Federal action against pharmacy for alleged overcharging NIHB

The pharmacy at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Ile-a-la-Crosse is under investigation by the federal government for allegedly overcharging the Non-Insured Health Benefits program and billing for drugs that were not dispensed. The NIHB program provides coverage to eligible First Nations and Inuit people who are not insured by private or provincial plans. Health Canada launched an investigation into the pharmacy after the province’s College of Pharmacists raised concerns five years ago. In its May 2011 report, Health Canada’s audit team laid out a number of claims of wrongdoing over a 22-month period. Health Canada alleges the pharmacy’s former owners, the Keewatin Yatthe Regional Health Authority, blocked the auditors’ attempts to review financial records. The auditors also suspect the pharmacy sold expired medicine. The Department of Justice has begun legal action.