No-see opiate prescriptions have cost an urgent care physician in Burlington County, NJ his medical license—which he willfully surrendered in order to avoid paying penalties and fees totaling over $127,000. The state had already suspended his license temporarily after accusing him of prescribing narcotic pain medications to patients he didn’t examine over a 5-year period. If he violates the consent order he agreed to, he will have to pay the money immediately and face additional disciplinary measures. The order accuses the doctor of “indiscriminately” prescribing oxycodone, fentanyl, and other medications to five patients in a “grossly negligent” manner. One of those patients died of an overdose. In addition, authorities say the man continued prescribing narcotics to patients who tested positive for cocaine or marijuana. While this case may be extreme, it illustrates the potential dangers, both to the patient and to the prescriber in terms of legal risk, of prescribing opiates without carefully weighing safety factors.
Published on
Beware: Opiate Prescriptions Are Under Extra Scrutiny