Cedar Rapids-based First Choice Surgical Center agreed to pay $125,000 to resolve allegations it violated the Controlled Substances Act, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Iowa said June 4.
The settlement resolves allegations the ASC didn't maintain complete and accurate records related to controlled substances that were purchased, according to a news release. The ASC also allegedly didn't have "effective controls and procedures" to guard the controlled substances.
In August 2019 employees found that Sabrina Thalblum, a registered nurse at the ASC, was tampering with vials of fentanyl, the Department of Justice said. An investigation found she replaced the fentanyl with saline and stole the drug for her own use. She pleaded guilty in 2021 and was sentenced to five years in prison in 2022.
A related civil investigation found the ASC's employees allegedly "batch signed" records saying they saw wasting of fentanyl after surgery, and First Choice allegedly didn't report the fentanyl theft to the DEA in a timely manner.