Certain medications are controlled by the government due to their side effects. The government is keen to keep people from becoming addicted to dangerous yet medically useful drugs like opioids, and to keep these drugs from entering the illegal drug market. When someone is caught exploiting their access to these drugs the punishments are harsh.
A physician’s assistant has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for a conspiracy that distributed 125,000 medically unnecessary oxycodone pills. Oxycodone is an opioid frequently given for pain relief. According to the prosecuting attorney, this scheme persisted for nearly three years. The pills were given to patients who did not require it. In fact, most of the patients were just charged a flat fee of $250 in cash for the pills in visits that didn’t last longer than 1-2 minutes. For the $250, the patients received packages of 150 30-mg tablets. The culprit also charged additional fees for other medically unnecessary prescriptions.
When doctors abuse their privileges, it hurts us all in the form of health care costs and drug addictions. If you believe your doctor is running a pill farm, report them to the authorities.
If you are seeking medical malpractice representation in the state of New York, contact Bottar Law for a consultation. Browse our website for more details on how we can help you.