St. Matthew, Ky.-based Commonwealth Pain & Spine was ordered to pay millions of dollars to the family of a former patient after a physician at the clinic allegedly cut the patient's pain medication prescription by 55 percent, according to a WDRB report.
Five details:
1. Brent Slone was a patient of Commonwealth Pain & Spine beginning in January 2014 after he had been experiencing pain from severe injuries related to a 2011 car crash.
2. In July 2017, Mr. Slone underwent surgery in California and then returned to Louisville, Ky., where he was hospitalized for a dislocated hip and given a small amount of pain medication. He sought an additional prescription from Commonwealth Pain and Spine in September.
3. Stephen Young, MD, of Commonwealth Pain & Spine, allegedly refused to write a prescription for the same amount of pain medication Mr. Slone was given in California and told Mr. Slone to wait six days for the next appointment.
4. Mr. Slone died by suicide hours after Dr. Young declined to prescribe additional pain medication. Mr. Slone's wife sued Commonwealth Pain & Spine in 2018.
5. The jury awarded Mr. Slone's family $7 million, according to the Aug. 30 report.