Medical professionals are held to high ethical standards. These standards help ensure that doctors, nurses and other medical practitioners serve the public with a standard level of care. Any type of acquisition could jeopardize a medical professional’s license, such as medical malpractice, patient abuse or drug use. One type of allegation that could severely harm a medical professional’s reputation is prescription fraud.
Understanding what prescription fraud is and how to avoid it could protect medical professionals from losing their licenses. Here is what you should know:
What is prescription fraud?
Many people have to obtain prescriptions from medical practitioners before they can purchase controlled substances. The illegal possession, distribution or prescribing of controlled substances can lead to fraud accusations and criminal charges. Some common examples of prescription fraud include falsifying patient records, aiding patients in obtaining controlled substances or prescribing drugs without a medical purpose. Medical practitioners may also inadvertently violate regulations by failing to maintain records or overprescribing.
To help maintain the use of controlled substances, Pennsylvania’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) collects information about all filled prescriptions. The information collected could be used against a practitioner accused of prescription fraud.
What could happen if a medical professional is accused of prescription fraud?
Pennsylvania’s State Board of Medicine (SBM) may scrutinize any allegations of prescription fraud. The board may review the medical practitioner’s actions and penalize them if there is evidence of prescription fraud. As a result, medical professionals could have their licenses suspended or revoked, jeopardizing all of the work they put in their careers.
What are the defense options for medical professionals?
Doctors, nurses and pharmacists have the right to defend themselves from accusations of prescription fraud and other criminal activities. This can be done by reviewing the charges against them and carefully identifying issues. It can also help to cooperate and provide accurate and detailed records highlighting adherence to protocols. It may become evident that an acquisition was inaccurate or there were issues with a patient, such as doctor-shopping or forgery.
Medical practitioners should reach out to a Pennsylvania criminal defense lawyer experienced in defending medical professionals to understand the charges, gather evidence and build a strong defense.
