But how else do you explain the disdain they showed for FDA poli-
cy and good pharmacy practices by manufacturing drugs by the gallon
instead of filling individual prescriptions? Or the filthy conditions in
which they worked? During a raid of NECC, state health officials dis-
covered squalor where sterile products were to be packaged and
stored: a leaky boiler, vents in the clean room covered with dirt and
fuzz, and a metal shelf in the same room covered in a reddish-brown,
cloudy substance. There was a greenish-yellow discoloration in one of
the autoclaves and condensation in another.
Whatever its motives, NECC inflicted an incredible amount of suffer-
ing, both on patients and its customers. In 2012, that list included
about 3,000 hospitals, surgery centers and physician practices, as annu-
al sales reportedly topped $30 million.
"Compounding Disaster" is a cautionary tale with many valuable
lessons:
• There is no right way to do the wrong thing.
• You can hurt a lot of people if you don't follow the rules.
• Trust, but verify (the story's final 3 words).
So keep doing the right things right — even when no one is watch-
ing.
• • •
Robert Williams, one of the first to realize
that surgeons could do twice as much in half
the time in an ambulatory surgical center as
in a hospital, passed away last month follow-
ing a year-long battle with cancer. Mr.
Williams, 72, was widely credited with further-
ing the acceptance and expansion of the same-
day surgery concept across the United States.
J U l y 2 0 1 6 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 1 1
Robert Williams
