Iowa Monitoring Program for Pharmacy Professionals (IMP3)

Pharmacy professionals are obligated to report any knowledge of a colleague's possible impairment to the Board in a timely manner. Pharmacy professionals who fail to report a colleague's impairment may find themselves in the unfortunate position of being subject to disciplinary action themselves by the Board.

If you are worried about a colleague's possible impairment, you may encourage that individual to self-report, while explaining you will be forced to do so if the colleague doesn't comply. You may also contact IMP3 directly about the problem and this will satisfy your obligation for reporting the matter to the Board.

IMP3 is responsible for determining whether or not a pharmacy professional or student pharmacist meets the criteria for participation in the program. An individual is not eligible for the program if any of the following apply:

• engaged in the unlawful diversion or distribution of a controlled or illegal substance to a third party or for personal gain or profit;
• caused potential harm or injury to a patient; or
• failed to provide truthful information or fully cooperate with IMP3 or the Board.

It is in a pharmacy professional’s best interest to self-report to IMP3 as soon as possible if any of the following applies:

• missed work for more than two weeks due to a mental or physical disorder or disability of a chronic or debilitating nature;
• been diagnosed with a chronic illness with a known mental health component (for example MS, Parkinson's, HIV);
• had problems related to drug and/or alcohol use such as operating while intoxicated (OWI) and/or other alcohol or drug related offenses; disciplinary action by a federal or state agency for this reason; pilfered controlled substances for personal use; or practiced pharmacy under the influence of alcohol and/or other mood altering substances;
• experiencing anger management concerns; or
• been urged by friends, family or colleagues to get help for mental health issues such as depression, physical disability, and/or substance abuse.

Once an individual contacts IMP3 about a possible impairment issue, IMP3 will gather information about the individual's situation. This may result in referral for further evaluation and/or treatment, if indicated. IMP3 then determines whether or not the pharmacy professional would benefit from ongoing support and monitoring. If so, an individualized contract is developed that includes safeguards that are designed to allow the individual to continue/return to practice with reasonable skill and safety. It is IMP3’s hope that the majority of the participants in IMP3 are actively practicing pharmacy.

State law mandates that information about IMP3 participants be kept confidential as long as participants are in compliance with program requirements. This means information about a participant will not become a matter of public record, i.e., be reported to the Board, the National Practitioner Data Bank, or the news media. IMP3 only provides information about participants to the Board when they are not in compliance with the terms of their agreements or contracts. It is the Board’s hope this is a rare occurrence because participants are given clear and fair guidelines for remaining in good standing with the program.

A pharmacy professional’s participation in the Iowa Monitoring Program for Pharmacy Professionals (IMP3) is confidential to the public as long as the participant is in compliance with program requirements. The public does not have access to information that identifies participants in the program, except in those few cases where a participant has formal disciplinary charges filed by the Iowa Board of Pharmacy (Board), including charges for noncompliance with an IMP3 contract.

The Board may know or learn of the pharmacy professional’s participation in the program, or information regarding a program participant may be released to the Board, for the following reasons:

• Participant is referred or ordered by the Board to participate in IMP3
• Participant is not compliant with their IMP3 contract and is referred by IMP3 to the Board
• The Board receives and must investigate a complaint that participant is in violation of administrative rules or statues that are not related to the participant’s impairment
• The Board needs to determine, when reviewing a complaint involving a participant that is related to an impairment, that the participant is in compliance with their IMP3 contract
• Participant’s pharmacy practice poses a significant risk to the public

You may be experiencing anxiety as a result of your loved one’s recent self-report to IMP3. Please be reassured that IMP3 was established to be a supportive monitoring program for the pharmacy professionals struggling with concerns related to substance abuse, mental health issues, and/or physical disabilities; we are not a disciplinary program. IMP3 considers a pharmacy professional’s involvement in the program to be a positive first step toward bringing a potentially harmful situation under control before one’s professional reputation is damaged and/or the public is harmed.

We want to reassure you that your family is not alone in facing this issue. A recent study indicated that 46 percent of the pharmacists and 62 percent of the pharmacy students studied had used controlled substances at some time without a prescription. That does not mean that everyone who has used drugs improperly becomes a substance abuser, but highly educated and trained health professionals are not immune to alcoholism, other chemical dependencies and/or mental illness.

