Answer Addiction

Tag: opioid overdose death

  • Doctor Receives 20-Year Sentence For Reckless Opioid Prescribing

    Doctor Receives 20-Year Sentence For Reckless Opioid Prescribing

    The Manhattan doctor was convicted on 10 counts of unlawful distribution of oxycodone without legitimate medical purpose.

    A family doctor based in Manhattan’s Upper East Side was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday (April 30) for recklessly prescribing opioid painkillers that played a role in one patient’s fatal overdose.

    Dr. Martin Tesher, 83, was convicted in July of 10 counts of unlawful distribution of oxycodone without legitimate medical purpose to five patients, including 27-year-old Nicholas Benedetto.

    In March of 2016, two days after visiting Tesher and receiving prescriptions for oxycodone and fentanyl patches, Benedetto fatally overdosed on the drugs.

    According to SILive.com, one month before his death, Benedetto’s mother called Tesher asking him to stop giving her son prescriptions because he needed treatment. She told authorities that her son was smoking the fentanyl patches.

    Tesher prescribed oxycodone and fentanyl patches to Benedetto and four other patients “after he learned, or had reason to believe, that these patients were addicted to drugs,” according to the Justice Department.

    An expert witness testified that none of them “had verified medical conditions that would require the prescription of Schedule II opioids.”

    Benedetto, while under the doctor’s care, tested positive for cocaine, heroin, morphine and methadone in addition to the oxycodone and fentanyl prescribed by Tesher.

    Twenty years was the minimum sentence Tesher faced for his crime. The maximum was life in prison.

    “In the midst of an unprecedented opioid epidemic, Dr. Tesher used his medical skills to harm, not heal and in doing so he cost a young man his life,” said U.S. Eastern District Attorney Richard Donoghue. “Such criminal conduct is an utter betrayal of the trust our society places in doctors and it warrants the severe sentence imposed today.”

    The DOJ has recently cracked down on health care providers and drug companies accused of playing a role in fueling the opioid crisis.

    Also last month, 60 people were indicted for the illegal prescribing of painkillers including doctors, pharmacists, nurse practitioners and other licensed medical professionals.

    According to the Washington Post, the indictment included “doctors who prosecutors said traded sex for prescriptions and a dentist who unnecessarily pulled teeth from patients to justify giving them opioids.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Doctor Sentenced To Life In Prison For Patient's Opioid Death

    Doctor Sentenced To Life In Prison For Patient's Opioid Death

    The judge presiding over the trial said that the doctor had an established record of unscrupulous prescribing practices. 

    A Kansas doctor will spend the rest of his life behind bars after he was found guilty of writing prescriptions that led to the death of a man in 2015. 

    “I want this case to send a message to physicians and the health care community,” U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said in a news release. “Unlawfully distributing opioids and other controlled substances is a federal crime that could end a medical career and send an offender to prison.”

    Steven R. Henson tried in federal court and found guilty of conspiracy to distribute prescription drugs outside the course of medical practice and unlawfully distributing oxycodone, methadone and alprazolam, the use of which resulted in the death of a victim.

    He was also found guilty of presenting false patient records to investigators, obstruction of justice and money laundering.

    According to KOAM News Now, Henson wrote prescriptions to patients who paid him. He would ask if they were in pain and they would answer “yes,” but he didn’t ask any other questions or perform an exam. 

    In July 2015, one of Henson’s patients, Nick McGovern, overdosed on alprazolam and methadone that had been prescribed by Henson. The judge presiding over the trial said that Henson had an established record of unscrupulous prescribing practices. 

    “The defendant kept no medical records, performed no physical examinations or physical tests, gave massive amounts of opioids to patients with little demonstrated need, wrote unneeded, non-controlled prescriptions in order to defeat pharmacy limits on controlled substances, and knew that patients were traveling improbably long distances to receive opioids,” U.S. District Judge J. Thomas Marten wrote. “There was ample evidence that Henson was prescribing opioid medications in amounts likely to lead to addiction, and in amounts so expensive that the patients would likely be forced by economic circumstances to support their addiction by selling some of the drugs to others.”

    McAllister said that prosecuting doctors who abuse their ability write prescriptions is an important part of confronting the opioid epidemic. 

    “The prosecution of cases involving a health professional’s misuse of medical expertise and authority is extremely important to fight the opioid epidemic,” he said. “The vast majority of health care providers are people of integrity who follow their oath to help others, abide by the law, and do all they can to protect patients from becoming addicted. The evidence showed that is not what Dr. Henson did in this case.”

    KOAM reported that there was a gasp in the courtroom when the sentence was announced. Henson maintained his innocence. 

