowledge, none changed to another pharmacy,” Versluys says in a statement.
Versluys found the billings in that period of investigation were more than 99.9% accurate. He plans to address the charges at a hearing on April 28th.
If discipline is handed down from the state, Pella Regional’s Pharmacy at the same location would not face any ramifications. Pella Regional Health Center purchased Crown Pharmacy and took over operations on March 2nd. Chief of Ancillary Services Tony Linkmeyer says the hospital was aware of the charges prior to the purchase. He says they went through with the transition because Pella Regional’s policies and procedures were implemented, and are separate from anything done previously under the Crown Pharmacy name.
“While we did learn of this during our decision making process, we determined–along with the guidance from our lawyers–that none of this would affect our operations going forward,” Linkmeyer says.