In a settlement that turns the page on a serious set of allegations, State of Franklin Healthcare Associates (SOFHA) is dishing out $200,000 to silence claims that it failed to play by the rules when it comes to recordkeeping of controlled substances. The Department of Justice dropped the hammer, announcing the penalty after SOFHA supposedly played fast and loose with the paperwork on Schedule III and IV drugs over two years.

Between October 2020 and January 2023, the healthcare group, which boasts more than 30 clinics across Tennessee and Virginia, allegedly couldn't produce records for transactions that included the movement of certain controlled substances from their docs to unregistered warehouses, and between the physicians at the clinics, WATE reported. Add to that, the loss or theft of a Schedule III controlled substance, making for a paperwork mess that raised eyebrows at the DEA.

The Controlled Substances Act isn't just for show – it's a federal requirement for those with DEA registration to keep a meticulous trail of how these potent potions are acquired, sprinkled about, and scrapped.

The DOJ was stark in its assessment of the risks when slips happen in record-keeping. "When medical providers fail to follow the record-keeping requirements of the (Controlled Substances Act), it significantly contributes to the risk of diversion of controlled substances from legitimate purposes to improper usage, causing harm to our citizens and communities," U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III said, as per WJHL.

This isn't an admission of guilt though. SOFHA cooperated with the feds and the hefty penalty settled the allegations, no liability was determined, the CEO of SOFHA, Rob Slattery, signaled a commitment to compliance and working with the DEA to tighten up their act on these critical records, as mentioned in Ground News. In a field where trust is everything, this serves as a costly reminder that keeping track of controlled substances is serious business.