Orlando Pharmacist in Hot Water After Filling Fraudulent Prescriptions
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Another pharmacist was led away in handcuffs during a September 25, 2012, raid on an Orlando-area pharmacy, according to a number of sources. The pharmacist is accused of filling prescriptions for oxycodone, even though he allegedly knew the […]
Doctor Sentenced to Almost 27 Years in Prison for Pill Mill Charges
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law A doctor was sentenced to almost 27 years in prison on July 24, 2013, according to the Sun Sentinel. The former doctor, Sergio Rodriguez, had worked as a pediatrician at Children Plus Health Center near Palm Beach County, […]
New Details Released on Drug Enforcement Administration’s Investigation of Central Florida Pain Management Clinic
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) investigation into a Longwood, Florida, pain management clinic continues. More details are being revealed about the case. DEA agents along with local police and sheriffs’ deputies raided the pain management clinic on June […]
Drug Enforcement Administration Agents Raid Central Florida Pain Management Clinic
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents along with local police and sheriffs’ deputies raided a Longwood, Florida, pain management clinic on June 14, 2013. According to the Orlando Sentinel, agents searched for evidence at the clinic associated with multiple […]
Number of Oxycodone-Related Deaths Down in Florida
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law It looks like Florida’s prescription drug legislation, the statewide prescription drug monitoring database and the prescription drug crackdowns by law enforcement may be working, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). The FDLE states in its […]
Tightened Restrictions Placed on Pain Management Clinics in Seminole County
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Seminole County, Florida, is the latest county to adopt tightened regulations for pain management clinics. On November 13, 2012, County Commissioners unanimously voted to adopt the ordinance enacting Chapter 186 of the Seminole County Code to establish regulations […]
Most Physicians Not Using the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program
By Danielle M. Murray, J.D. The Florida Prescription Drug Monitoring Program is apparently collecting dust as physicians are choosing not to use it. The Tampa Bay Times reported on October 5, 2012, that as few as one in twelve doctors have ever used the database. That is about eight percent (8%) of all physicians. Approximately […]
Sarasota Sheriff Wants Patients to Waive HIPAA Privacy Rights
By Danielle M. Murray, J.D. Law enforcement has been working hard to bust pill mills and stop prescription drug abuse. Pharmacists and pain management doctors are under intense scrutiny by various law enforcement agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Department of Health (DOH), for their role in giving out controlled substances. “Doctor […]
Osceola County Commissioners Vote to Regulate Pain Management Clinics
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On October 8, 2012, the Osceola County, Florida, Commissioners unanimously approved an ordinance that will regulate pain management clinics, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The ordinance will take effect on October 31, 2012, and will be in effect […]
More Than 20 Arrest Warrants Issued by Polk County Sheriff’s Office in Connection to Pill Mill Investigation
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law The Polk County Sheriff’s Office issued 25 arrest warrants in connection to an ongoing pill mill investigation involving a medical clinic in Winter Haven, Florida. On September 19, 2012, the sheriff’s office announced that ten suspects in the […]
Doctor Voluntarily Relinquishes License Due to Allegations of Malpractice and Over-Prescribing Oxycodone
By Danielle M. Murray, J.D., Attorney, The Health Law Firm A doctor in Polk County, Florida, has lost his license to practice medicine. Rather than risk having his license revoked in an administrative proceeding, the now former doctor offered to voluntarily relinquish his license. The Florida Board of Medicine voted to accept the voluntary relinquishment […]
Two Central Florida Physicians Connected to Statewide Pill-Mill Network
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law An Orlando and Jacksonville physician have been linked to a statewide pill-mill operation that brought in millions of dollars to pain clinic owners and doctors, according to the Orlando Sentinel. On June 27, 2012 seven doctors and seven […]
Recent Pill Mill Bust in Florida Dubbed “Operation Pill Street Blues”
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law A statewide pill mill bust that spanned several Florida cities was announced by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Florida law enforcement on June 27, 2012. Seven doctors and seven pain clinic owners were arrested. The raid has […]
Two Florida Doctors Convicted of Money Laundering Stemming from Pill Mill Operation in Broward and Palm Beach Counties
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Two South Florida doctors faced life in prison and fines up to $2 million each because nine (9) of their patients allegedly died of drug overdoses, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). However, on July 30, 2013, […]
Florida Doctors and Pharmacists Beware: Gov. Scott Declares State of Emergency for Opioid Abuse Crisis
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On May 3, 2017, Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency to combat Florida’s opioid-addiction epidemic. According to the governor, the number of overdose deaths has reached epidemic proportions. This declaration will allow nearly $30 million […]
Nation Rx Drug Abuse Summit Held in Central Florida-Leaders Share Struggles and Triumphs in “War Against Prescription Drugs”
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law From April 2 through April 4, 2013, the country’s leading experts on the prescription drug epidemic met in Central Florida for the National Rx Drug Abuse Summit, according to the Orlando Sentinel. National leaders including the White House […]
Crackdown in the Supply of Prescription Medications Drive Floridians to Heroin
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law For the past three years, Florida lawmakers and officials have waged war against prescription drug abuse. At the peak of the pill abuse epidemic, seven people a day reportedly died of a prescription drug overdose in Florida. As […]
Two Pharmacists and One Dentist in Central Florida Arrested for Prescribing and Dispensing Prescription Drugs
By Danielle M. Murray, J.D., and George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law The Lakeland Ledger reports that Polk County Sheriff’s Detectives arrested a dentist and two pharmacists on September 5, 2012, in three unrelated cases dealing with illegally prescribing and dispensing painkillers. The sheriff’s office […]
“Operation Main Pain” Targets More Than 60 in Fraudulent Prescription Drug Ring
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office announced a fraudulent prescription drug ring bust that spanned throughout Sarasota and Manatee counties in Florida, on September 19, 2013. So far, 61 people, including the alleged ringleader have been arrested. The operation […]
Two Orlando-Area Pharmacists Arrested on Charges of Allegedly Trafficking Drugs
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Two Orlando-area pharmacists were arrested on June 4, 2013, allegedly in connection to trafficking oxycodone, according to a number of local media sources. An Orlando Sentinel article states that the pharmacists are also co-owners of an Orlando pharmacy […]
New Regulations for Pain Management Clinics in Seminole County Coming
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Seminole County, Florida, is the latest county to adopt tightened regulations for pain management clinics. On November 13, 2012, County Commissioners unanimously voted to adopt the ordinance enacting Chapter 186 of the Seminole County Code to establish regulations […]
Filling Phony Prescriptions for Pain Killers Lands Orlando Pharmacist Behind Bars
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Another pharmacist was led away in handcuffs during a September 25, 2012, raid on an Orlando-area pharmacy, according to a number of sources. The pharmacist is accused of filling prescriptions for oxycodone, even though he allegedly knew the […]