NPR: 60 doctors & pharmacists caught in opioid sting

[drusso]

Nearly 60 Doctors, Other Medical Workers Charged In Federal Opioid Sting

The Department of Justice said defendants allegedly pushed more than 32 million unneeded pills, contributing to a drug crisis and potentially defrauding the health care system.

www.npr.org

In some examples, authorities pointed to "inordinately large quantities, 100 prescriptions per day," or other suspicious facts — such as prescriptions with no evidence of a patient having been physically examined.

In another episode, one doctor had a pharmacy operating outside his own waiting room.

"This is extreme outlier behavior," Benczkowski said. "We're targeting the worst of the worst doctors in these districts."

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[lobelsteve]

Dozens of Doctors in 7 States Charged in Opioid Fraud Bust

Dozens of medical professionals in Appalachia, a region hard-hit by the U.S. opioid crisis, have been charged with writing hundreds of thousands of illegal prescriptions and committing healthcare fraud, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday.

www.medscape.com

 

[Extralong]

I’m kind of shocked this is still going on to the degree the article is making it out to be.

 

[Nonphysiologic]

Sigh..... I feel like I’m im part of a giant cesspool at times. Just trying to practice clean and sleep soundly at night....

 

[lobelsteve]

No mention of any pain docs caught up int the mess.

 

[Ducttape]

articles dont specifically state "pain doctor", but there are mentions of doctors that work in "clinics that focus on pain management"... esp in Kentucky. also an ANP in Tenn who worked in a pain clinic is mentioned.

and FWIW, the "Rock Doc", who the indictment calls a doctor, is actually apparently an NP!

In one case, a nurse practitioner who branded himself the “Rock Doc,” allegedly prescribed powerful and dangerous combinations of opioids and benzodiazepines, sometimes in exchange for sexual favors; over approximately three years, the doctor allegedly prescribed approximately 500,000 hydrocodone pills, 300,000 oxycodone pills, 1,500 fentanyl patches, and more than 600,000 benzodiazepine pills.