Posted on 05/25/2015 5:39:07 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
Jennifer Buth thought being a pharmacist would be a challenging, well-paid, respected profession that would let her help people safely manage pain and illness.
She also quickly learned the dark side of the job.
Shortly after returning to Wisconsin from Florida with a doctorate in pharmacy, Buth was robbed twice in a month. When Walgreens wouldn't transfer her to a different store, she quit.
She found work at a Sam's Club pharmacy, then was recruited to PharMerica's Pewaukee operation, where the national firm filled prescriptions for institutions such as nursing homes.
As the managing pharmacist, she earned six figures and supervised a dozen people. She took her ethics very seriously, and when it became apparent her bosses weren't as concerned about cleaning up the operation, she called federal regulators.
The government later sued PharMerica for fraud, saying it illegally dispensed drugs such as OxyContin and fentanyl with little control or accounting — or even a doctor's prescription — and falsely billed the government.
PharMerica earlier this month agreed to settle the case for $31 million. As the whistle-blower who started the action with a private False Claims Act lawsuit back in 2009, Buth and her attorney are entitled to $4.3 million.
But the payoff's not why Buth, 35, just quit her latest pharmacist's job, she said.
"It's not been what I thought it would be," she said in her attorney's office, holding her sleeping daughter, Addison, on her chest. "I need a break from the profession. I'm too bitter."
She said after taxes and attorney's fees, her whistle-blower's share — paid out over four years — will still ensure Addison can pay for college someday and let Buth try a new career, but it won't let her retire.
(Excerpt) Read more at jsonline.com ...
Whistle blower pharmacist quits job in Pewaukee — disillusioned.
FReep mail me if you want on, or off, this wisconsin interest ping list.
Trickle-down commie corruption.
a lot of people do the right thing and don’t get one and a half million dollars. She shouldnt be bitter
I think that there must be a lot of stress in the pharmacy business. So many of them wind up addicted.
I just spent the greatest day (as I always do at this time of the year) weeding my 50' X 35' garden ... pulling them out one by one, by the roots, contemplating my sin nature, praising God and thanking Him for letting me have conversation with Him
You have NO IDEA what you're missing ... all day, undistracted with God
I suspect that in spite of the payout, there hasn’t been a change.
As absurd as the amount sounds they probably still come out ahead running the business that way.
Absolutely they did. There’s been a lot reports that antidepressants work for 1 out of 5 people and then only in extreme cases. yet billions and billions and billions have been made off of them. Being conservative doesn’t always mean being kneejerk pro corporation. Although investment bank corporations have treated me very well in past jobs.
Gardeners get it.
Yep ... and the small farmer in need of rain
I have no idea why she can’t retire on 1.5 million. I could retire for less than half of that.
I would move to Pennsylvania where this the beautiful house is 150k and yes I could retire on that money. I don’t know what she is so bitter about. poor little baby was disillusioned with the world. Well welcome to it.
Well i can understand being disillusioned, but clinging to bitter? After she fared better than most?
I agree. I don’t get it. She got a huge financial sum just for doing the right thing and is still bitter. I guess that’s the new America.
that being said I think it is disgusting and that oxycodone and percocet and oxycontin were supposed to just be used for cancer patients and then all of a sudden it was used for everybody and now millions of lives have been ruined because of it.
I know personal responsibility should come into play when taking the medication, but these things will basically synthetic heroin. I was actually given oxycodone for pain and it did nothing for me so I stopped it but I was offered a thousand dollars for one bottle!! of course I declined.But I guess I shouldn’t talk I have made good salaries at investment banks and god knows what they’ve done.
you got that right, without big government enabling big insurance, these places wouldn’t exist.
I am a pharmacist. I have also reported things that were not right. I put my job on the line to make it right. I expected no reward and I received no reward. They would have fired me if they could, but I was correct about the unethical practice that was going on. I had them dead to rights, game over.
I am not bitter, and that pharmacist has no reason to be bitter. She should feel good because she as I stopped something that was wrong!!!!
If you read the whole article, she has had other problems, as well. Now she thinks she’s going to train as an elementary school teacher. I predict that she will really have problems there.
Well at least Nobody went to JAIL or had their Corporate Charter Revoked.
What a Country!
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