Pain Management | The Health Law Firm Blog

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 prescriptions were not legitimate.

Click here to see video of the arrest from WFTV in Orlando.

Investigation by Narcotics Agents Led to Arrest.

In December 2011, narcotics agents searched the same pharmacy and found 22 prescriptions that were suspected to be fraudulent, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Agents […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:05-04:00May 15, 2018|Legal Defense for Pharmacists, Pain Management, Pharmacist, Pharmacy, Pharmacy Law|

Walgreens Files a Petition to Lift the Immediate Suspension Order

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

There’s a firefight brewing between Walgreens and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). On October 10, 2012, Walgreens filed a petition asking a federal judge to lift the Immediate Suspension Order (ISO) that bans its distribution center in Jupiter, Florida, from shipping controlled substances to its stores in Florida and on the East Coast.

Back on September 14, 2012, the DEA issued an ISO on the distribution center, calling it an “imminent danger” to the public. Click here to read a blog I previously wrote when the DEA […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:06-04:00May 15, 2018|Legal Defense for Pharmacists, Pain Management, Pharmacist, Pharmacy, Pharmacy Law|

Sanford CVS Pharmacies in Hot Water for Ignoring Red Flags

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

In September 2012, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) revoked the controlled substance licenses from two CVS pharmacies in Sanford, Florida. Details into the investigation were made public on October 12, 2012, in a final order released by the DEA.

The order explains how the stores operated, whom they prescribed painkillers such as oxycodone to, and identified Central Florida’s top-prescribing doctors.

To read the final order from the DEA, click here.

I previously wrote about the two Sanford CVS stores losing their controlled substance licenses, […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:07-04:00May 15, 2018|Legal Defense for Pharmacists, Pain Management, Pharmacist, Pharmacy, Pharmacy Law|

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 regarding pain management clinics.

Click here to read the entire Seminole County Ordinance.

County Commissioners hope these new regulations will aid law enforcement in fighting illegal pill mill operations in Florida.

Regulations In Place to Cut Down on Overprescribing.

The ordinance requires clinics to get a license, produce monthly […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:08-04:00May 15, 2018|Pain Management, Trafficking Prescription Painkillers|

California, Pennsylvania and Kentucky Move to Tighten Laws Related to Controlled Substance

By Lance O. Leider, J.D., The Health Law Firm

In reports from both coasts, three states have recently made moves to tighten monitoring and prescribing of controlled substances. Legislators in California, Pennsylvania and Kentucky are contemplating new actions. Health professionals should take note, these prescription drug monitoring programs can, and will be, used as a prosecution tool.

Details of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Possibly Coming to Your State.

According to the Los Angeles Times, California is looking to utilize its prescription drug monitoring program CURES to find physicians who are a little too loose with the prescription pad. Lawmakers are contemplating mining the data compiled by CURES to find physicians who […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:10-04:00May 15, 2018|Pain Management, Pharmacy Law|

“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 has been dubbed “Operation Main Pain” by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.

Click here to view the press release from the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigation Unveiled Complex Fraudulent Drug Ring.

The investigation began in July 2011, when a fraudulent oxycodone prescription was noticed at a CVS pharmacy in Sarasota County. When more of the […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:14-04:00May 15, 2018|Pain Management, Pharmacist, Pharmacy, Trafficking Prescription Painkillers|

Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Serves Up Immediate Suspension Order for Walgreens Distribution Center

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

On September 14, 2012, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) blocked the Walgreens distribution center in Jupiter, Florida, from shipping oxycodone and other controlled drugs to its pharmacies in Florida and the East Coast with an immediate suspension order, according to the DEA. In the press release, the DEA called the Walgreens distribution facility an “imminent danger” to the public.

To see the entire press release from the DEA, click here.

Back in April 2012, the DEA served an administrative inspection warrant at the same […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:39-04:00May 15, 2018|Legal Defense for Pharmacists, Pain Management, Pharmacist, Pharmacy, Pharmacy Law|

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 the Sunshine State became known as painkiller capital of America, officials worked quickly to enact legislation against prescription drugs, develop and monitor the statewide prescription drug monitoring database, and crackdown on prescription drug abusers and pill mills. Flash forward to summer 2013, prescription pills are harder to come by and more expensive, therefore making them less […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:39-04:00May 15, 2018|Pain Management, Pharmacist, Pharmacy, Trafficking Prescription Painkillers|

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, a jury acquitted Cynthia Cadet, M.D., and Joseph Castronuovo, M.D., of causing the deaths of their patients. The doctors were convicted of money laundering for their role in a conspiracy involving the chain of pain clinics they worked at, according to the DEA. The doctors still face up to ten (10) years in jail for the […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:40-04:00May 15, 2018|Pain Management|

Central Florida Doctor’s Home and Offices Raided Over Alleged Improper Prescribing Practices

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

In a joint operation, law enforcement officials raided the home and two offices of a Central Florida physician on November 8, 2013, according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office. The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office alleges that the doctor is being investigated for improper prescribing practices. According to the press release, this is not the first time the physician has been under investigation.

The raid was a collective effort between the Osceola County Investigative Bureau (OCIB), Florida Department of Health (DOH), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), and the Metropolitan Bureau of […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:40-04:00May 15, 2018|Pain Management, Pharmacy Law, Pharmacy Law Blog|