A Langhorne Borough podiatrist has agreed to pay $75,000 and stop prescribing Schedule II opioids.
The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced Monday that Dr. Ronald Klein would stop writing scripts for Schedule II opioids, which are known for their high potential for abuse and dependence, and pay the penalty.
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“The settlement resolves allegations that over two years, Dr. Klein wrote prescriptions for one of his patients that had no legitimate medical purpose and were not issued in the usual course of professional practice. In particular, Klein allegedly wrote improper prescriptions, including for opioids, when multiple prescriptions were written for the same drug on the same day, were written too early based upon the previous prescription’s supply and directions for use, and were not supported by contemporaneous medical histories or physical examinations,” a statement of the U.S. Department of Justice said.
“Healthcare providers have an unwavering duty to their patients to ensure that opioid prescriptions are written for a legitimate medical purpose, and are consistent with the law and the accepted standard of care,” said U.S. Attorney William McSwain.
Officials made the point that the settlement was not an determination of liability.
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The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Philadelphia Field Division with assistance from U.S. attorneys.
