Two Escambia County hospitals sue pharmaceutical companies over opioid epidemic
Reno doctor in pill mill case sentenced to 10 years in prisonTwo Escambia County hospitals have filed a lawsuit against national health care and pharmaceutical companies in an effort to recoup the costs of treating opioid-addicted patients.
Baptist Hospital and Jay Hospital, both owned by Baptist Health Care, are named as plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit filed Tuesday that alleges the 23 companies or subsidiaries have played a part in the increased need to treat patients for opioid addictions in Escambia County.
Many of the companies refute the claims, saying the role of pharmaceutical companies in the nationwide opioid epidemic is misunderstood.
Many municipalities across the country have started suing pharmaceutical companies for the strain and cost that treating opioid-dependent patients takes on paramedics, ambulances and other resources.
OP pain doctor facing chargesRENO, Nev. (News 4 & Fox 11) — The Reno doctor behind an illegal drug ring has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Dr. Robert Rand, 54, was sentenced in federal court on Monday, November 20., following a court hearing that lasted hours.
His sentence also carries a $25,000 fine and $11,960 in restitution to the family of Michael Yenick, whose death resulted in the manslaughter charge. He will be subject to three years of supervised release after his sentence ends.
"According to the plea agreement, Rand admitted that he acted with gross negligence by prescribing an excessive amount of oxycodone to a patient in reckless regard for the patient’s life," the U.S. Attorney's office for Nevada said in a statement.
Rand faced up to 20 years for unlawful distribution of a controlled substance and eight years for an involuntary manslaughter charge.
AG Ferguson, Joined By The State Patrol And Prosecutors, Releases Opioid Report Recommending Strategies To Combat Opioid EpidemicBUFFALO, N.Y.--- An Orchard Park doctor is facing federal charges after using his patients to prescribe himself drugs, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Dr. Paul Biddle, 43, of Amherst, was arrested and charged with obtaining controlled substances through fraud and identity theft. U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Junior announced Biddle's arrest Tuesday.
Prosecutors say Biddle was prescribing medication for 23 of his patients, two of whom were dead, through a Tampa, Florida pharmacy. Those prescriptions were then sent either to Biddle's Amherst home or his Orchard Park office.
The U.S. Attorney's Office states that between November 11, 2013 and October 16, 2017, Biddle wrote and received 888 prescriptions for opioids. The prescriptions include hydromorphone, HCL, fentanyl citrate, and morphine sulfate.
According to evidence collected from Biddle's trash, the U.S. Attorney Office stated that it appears he received the opioids and marijuana fraudulently, and the drugs were being used illegally at his home.
"Sadly, it appeared that Dr. Biddle here, used his medical license as a license both to steal patient information, as well as to divert drugs to himself," U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy Jr. said. "And today's arrest reminds us that no one is immune from the deleterious effects of drug addiction in our community."
Biddle pleaded not guilty to the charges before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. MCCarthy Tuesday. He was released under the conditions the he would not practice medicine or write prescriptions, pending his next court appearance on November 27, 2017.
OLYMPIA — Attorney General Ferguson today released a report recommending specific policies to reduce the supply of opioids in Washington state. The report recommends a comprehensive approach to the problem, addressing prevention, treatment and enforcement. Ferguson is also unveiling three opioid-related bills he will take to the Legislature in January.
The Attorney General’s Office, Washington State Patrol and the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys developed the report based on information shared at the Summit on Reducing the Supply of Opioids in Washington State in June 2017.
“The opioid epidemic is devastating Washington families,” Ferguson said. “This report makes it clear we have a crisis, and provides concrete, evidence-based solutions. I am proposing some of these common-sense changes as legislation in the upcoming session, including limiting new opioid prescriptions and using the existing Prescription Monitoring Program to empower providers with a more complete picture of their patients’ history before writing new prescriptions. It is time for the Legislature to take action.”
On average, two people die each day from opioid overdoses in Washington state. In 2011, at the peak of overall sales in Washington, more than 112 million daily doses of all prescription opioids were dispensed in the state — enough for a 16-day supply for every woman, man and child in Washington.
At the opioid summit in June, Ferguson pledged he would put forward legislation consistent with the report’s recommendations. Today Ferguson announced he is introducing three agency request bills this session consistent with policy recommendations in the report.
One bill requires health care providers to check the state’s prescription-monitoring database before prescribing opioids. Another limits the number of opioids a provider can initially prescribe. A third bill gives the Attorney General’s Office Medicaid Fraud Control Unit more authority to investigate and prosecute opioid-related Medicaid fraud cases.
