Pharmacies provide an essential service, ensuring that patients are able to receive the medications prescribed by doctors and physicians. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians must meet a variety of strict requirements to receive a professional license, and maintaining these licenses is essential to ensuring that a pharmacy can remain in business. If you are facing any threats to your pharmacist license, you will want to work with an attorney to address these concerns and avoid disciplinary action.
At Williams & Nickl, LLC, our lawyers have more than 55 combined years of experience prosecuting and defending professional licenses in Illinois. Attorney Edward W. Williams previously served as Chief of Prosecutors for the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), and he and Attorney Fred Nickl have assisted more than 3,000 clients in addressing and resolving licensing issues. With our knowledge and experience, we are uniquely positioned to provide the legal help you need when you are facing discipline to your pharmacist license.
Due to the complex rules and regulations that pharmacists must follow, there are a wide variety of issues that could result in disciplinary action. Because pharmacists often deal with controlled substances, violations can not only affect a pharmacy’s ability to remain in business, but they could potentially result in criminal charges. Pharmacists may also need to address Medicare/Medicaid compliance audits that could affect their ability to provide services to beneficiaries of these programs. We can help you address these and other issues, including:
There are multiple statutes and regulations that apply to the practice of pharmacy and the procedures followed in professional license discipline cases. Edward and Fred understand how the Illinois Pharmacy Practice Act (225 ILCS 85, et. seq.) and the Illinois Controlled Substances Act (720 ILCS 570/100, et seq.) may apply to your case. We know the processes that are followed under the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act (5 ILCS 100/1-1, et. seq.) and the Administrative Procedures for General Professional Regulation (68 ILAC 1130.10, et. seq.). By working with an attorney who understands the applicable laws and is experienced in addressing these types of cases before the Illinois Board of Pharmacy, you can ensure that you are taking the necessary steps to minimize the consequences to your pharmacist license.
Additionally, Edward and Fred can provide guidance and advice concerning the initial registration, Drug Distributor Accreditation, compliance maintenance, and enforcement of the Wholesale Drug Distributor license and the Drug Chain Supply Security Act. For pharmacists who are being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in cases involving controlled substances, we can help respond to the agency’s requests, ensuring that they provide the correct information and avoid issues that could result in license discipline.
We have assisted clients in a wide variety of license defense cases involving controlled substances. In one successful case, we represented a surgeon who was accused of improperly prescribing opioids. We were able to obtain a simple probation order for our client, and we were then able to restore the surgeon’s medical license to unencumbered status.
A licensed pharmacist or pharmacy tech may receive a notice or a formal Complaint from the IDFPR regarding disciplinary action to their license. These may include a Notice of Preliminary Hearing, Notice of Informal Conference, Notice of Intent to Deny, or Notice of Intent to Refuse to Renew. Before responding to any of these notices, you should consult with our attorneys about your options. We will provide you with a one-hour consultation at no charge, and we will assess your case, determine the types of discipline you may be facing, and help you understand the best strategy for defense against disciplinary action.
If you have applied for a pharmacist license, you may receive a request from the IDFPR for information about your background, and this request may take the form of a Deficiency Checklist. We can help you determine the best way to respond in these cases, and if necessary, we can draft an explanation letter to the IDFPR and follow up with licensing officials to ensure that your license is issued with no further delays.
If you need to address any licensing issues that affect your ability to practice as a pharmacist or pharmacy technician, we can provide the legal help you need. Before agreeing to an interview, providing information to the IDFPR, or surrendering your license, contact us. During your free consultation, we will help you understand your options and let you know what you can expect as we work with you to protect your license. In many cases, we are able to help our clients avoid public discipline to their professional licenses. To learn more about how we can help, call our office today at 312-335-9470.
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