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Tag: doctor shopping

  • Self-Described "El Chapo Of Opioids" Doctor Accused Of Drug Crimes

    Self-Described "El Chapo Of Opioids" Doctor Accused Of Drug Crimes

    The former New Jersey doctor stands accused of a number of charges including prescribing oxycodone over a text message.

    Former North Jersey family medicine doctor Robert Delagente is being charged with distribution of controlled substances and obstruction of justice after years of allegedly calling himself the “Candy Man” and the “El Chapo of Opioids.”

    Federal prosecutors are charging Delagente with improperly prescribing drugs such as oxycodone, Percocet, and Tylenol with codeine, failing to monitor his patients for addiction, and agreeing to prescribe oxycodone, the generic form of OxyContin, to one patient over a text message.

    “I’m literally sticking my neck out and can lose my medical license or [be] arrested for what I just did,” Delagente allegedly texted.

    Furthermore, he’s been accused of altering patient medical records after law enforcement began seeking to gain access to them following other allegations of misconduct. According to federal court documents obtained by NorthJersey.com, he also once referred to an opioid prescription for one of his patients as “oral heroin.”

    These allegations come as part of a widespread crackdown on doctors who failed to follow the law when prescribing controlled substances such as opioids. In addition to going after the manufacturers of drugs like OxyContin, prosecutors are shutting down “pill mills” where doctors allegedly excessively prescribe addictive drugs to patients while enjoying perks provided to them by manufacturers like Purdue Pharma.

    Last month, 60 people were charged in a crackdown, including 31 doctors. These individuals are accused of prescribing millions of pills in the space of only a couple of years. Some allegedly wrote unnecessary prescriptions for Facebook friends, left blank prescription pads for staff to fill out, and even exchanged sex for prescriptions of oxycodone and fentanyl. One doctor operating in Dayton, Ohio stands accused of giving out 1.75 million pills in the space of just two years.

    These charges were part of a single operation by the Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid Strike Force, which was launched by the Trump administration in 2018.

    Opioid addiction and overdose deaths have disproportionately affected the Appalachian Region of the U.S., leading the federal government to take targeted action in the area.

    “The opioid crisis is the deadliest drug crisis in American history, and Appalachia has suffered the consequences more than perhaps any other region,” said Attorney General William Barr of the charges.

    Back in New Jersey, Dr. Delagente faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $1 million for the distribution of controlled dangerous substances and another 20 years and $250,000 for obstruction of justice. His attorney has not responded to requests for comment.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • “Rock Doc” Continues To Prescribe Addictive Drugs Despite Indictment

    “Rock Doc” Continues To Prescribe Addictive Drugs Despite Indictment

    Prosecutors say his bail should be revoked.

    The man who fancies himself as the “Rock Doc” is seemingly unfazed by the recent federal indictment against him. Since his release in April pending trial, prosecutors say that Jeff Young, a nurse practitioner based in Jackson, Tennessee, is still open for business. Now, they are trying to have his bond revoked.

    In April, Young was one of 60 medical professionals—doctors, nurse practitioners, pharmacists and more—charged with illegal prescribing of controlled substances.

    According to the indictment filed by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, “Young issued prescriptions for controlled substances, including the Schedule II controlled substances Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, and others, and the Schedule IV controlled substances Alprazolam, Diazepam, Clonazepam, and others… outside the course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose. Young’s motives in prescribing controlled substances to his patients were often to obtain money, notoriety, and sexual favors.”

    The Rock Doc—“a brash, tattooed 45-year-old” as the Daily Beast described him—abused his position to promote himself and prey on women, the indictment alleges. “Young used his power to prescribe controlled substances to promote his television pilot and his podcast, and to have sex with women, including women who were his patients.”

    He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

    A 10-minute pilot of a reality show about his practice from 2016 is still available to watch on YouTube. Apparently it never took off.

    Following the indictment, all 60 defendants were released on bond. But Young has continued to write prescriptions haphazardly. Federal authorities say he should be detained.

    While Young is no longer permitted to prescribe opioid drugs, he can still prescribe benzodiazepines like Xanax or Valium, per a 2018 settlement with the Tennessee Board of Nursing. Young has allegedly continued to prescribe these to patients who have been “doctor shopping.”

    Andrew Pennebaker, the Department of Justice trial attorney prosecuting Young, says the Rock Doc’s continued prescribing activity requires special attention. “The Court should do what the Board did not: stop Young from further harming the community by prescribing dangerous substances and exploiting his patients in the process. The only way to ensure this is to detain Young pending trial.”

    Pennebaker cites a history of violence that makes Young a special case. “Even among other defendants presumed to be dangerous, Young stands out: he has demonstrated a history of violence against women, intimidation and threats, and disregard of judicial and administrative orders.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Opioid Prescriptions Drop Drastically In Ohio

    Opioid Prescriptions Drop Drastically In Ohio

    Ohio’s prescription drug monitoring program played a major role in the state’s success. 

