Authorities are now cracking down as a result of the opioid crisis on those doctors who allegedly are peddling the pills unnecessarily. Due to the high addiction rate associated with opioids and the fact that opioid use has spread throughout the United States, many doctors who are accused of peddling the medications and operating pill mills are being targeted by investigators.
One recent opioid crisis crackdown involved a doctor who had patients traveling from hundreds of miles away to provide easy access to prescriptions for pain killing medication. These were some of the most powerful painkillers in the world and allegedly helped to usher in the major opioid crisis across the United States.
A minimum of at least one of those patients died of a drug overdose and prosecutors say that their investigation yielded information that others became so dependent on opioids like oxycodone that some patients would even sleep in the waiting room. Many of those patients who received prescriptions furthered the opioid crisis by selling them near storefronts and on unlighted street corners throughout Pennsylvania.
Allegheny County in particular has had a problem with the opioid crisis where the deaths by drug overdose reached an all-time high last year. The doctor in this particular opioid crisis investigation was one who offered herbal pain remedies and ozone therapy but also was known for giving easy access to highly addictive narcotics.
Many of the patients who received a prescription for these narcotics had no need for them. When the doctor was asked about the role he may have played in the opioid crisis, he denied that he was over-prescribing these medications, saying that his practice was focused on alternative medications.
That doctor shared that when he cut down on offering pain pills that many patients stopped visiting him altogether.
The physician’s October indictment was the first in a country-wide pursuit by federal law enforcement officials that aims to curb fraudulent doctor behavior sooner rather than later.
Greater access to prescription drug databases and Medicare and Medicaid data in addition to coroner’s records may indicate where the opioid crisis is the strongest in the United States and allow authorities to act as soon as possible.
Since the opioid crisis has had such a major impact on communities around the nation, some prescription drug companies are accused of downplaying the addictive nature of these drugs and marketing them heavily. The widespread impact of opioid addiction and overdoses has led some state attorney generals and other elected officials to take action by filing lawsuits against the drugmakers.
If you believe that your community has been affected by the opioid crisis, you may have grounds to initiate a lawsuit with the manufacturers of these drugs.
Consult with the lawyers at McDonald Worley immediately to learn more about how to proceed. Fill out the form located on this page to get more information.