Two Massachusetts physicians and their shared practice have been indicted on charges of illegally prescribing controlled substances without legitimate medical purpose and submitting false claims to Medicaid, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office said in a May 26 news release.
Jeffrey Jones, MD, and James Wilson, MD, of West Brookfield Family Practice each face eight counts of illegal prescribing of controlled substances, including combinations of opioids, stimulants and benzodiazepines, and one count of Medicaid false claims. The physicians allegedly repeatedly prescribed controlled substances to patients with known histories of substance use disorder, including some who had previously overdosed, without conducting standard safeguards such as pill counts, pain contracts or prescription monitoring program checks. The practice was also indicted for submitting false claims to MassHealth for office visits during which the allegedly illegal prescriptions were issued.
The DEA suspended both physicians’ prescribing authority on May 6. All charges are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
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