When the DEA checks the count,
your records have to reconcile.
DEAready replaces the paper controlled-substance binder with a tamper-evident digital logbook — inspection-ready in seconds.
Hash-chained ledger · 7-year Object Lock archive · One-click Inspection Pack
14 days free · cancel anytime · BAA included on every plan
DEAready is software; registrants remain legally responsible for compliance.
The audit
The inspection is a reconciliation problem.
Investigators count what's in the cabinet, then reconcile it against your records. Common findings: logs not maintained, missing inventories, records that don't reconcile.
You cannot count on advance notice, so the record has to be ready before the question is asked.
See what DEAready exportsWhy it matters
The settlement can be the smallest part of the bill.
Recordkeeping failures can cost six figures — and sometimes the registration, the license, and the practice.
A Pennsylvania oral surgeon agreed to pay $120,000 to settle violations involving Schedule II distribution records, dispensing records, and biennial inventories.
DOJ press release (M.D. Pa.)A Colorado veterinarian agreed to pay $226,000 — and surrendered his DEA registration and state veterinary license — after an audit found violations on all 12 drugs checked.
DOJ press release (D. Colo.)A court ordered a West Virginia veterinarian to pay maximum civil penalties after 9,796 doses of controlled substances couldn't be accounted for — and no records could be produced.
DEA press release (S.D. W.Va.)An Oklahoma City physician paid $130,000 — and permanently stopped dispensing and administering controlled substances — to settle allegations of missing Form 222 and purchase records.
DOJ press release (W.D. Okla.)A Savannah weight-loss physician agreed to pay $100,000 — plus two years of increased DEA oversight — after inspections found incomplete inventories and dispensing records.
DOJ press release (S.D. Ga.)A Sacramento radiologist — the DEA registrant for an imaging facility — agreed to pay $125,000 after one inspection found multiple recordkeeping violations.
DEA press release (E.D. Cal.)What about the attorneys' fees?
What about your reputation?
What about your license?
A settlement check is the recoverable part. These aren't.
Recordkeeping failures alone can put a DEA registration — and the practice built on it — at risk.
DEA Form 106 covers lost drugs — not lost records. A record you can't produce can be its own deficiency — one you can't defend. DEAready's ledger is archived for 7 years and can't quietly disappear.
Cases described are civil settlements, civil liability findings, or court judgments, summarized from public reports. Each card links to the official DOJ or DEA press release. Outcomes depend on the facts of each case.
Where paper logs start to fail
Paper breaks down in ordinary practice conditions.
More providers, more sedation cases, more hands on the same record.
The direction of travel
The paper logbook is the last analog habit standing.
Prescribing went digital. PMP reporting went digital. The paper binder is the last analog link in the chain — and the one your team still reconciles by hand.
To be clear: no DEA rule requires a digital logbook — paper records remain permitted under 21 CFR 1304. The case for retiring the binder is practical, not regulatory. More in the FAQ.
The logbook
One logbook for every controlled-substance movement.
Every event structured. Every action tied to a user, a timestamp, and an audit trail.
Inspection Pack
From inspector question to defensible ZIP in under 30 seconds.
The records an inspector asks for first — in one export. They remain the registrant’s responsibility.
- Initial inventory
- Biennial inventory
- Two-year ledger by schedule
- Receipts and invoice references
- Form 222 references
- Form 41 and Form 106 references
- Witnessed-waste records
- Audit-chain proof
Tamper-evident by design
Locked, not locked-out.
Paper can be lost. Spreadsheets can be changed. DEAready can't: every action is hash-chained to the last, edits and deletes are rejected at the database, and a daily Merkle root is sealed into S3 Object Lock compliance mode for 7 years.
Corrections are added, never overwritten. The original trail stays intact.
- Append-only ledger
- SHA-256 hash on every action
- Daily Merkle root
- 7-year Object Lock archive
- Triggers reject ledger update/delete
Built for small-format practices
Not hospital software. Not another paper binder.
Built natively for dental, medical, veterinary, and surgery-center practices — where someone keeps the records clean without a compliance department.
Pricing
Don't risk your license and reputation to save less than $1 a day.
Public pricing. BAA on every plan. 14-day free trial.
- 1 user, 1 location
- Append-only ledger + audit chain
- Biennial reminders
- BAA + HIPAA-eligible AWS infrastructure
- Email support
- Unlimited users, 1 location
- Witnessed waste / disposal flow
- Inspection Pack export
- Form 41 / Form 106 companion records
- Priority email support
- Everything in Practice
- Multi-doctor attribution
- Multi-location reports (up to 3)
- Phone support
- Everything in High-volume
- 4+ locations
- SSO / SAML (scoped per contract)
- Dedicated success manager
- Negotiated SLA
14-day free trial on every plan — card required at sign-up, cancel anytime before it ends and you won't be charged; your records remain exportable either way. Annual billed yearly with 2 months free vs monthly.
