Physicians in Kentucky are among 53 medical professionals in six states facing charges related to a widespread opioid crackdown, according to the Department of Justice.
Three key details:
1. A physician was charged for allegedly giving his office staff pre-signed, blank prescriptions so they could prescribe controlled substances in his absence. He also allegedly directed clinic staff — including those not licensed to practice medicine — to perform medical services on patients.
2. A separate Kentucky physician was charged in connection to an alleged kickback scheme involving a Florida compounding pharmacy and its owner. The physician allegedly wrote prescriptions for compounded drugs — including controlled substances — as part of an illegal kickback scheme.
In addition, the physician, compounding pharmacy and pharmacy owner are accused of inflating prescription costs when billing Medicare and Tricare for reimbursement.
3. Federal authorities also filed charges in Alabama, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia as part of the Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid Strike Force Takedown. Sixty individuals face charges in cases involving over 350,000 controlled substance prescriptions and more than 32 million individual pills.
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