    “I only had one goal in life as a physician and that is to take excellent care of patients and increase functionality,” he said in a statement in court. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Family Of Woman Whose Obituary Went Viral Sue For Info About Her Death

    Family Of Woman Whose Obituary Went Viral Sue For Info About Her Death

    According to the suit by the ACLU, police refused to provide Madelyn Lisenmeir with medical attention while being held in custody–neglect that may have led to her death.

    When Madelyn Linsenmeir died after a battle with opioid addiction on October 7, 2018, her family penned a heartfelt obituary for the 30-year-old single mother and earned sympathy and praise across the globe for turning their tragedy into a plea to help other opioid dependency sufferers.

    Now Linsenmeir’s family is suing the city of Springfield, Massachusetts and its police force to find out what happened to her in the days leading up to her death. According to the suit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Linsenmeir had requested and been refused medical attention while in police custody and remained in a woman’s correctional facility until October 4, when she was taken to intensive care. Linsenmeir died three days later, and her family is requesting that the Springfield police turn over any audiovisual recordings that would corroborate the allegations of neglect.

    According to the suit, Linsenmeir texted her family on September 28, 2018 with complaints that she was “really sick” and needed to be hospitalized. The following day, Springfield police arrested her for probation-related violations, including providing a false name, according to their arrest log. She was transferred to the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department and held at the Western Massachusetts Regional Women’s Correctional Center in Chicopee, Massachusetts.

    The ACLU suit then alleged that at the time of her arrest, Linsenmeir was allowed to call her mother, Maureen, with a Springfield police officer on the line. She reportedly informed her mother that she was not receiving medical attention, but as the suit alleged, “the police officer refused to provide medical attention and even made a sarcastic comment to Maureen after Maureen expressed concern that Madelyn was being denied care.”

    On October 4, Linsenmeir was transferred by ambulance to the Baystate Medical Center’s intensive care unit and died there on October 7, still in police custody but with her family in attendance.

    The ACLU alleged that the phone conversation with Linsenmeir’s mother confirms that the Springfield Police Department was aware she had been refused medical treatment and is “likely in possession of audiovisual recordings” that would corroborate their claim. In the suit, Linsenmeir’s family wrote, “release of the requested records would serve the public interest by supporting Madelyn’s family in their public advocacy for the humane treatment of opioid users and for increased access to medications and medical care for people suffering from opioid use disorder.”

    According to the suit, the police department and city of Springfield have not responded to the family’s request. Hampden County Sheriff Nicholas Cocchi, whose department was not named in the suit, expressed his sympathies to Linsenmeir’s family in an statement to CNN.

    The obituary that drew attention to Linsenmeir’s struggle, penned by her sister, Kate O’Neill, was brought to global attention through social media, where it was picked up by news media outlets. In the obit, O’Neill wrote, “If you are reading this with judgment, educate yourself about this disease, because that is what it is. It is not a choice or a weakness. And chances are very good that someone you know is struggling with it, and that person needs and deserves your empathy and support.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • "The Conners" Producer Discusses Roseanne's Overdose Death

    "The Conners" Producer Discusses Roseanne's Overdose Death

    “We could’ve gone down other avenues, but we felt it was the right thing for the character. As you know, it’s a crisis in this country.”

    The return of Roseanne was one of the biggest comeback stories of the year—until Roseanne Barr got fired for posting inflammatory tweets this May.

    The show has since been rebooted without her as The Conners, and as rumored, her character dies of an opioid overdose.

    Before Barr was fired, her character was keeping “secret bottles” of Vicodin stashed in her home because the family couldn’t afford an operation and she was trying to deal with chronic pain in her knee.

    Like many who suffer from chronic pain, Roseanne Conner got her meds illegally, buying them through her neighbor Marcy (played by Mary Steenburgen).

    Through Steenburgen, Dan Conner (John Goodman) realizes that many in the neighborhood are getting their meds this way.

    “We thought we’d include issues such as a lack of proper healthcare and the prohibitive costs of medications that many face,” said executive producer Tom Werner to Forbes. “I think the conversation between Marcy and Dan made the story quite affecting because, obviously it was an accident, but an accident that seems to be happening frequently. Their conversation became part of a larger issue of people in a community passing along drugs either not being prescribed them by a doctor, or drugs being too expensive and unaffordable. This is part of a bigger issue in this country.”

    In making the decision to kill off Roseanne, Werner added, “Obviously, it is important for us to do the show respectfully. We could’ve gone down other avenues, but we felt it was the right thing for the character. As you know, it’s a crisis in this country.”

    Bruce Helford, who is the showrunner of The Conners, told The Hollywood Reporter, “There was a lot of chatter in the ether about how we should explain Roseanne’s absence: Should she have a heart attack, a mental breakdown or go off into the sunset on a boat with her son? But we firmly decided against anything cowardly or far-fetched, anything that would make the fierce matriarch of the Conners seem pathetic or debased.