    In Ohio, a state that has been ravaged by opioid addiction, the number of opioid prescriptions has decreased by 41% since 2012, according to new data. 

    “We all have a role to play in battling this public health crisis, and this continued downward trend in opioid prescriptions demonstrates that Ohio’s prescribers are making significant progress in their efforts to prevent addiction,” Governor Mike DeWine said in a statement reported by 13 ABC News.

    “When this crisis first emerged, prescribers were led to believe that opioids were not addictive, but we know today that is not the case. It is encouraging to see such substantial progress to limit opioid prescriptions to stop painkiller abuse and diversion.”

    The data was drawn from the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy’s Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System, which monitors prescriptions being written and filled. The reporting system also showed that “doctor shopping” had decreased dramatically in the state—down 89% last year alone. 

    Steven Schierholt, executive director of the Ohio Board of Pharmacy, told the Sandusky Register last year that the prescription reporting system is an important part of monitoring the drug crisis. 

    “In order to fight our way out of this issue, we have to do so with the help of the prescribers,” he said. “There’s too much of a correlation between prescription drugs and illegal drug use to be ignored. Our goal is to provide physicians with the tools to be a part of the solution.”

    The monitoring system was established in 2006, but in 2015 it became mandatory for prescribers to use it. 

    “If you’re a prescriber you can check this system and see what controlled substance prescriptions a patient has been prescribed. That information makes for a better interact[ion] between pharmacy, doctor and patients,” Schierholt said. 

    He added that part of the reason the Ohio prescription drug monitoring program has been so successful is because it is easy to use. 

    “Now if you’re sitting with your physician she [can] see your [prescription] history with a click of button,” he said. “We know a doctor’s time is valuable and want to make it easy to check.”

    However, some data suggests that prescription drug monitoring is no longer an effective way to reduce overdose deaths, since many people have turned to illicit opioids as prescription pills become harder to access. 

    One study found that the opioid epidemic will continue to get worse if policy continues to focus only on prescription drug abuse. 

    “This study demonstrates that initiatives focused on the prescription opioid supply are insufficient to bend the curve of opioid overdose deaths in the short and medium term,” said Dr. Marc Larochelle of the Grayken Center for Addiction at Boston Medical Center in a press release. “We need policy, public health and health care delivery efforts to amplify harm reduction efforts and access to evidence-based treatment.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Doctors Will Be Required To Check Prescription Database In California

    Doctors Will Be Required To Check Prescription Database In California

    The state’s monitoring system has been historically underused by healthcare providers. 

    Beginning on October 2, doctors in California will be required to check the state’s prescription monitoring database before writing a new prescription, in an attempt to provide better care and correct years of underutilization of the system.

    “California created the first system to track prescriptions of the strongest painkillers, but our state fell behind as the opioid crisis grew,” state Sen. Ricardo Lara, who drafted the legislation in 2015, told the Los Angeles Times. “I wrote SB 482 to require that doctors and others consult the CURES system before prescribing these powerful and addictive drugs. This tool will help limit doctor shopping, break the cycle of addiction and prevent prescriptions from ever again fueling an epidemic that claims thousands of lives.”

    California’s monitoring system, called The Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System, or CURES, provides a list of patients’ prescriptions, the doctors who prescribed the medication and the pharmacies that filled them. The system was overhauled in 2016 to make it easier for doctors to use, and the new legislation will now require them to do so.

    Under the law, healthcare providers will need to check CURES every time they write a new prescription, or every four months for patients who have an ongoing prescription. There are exceptions, including for emergency room care and hospice patients.

    The legislation is meant to cut back on so-called doctor shopping, as well as ensure that doctors and patients are aware of any risky combinations of medicines that a patient is taking.

    “I think people make the mistake of thinking it’s just for doctor shopping,” said Dr. Roneet Lev, chief of emergency medicine at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego. “Using CURES just makes you a smarter, better doctor.”

    Although some doctors balk at the amount of time that it will take to consult CURES, other believe that using the system will soon become second nature.

    “I think it’s going to be one of those things that a year from now is going to be second [nature] to them,” said Kimberly Kirchmeyer, executive director of the Medical Board of California. “It’s just the first round of it gets hard for them. Any additional administrative task for physicians in the world they live in is difficult for them, and we completely understand that.”

    However, if the requirement helps to protect patients, doctors say that they are willing to spend time using the CURES system.

    “I think every doctor in California will gladly do it as long as there’s a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,” said Dr. Jason Toranto, chief of plastic surgery at Senta Clinic in San Diego. “As long as the patient is going to do better, that’s what it’s all about.”

    View the original article at thefix.com