Florida Doctor Accused of Trafficking in Prescription Drugs
03/22/13 *|*SOURCE: The Ledger
A 44-year-old Tampa doctor who worked at a pain clinic in Lakeland was arrested Thursday and charged with multiple counts of trafficking prescription drugs and assisting others to obtain controlled*substances.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said undercover detectives visited Dr. Aaron Bran*ham Roush and posed as patients. He said it was discovered that the process required of pain management physicians was not being followed, and pain pill prescriptions were being written in exchange for cash.
Roush is a board certified surgeon and calls himself a pain management doctor, the Sheriffs Office said.
Two undercover detectives made appointments with Roush and were seen by him in his office, according to reports. Five visits four by one detective, one by another were recorded.
Judd said Roush provided narcotic pain medication for one undercover detective on Nov. 30 when she visited the clinic at 3510 S. Florida Ave, Suite 102, and said her knee was kind of bothering (her) a little bit. Roush spoke with her in a room without an exam table or any medical equipment, and coached her on the appropriate responses required to obtain pain medication prescriptions, Judd said. He also offered her a key to a condominium and told her she could use it to party in if she wanted, the sheriff said.
Not once did he take her into an exam room or perform any evaluation, Judd said. He did ask her, Why dont you come sit on my lap while we look at your MRI?
The Sheriffs Office cited these other findings from the undercover visits:
Roush failed to take the detectives temperature, pulse, blood pressure, height, or weight.
Roush told a detective that her X-ray looked normal but that they could push on and find something wrong.
The detective asked whether she could get more hydrocodone because it made her feel good, and Roush replied, Absolutely.
The Sheriffs Office noted that Roush has been arrested previously in Polk and Hillsborough counties.
In Polk County in 2006, he was arrested by the Sheriffs Office on a charge of battery, domestic violence and violating an injunction for protection. The outcome of those charges was not immediately available Thursday.
He was also jailed twice for nonpayment of child support in Polk County.
In 2010, he was released from jail upon payment of $11,000 and in 2012 after payment of $9,000.
Roush was reprimanded in 2007 by the state Department of Health, fined an administrative fee of $10,000 and ordered to complete 25 hours of community service, the Sheriffs Office said.
Online records from the DOH show he was practicing at the same clinic, and patients treated in a time period from 2007 to 2009 were prescribed inappropriate and excessive quantities or combinations of controlled substances without medical justification.
Judd said he was appalled that someone like Roush was practicing medicine.
I would say to the regulators, Come on, man, pay attention, he said. We hope he never again practices medicine, and we will do everything we can to ensure that his license is taken away.
On Thursday, a search of Roushs car turned up illegal drugs, Judd said. Methamphetamine, marijuana, Xanax without a prescription and Valium without a prescription were found. He will be additionally charged for the possession of those illegal substances, reports said.
03/22/13 *|*SOURCE: The Ledger
A 44-year-old Tampa doctor who worked at a pain clinic in Lakeland was arrested Thursday and charged with multiple counts of trafficking prescription drugs and assisting others to obtain controlled*substances.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said undercover detectives visited Dr. Aaron Bran*ham Roush and posed as patients. He said it was discovered that the process required of pain management physicians was not being followed, and pain pill prescriptions were being written in exchange for cash.
Roush is a board certified surgeon and calls himself a pain management doctor, the Sheriffs Office said.
Two undercover detectives made appointments with Roush and were seen by him in his office, according to reports. Five visits four by one detective, one by another were recorded.
Judd said Roush provided narcotic pain medication for one undercover detective on Nov. 30 when she visited the clinic at 3510 S. Florida Ave, Suite 102, and said her knee was kind of bothering (her) a little bit. Roush spoke with her in a room without an exam table or any medical equipment, and coached her on the appropriate responses required to obtain pain medication prescriptions, Judd said. He also offered her a key to a condominium and told her she could use it to party in if she wanted, the sheriff said.
Not once did he take her into an exam room or perform any evaluation, Judd said. He did ask her, Why dont you come sit on my lap while we look at your MRI?
The Sheriffs Office cited these other findings from the undercover visits:
Roush failed to take the detectives temperature, pulse, blood pressure, height, or weight.
Roush told a detective that her X-ray looked normal but that they could push on and find something wrong.
The detective asked whether she could get more hydrocodone because it made her feel good, and Roush replied, Absolutely.
The Sheriffs Office noted that Roush has been arrested previously in Polk and Hillsborough counties.
In Polk County in 2006, he was arrested by the Sheriffs Office on a charge of battery, domestic violence and violating an injunction for protection. The outcome of those charges was not immediately available Thursday.
He was also jailed twice for nonpayment of child support in Polk County.
In 2010, he was released from jail upon payment of $11,000 and in 2012 after payment of $9,000.
Roush was reprimanded in 2007 by the state Department of Health, fined an administrative fee of $10,000 and ordered to complete 25 hours of community service, the Sheriffs Office said.
Online records from the DOH show he was practicing at the same clinic, and patients treated in a time period from 2007 to 2009 were prescribed inappropriate and excessive quantities or combinations of controlled substances without medical justification.
Judd said he was appalled that someone like Roush was practicing medicine.
I would say to the regulators, Come on, man, pay attention, he said. We hope he never again practices medicine, and we will do everything we can to ensure that his license is taken away.
On Thursday, a search of Roushs car turned up illegal drugs, Judd said. Methamphetamine, marijuana, Xanax without a prescription and Valium without a prescription were found. He will be additionally charged for the possession of those illegal substances, reports said.
