Think running a scheme to bill Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance companies for unnecessary opioid prescriptions won’t catch the eye of the government? Think again.
Four doctors, three pharmacists, a pharmacy owner and two nurse practitioners are among 19 people facing federal charges for running an elaborate $41 million “pill mill” operation in Metro Detroit that put nearly 2 million opioids on the black market.
The 44-count indictment, unsealed June 9, states the three-year scheme involved two clinics “whose owner gave doctors cash and other illegal benefits to write prescriptions for ‘fake’ patients with no legitimate need for the drugs,” according to the Detroit Free Press.
“The clinic owner also paid an unlicensed medical professional to pose as a doctor and issue pre-signed prescriptions in the names of other providers, the indictment states.”
We at Chapman Law Group are all too familiar with the after-effects of unlawful prescriptions. Outside of the criminal charges for healthcare fraud, pharmacists and physicians are likely to get their professional medical licenses suspended or revoked, as well as their DEA registration.
“The loss of a DEA registration is catastrophic for a physician,” Ronald W. Chapman II, chair of the firm’s white Collar Defense & Government Investigations practice group, recently explained when he was a guest on The Daily Addict podcast.
“You’ll lose board privileges, the ability to be on a hospital panel, to be able to see patients at a hospital. It may lead to the loss of state licensure. It’ll be reported for a lifetime on the National Practitioners Data Bank.”
If you are a physician charged with healthcare fraud and/or involvement in a pill mill, our attorneys at Chapman Law Group are your best choice. We have thorough understanding of pain management guidelines and the standard of care for prescribing various pain medications, as our extensive team of experts has expertise in nearly every area of medicine.
In addition, we are one of the few law firms in the U.S. that handles criminal law specifically for those in the healthcare profession.
Simply put, our national lawyers are here to provide the comprehensive defense strategy that will cover all the areas of your potential criminal case, your licensing case, and your compliance issues — without the need to seek out the advice of attorneys in scattered fields and locations.
At Chapman Law Group, healthcare professionals are our sole focus. Our attorneys serve healthcare providers throughout the U.S., with four national offices in Detroit, Michigan; Miami and Sarasota, Florida; and Los Angeles/Southern California.
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Ronald W. Chapman II, LL.M.
Shareholder
Chairperson of White Collar Defense & Government Investigations
Michigan Office
1441 W. Long Lake Road, Suite 310
Troy, MI 48098
Phone: (248) 644-6326
Healthcare providers accused of healthcare fraud or improper opioid prescribing can’t afford to overlook these signals when selecting an attorney.
Michigan OFFICE
1441 W Long Lake Road
Suite 310
Troy, MI 48098
T. 248.644.6326
F. 248.644.6324
CALIFORNIA OFFICE
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North Hollywood, CA 91601
T. (818) 287-0576
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Suite 120
Sarasota, FL 34240
T. 941.893.3449
701 Waterford Way
Suite 340
Miami, FL 33126
T. 305.712.7177
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