A family medicine physician in Three Rivers, Mass., will pay $220,000 to settle allegations he prescribed controlled substances outside the usual course of professional practice.
Stephen Holuk, MD, admitted that he regularly prescribed Schedule II controlled substances for his patients, according to a Dec. 20 news release from the Justice Department.
For four patients, according to the release, Dr. Holuk prescribed opioids in combination with benzodiazepines and muscle relaxers, writing at least 280 prescriptions for opioids for these four patients alone.
He also allegedly prescribed opioids for his patients without consistently conducting functional pain assessments or opioid risk assessments.