Trust
Trust built from architecture, not borrowed logos.
No fabricated testimonials. No borrowed authority. Just the system: append-only records, hash-chain proof, field-level encryption, 7-year Object Lock retention, BAA on every plan.
DEAready was built from a real small-practice need: replacing the controlled-substance binder with records that are easier to maintain and easier to defend. — Founder note
- BAA included on every plan
- Field-level AES-256-GCM on sensitive identifiers
- RLS multi-tenant isolation
- HIPAA-eligible AWS services under a signed BAA
What you get
The full toolkit, sized for a small practice.
Start with the logbook. The rest is there when your practice needs it.
- Digital controlled-substance logbook
- One-click Inspection Pack export
- Append-only ledger + hash-chain proof
- Object Lock 7-year archive
- Form 41 / Form 106 / Form 222 handling
- Theft-loss agency call checklist
- One-click portal-ready PDMP file export
- PIMS/EMR integration — wired per practice, Open Dental first in line; more systems added all the time. Request yours.
- Multi-state PMP export — your state's portal-ready file format, enabled at onboarding.
- Discrepancy alerting — enabled per practice on request, built on the reconciliation ledger that powers every count.
FAQ
Questions small practices ask before replacing the binder.
Does DEAready make my practice compliant automatically?
No. DEAready is software; registrants remain legally responsible for compliance. The product helps maintain structured, tamper-evident controlled-substance records and generate inspection-ready exports.
Why should I use DEAready instead of paper?
Paper logbooks fail in ordinary ways — lost, damaged, illegible, gap-ridden — and there is no remedy for a record you cannot produce. DEAready replaces the binder with append-only digital records, tamper-evidence, a 7-year immutable archive, and a one-click Inspection Pack export, so the record is always complete, legible, and producible. Registrants remain responsible for compliance and should confirm any state-specific requirements before retiring paper.
What happens during a DEA accountability audit?
Investigators may physically count controlled substances and reconcile those counts against receipts, invoices, dispensing records, and inventory records. DEAready is designed so those records are structured, exportable, and easier to review before an inspection.
Are DEA inspections always done without notice?
No. The safer statement is that you cannot count on advance notice. DEAready is built so the records are ready either way.
What happens if my logbook is lost or destroyed?
For paper, there is no clean recovery. DEA Form 106 covers theft or loss of controlled substances — not records — and a required record you cannot produce at an audit can be treated as its own deficiency. You would be reconstructing from supplier invoices and memory. DEAready removes the scenario: records live in an append-only ledger with a 7-year Object Lock archive and can be re-exported at any time.
Does the DEA require digital logbooks?
No. No federal rule requires a digital controlled-substance logbook — DEA regulations (21 CFR Part 1304) permit required records to be kept electronically or on paper, provided they are complete, accurate, and readily retrievable. What has gone digital by mandate is the trail around the logbook: e-prescribing of controlled substances under Medicare Part D and most state laws, electronic PMP reporting, and electronic-only DEA Form 106 theft and loss filing. Whichever format you choose, the records must reconcile against a physical count — and you cannot count on advance notice of an inspection. If you dispense in-office, confirm state-specific requirements before retiring paper.
Is DEAready affiliated with the DEA?
No. DEAready is not affiliated with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Does DEAready submit PDMP reports for me?
No. DEAready creates a one-click portal-ready PDMP file in ASAP format. Your practice uploads the file through the appropriate state portal.
Can records be edited?
Corrections are added as new ledger events with user, timestamp, and explanation. Ledger rows reject update and delete attempts, so the original trail remains intact.
What forms does DEAready support?
DEAready supports Form 41, Form 106, and Form 222 references, plus theft/loss agency call checklist workflows where applicable.
Does DEAready integrate with Open Dental, Dentrix, Eaglesoft, or other PIMS/EMR systems?
PIMS/EMR integration is wired per practice, with Open Dental first in line and more systems being added all the time. Request yours at onboarding and we'll prioritize it for your practice.
Does DEAready support every state PMP?
DEAready generates one-click portal-ready PDMP files in ASAP format, with your state's format enabled at onboarding. Your practice uploads the file through the appropriate state portal.
Does DEAready alert me automatically when counts do not match?
Discrepancy alerting is enabled per practice on request, built on the reconciliation ledger that powers every count. Ask for it at onboarding.
What happens at the end of the free trial?
Your card is collected at sign-up but not charged during the 14-day trial. Cancel anytime before it ends and you won't be charged; otherwise it converts to your selected plan. Your records remain exportable either way.
Replace the binder before the next count has to reconcile.
Logbook, Inspection Pack, tamper-evident archive — running before your next count.
14 days free · cancel anytime · BAA included on every plan