Dr. Kraynak, 65, was also ordered to pay $22,365 in restitution to his victims or their families.
He practiced at an office in Mt. Carmel and another in Shamokin, both known as Keystone Family Medicine Associates, the Justice Department said. From January 2014 to July 31, 2017, he prescribed to his patients about 9.5 million units of oxycodone, hydrocodone, oxycontin and fentanyl.
Dr. Kraynak was the top opioid prescriber in the state from 2014 to 2016, when he prescribed more opioids than either the Veterans Medical Center in Pittsburgh or the Veterans Hospital in Philadelphia, the Justice Department said. He prescribed high doses despite knowing that some of his patients had prior conditions increasing the risks of overdose and death.
He pleaded guilty on Sept. 23 to 12 drug charges, but later submitted a motion to withdraw the guilty plea, the Justice Department said. The motion was denied.
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