You may worry about what could happen once your loved one has self-reported. IMP3 will begin to gather information about your significant other’s situation and make referrals for evaluation, if needed. IMP3 will work with the pharmacy professional or student pharmacist to establish necessary support to ensure they are able to continue to practice safely. The majority of pharmacy professionals participating in our program are actively practicing.

IMP3 is aware this can be a stressful time for pharmacy professionals, student pharmacists, and their families. We encourage you to be supportive of each other and ask for help if you need it. Individual and/or family counseling may be helpful during this time. Al-Anon is also a great support for families dealing with substance abuse. You may obtain information from the organization’s website at http://www.al-anon.alateen.org/

657 Iowa Administrative Code Chapter 30 defines the composition of the committee and its purpose. The IMP3 committee shall include, but need not be limited to, the following members:

• One currently licensed Iowa pharmacist
• One representative from Drake University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
• One representative from the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy
• One recovery professional
• The executive director of the board or the director's designee
• One representative from the program provider

Members of the committee are:

• Andrew Funk, Pharm.D., Executive Director
• Renae Chestnut, Ed.D., MBA, Dean of Drake University College of Pharmacy
• Jeff Reist, Pharm.D., BCPS University of Iowa College of Pharmacy
• Bruce Alexander, Pharm.D.
• Charles Vincent Wadle, D.O.
• Deana Schuplin, LMHC, ACADC
• Tracy Petersen, R.Ph.
• Trevor Petersma, J.D.

• Des Moines Caduceus Group:
  • Where - UnityPoint - Lutheran Hospital, 4th floor, room 461
  • When - Mondays, 5:30-6:30pm
  • Call (515) 263-2424, option 1 OR Tim Payton at (515) 263-5215
• Dubuque Area Caduceus Group:
  • Where - Mercy Medical Center, 250 Mercy Drive, room 1E
  • When - Wednesdays, 7:00pm
  • Who - Licensed medical professionals in recovery
  • Contact person - John, (563) 564-1264 or Adam, (563) 564-2683
• Omaha Licensee Support Group:
  • Where - Nebraska Methodist Hospital, Heritage Room, 2nd floor near cafeteria on south end of hospital
  • When - Tuesdays 7-8pm & Sundays 9-10am
  • Who - Addicted and recovering health professionals & health professional students (physicians from Iowa are welcomed)
  • Contact person - Jeff Baldwin, Pharm.D., (402) 493-2384 (home), (402) 559-6498 (work)
• Rock Island Caduceus Group
  • Where - Center for Alcohol and Drug Services, Inc. 4230 11th St., Rock Island, IL 61201
  • When - Thursdays evenings
  • Contact person - John, (309) 738-1105. Individuals must call before attending their first meeting
• Hazelden Online Meetings
  • thedailypledge.org/online-meetings

• Iowa Administrative Code -- 657-30 
• IDPH Substance Abuse & Promblem Gambling Prevention, Treatment and Recovery
• Narcotics Anonymous
• Alcoholics  Anonymous
• Al-Anon
• Co-Dependents Anonymous
• National Institute on Drug Abuse
• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
• Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Resources (Suggested by the youth group at the Goodwin Community Center)
• FACES & VOICES OF RECOVERY
• Addiction Centers

Pharmacy professionals who suspect they are at risk of being unable to practice with reasonable skill and safety due to impairment, have the right (and obligation) to ask for help when they need it. By failing to do so, they put themselves and their patients at risk. By self-reporting, the reporter may avoid possible disciplinary action by the Board that results if a complaint is made to the Board by a colleague, patient, concerned family members, etc. It is a safe bet that by the time a pharmacy professional is ready to address this type of problem, others are also concerned about the possible impairment. A self-report includes those situations where the professional reports diversion or misappropriation of a prescription drug or device for the individual’s personal use without proper medical authorization.

How Do You Self-Report

You may self report by doing one of the following:

• Fill out the online form and submit electronically; OR
• Print the self-report form and fax to a confidential fax number (515-725-0642) or mail to IMP3, 400 SW 8th Street, Suite E, Des Moines, Iowa 50309-4686; OR
• Email rebecca.carlson@iowa.gov