    “I wanted a respectful sendoff for her,” Helford continued. “One that was relevant and could inspire discussion for the greater good about the American working class, whose authentic problems are often ignored by broadcast television.” 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • "The Connors" Producer Discusses Roseanne's Overdose Death

    "The Connors" Producer Discusses Roseanne's Overdose Death

    “We could’ve gone down other avenues, but we felt it was the right thing for the character. As you know, it’s a crisis in this country.”

    The return of Roseanne was one of the biggest comeback stories of the year until Roseanne Barr got fired for posting inflammatory tweets this May.

    The show has since been rebooted without her as The Conners, and as rumored, her character dies of an opioid overdose.

    Before Barr was fired, her character was keeping “secret bottles” of Vicodin stashed in her home because the family couldn’t afford an operation and she was trying to deal with chronic pain in her knee.

    Like many who suffer from chronic pain, Roseanne Conner got her meds on the black market, buying them through her neighbor Marcy, played by Mary Steenburgen.

    Through Steenburgen, Dan Conner (John Goodman) realizes that many in the neighborhood are getting their meds this way.

    The show’s executive producer, Tom Werner, told Forbes, “We thought we’d include issues such as a lack of proper healthcare and the prohibitive costs of medications that many face. I think the conversation between Marcy and Dan made the story quite affecting because, obviously it was an accident, but an accident that seems to be happening frequently. Their conversation became part of a larger issue of people in a community passing along drugs either not being prescribed them by a doctor, or drugs being too expensive and unaffordable. This is part of a bigger issue in this country.”

    In making the decision to kill off Roseanne, Werner added, “Obviously, it is important for us to do the show respectfully. We could’ve gone down other avenues, but we felt it was the right thing for the character. As you know, it’s a crisis in this country.”

    Bruce Helford, who is the showrunner of The Conners, told The Hollywood Reporter, “There was a lot of chatter in the ether about how we should explain Roseanne’s absence: Should she have a heart attack, a mental breakdown or go off into the sunset on a boat with her son? But we firmly decided against anything cowardly or far-fetched, anything that would make the fierce matriarch of the Conners seem pathetic or debased.

    “I wanted a respectful sendoff for her,” Helford continued. “One that was relevant and could inspire discussion for the greater good about the American working class, whose authentic problems are often ignored by broadcast television.” 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Could Informing Doctors Of Patients' Opioid Deaths Curb Prescribing?

    Could Informing Doctors Of Patients' Opioid Deaths Curb Prescribing?

    How are doctors’ prescribing behavior affected when they’re notified of their own patients’ opioid-related deaths?

    Some California doctors have recently received letters that changed how they prescribed opioids, according to new research.

    The letters informed doctors of the deaths of patients to whom they had prescribed opioids, according to the Washington Post. Such letters were part of a study conducted by researchers at the University of Southern California and published Thursday (August 9) in the journal Science.

    The letters were sent by the San Diego County Medical Examiner Office to hundreds of doctors who, in the past year, had prescribed opioids to a patient who later died.

    “This is a courtesy communication to inform you that your patient [name, date of birth] died on [date]. Prescription drug overdose was either the primary cause of death or contributed to the death,” the letters read. “We hope that you will take this as an opportunity to join us in preventing future deaths from drug overdose.”

    According to the Post, the idea behind the study was to close the gap between a doctor’s care and a doctor’s knowledge about the potential consequences of prescribing opioids.

    While many doctors are aware that opioid use disorder is a widespread issue, they may believe that the consequences affect other doctors’ patients rather than their own, the Post noted. 

    According to the results of the study, doctors who learned of a patient’s death at the hands of opioids were 7% less likely to prescribe opioids to new patients. Doctors who received a letter also had a tendency to prescribe fewer high-dose prescriptions within the next three months  of receiving the letter. The total amount of opioids these doctors prescribed decreased by 9.7%. 

    “What’s particularly interesting to me is the personal nature of it,” Alexander Chiu, a surgeon at Yale New Haven Hospital who was not involved in the study, told the Post. “Depending on what field you’re in, [the opioid epidemic] can feel a little remote. If you’re not a pain doctor or a primary-care doctor, it’s not quite as common to know or see your actions having a negative impact, which is what this is showing—it makes it very real. As evidence-based as we are as a profession, sometimes anecdotes can be really powerful.”

    Lead researcher Jason Doctor, director of health informatics at the University of Southern California’s Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, tells the Post that while doctors have knowledge of facts, they are still human.

    “One of the takeaways I’d like people to have is that doctors learn a lot of clinical facts, but when it comes to clinical judgment and decision-making, they fall prey to the same biases that we all do,” he said. 

    According to Doctor, San Diego County plans to continue sending these letters, and other counties have also said they are interested in doing something similar.

    View the original article at thefix.com