Tarpon Springs, Fla.-based pain clinic Phoenix Medical Management Care Centers was issued a restraining order blocking it from administering, dispensing or distributing controlled substances, the Justice Department said Oct. 17.
Pediatrician Vivian Herrero, MD, and Christopher and Patricia Ferguson allegedly used the clinic to illegally dispense opioids and other drugs, the department said. Two patients allegedly died soon after receiving opioid prescriptions Dr. Herrero issued.
Drugs were often prescribed without a legitimate medical reason and despite signs of abuse or diversion, the department said.