Florida Accident Attorney Blog

South Florida has the dubious distinction of being the "pill mill" capital of the country. Pill mills refer to the pain clinics that can be found in strip malls and street corners throughout the region, including Palm Beach County, Broward County, and Miami-Dade County. As more and more Florida residents die from prescription drug misuse, the federal government has begun to investigate and clamp down on illegal pain medication distribution in so called South Fla. pill mills.

Earlier this month, West Palm Beach, Florida media reported that a local doctor has been charged in the death of a patient due to prescription drug overdose. According to The Palm Beach Post news, a judge set high bail for a prescription dispensing physician, who has been accused of first-degree murder in the 2009 death of a 24-year-old male patient in South Florida. The doctor reportedly practiced medicine and wrote prescriptions within what's described as the "largest illegal pain clinic network in the country."

West Palm Beach medical malpractice attorneys follow cases such as this one -- where a doctor's actions are suspected of leading to the wrongful death of a patient. Florida has become the epicenter in a national war on the illegal prescription drug trade via so-called pill mills or pain management clinics. The media reports that these clinics are often a front for other illicit operations, including street drug trafficking, selling steroids, and other criminal activities.

A Florida nursing home abuse lawyer is also familiar with laws related to the dispensing of classified drugs such as narcotic pain medication. Sadly, Florida nursing home abuse can take the form of stealing residents' much-needed pain medications, as well as overmedicating patients as a way of keeping them chemically sedated and restrained.

MSNBC reported that according to Florida medical examiners, 1,286 deaths occurred in Fla. due to prescription drugs during the first six months of 2010 — the most recent data available. That amounts to about seven fatalities a day due to prescription drug abuse, misuse, and overdose. A sobering fact: "More than 850 pain clinics are currently registered in Florida, where doctors prescribe 85 percent of all such pills in the nation."

This case of the West Palm Beach doctor accused in a Florida patient's death by pain medication overdose is likely not the last we'll hear of the problem of pain management clinics in South Florida. The Associated Press describes an "OxyContin Express" -- i.e., busloads of people coming to South Florida for easy access to dangerous narcotics and other prescription medications. The national Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) are involved in investigating and shutting down South Florida pill mill operations.

Related Florida Injury Attorney Article:

Crackdown on Broward County "Pill Mills" : Pain Clinics Blamed for Florida Prescription Drug Overdose Deaths (March 9, 2011)

Sources:

$360,000 bond set for accused pain clinic doctor
The Palm Beach Post News Sept. 7, 2011

US aims to kill Florida pill mills
Associated Press via MSNBC.com April 19, 2011

A Miami, Florida news source reports that the Florida Attorney General wants to strengthen the role of the state in closing down clinics illegally distributing narcotic pain medications. Broward County, Florida has come under legal and media scrutiny for the proliferation of shady pain clinics or "pill mills" -- where powerful narcotics such as oxycontin and other opioids are sold to addicts and dealers on the black market. In February, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi introduced a series of proposals for the legislative season aimed at bolstering the state’s role in shutting down these so-called pill mills.

Fort Lauderdale medical malpractice lawyers are familiar with Florida laws restricting the sale of controlled substances such as oxycontin, oxycodone and other narcotic medications. Medication errors are sometimes to blame in patient wrongful deaths; the illegal distribution of opioid prescriptions through pain clinics is an alarming problem, as these medications are highly addictive.

The Miami Herald describes several stories told by grieving families who reportedly lost family members due to illegal drugs obtained at questionable Broward County pain clinics. One mother tells how her son was killed in a fatal pedestrian accident after walking out into traffic while under the influence of oxycodone. Families have formed an advocacy group called STOPP NOW: Stop the Organized Pill Pushers (see link below).

The Florida Attorney General supports operation of a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, which Florida Gov. Rick Scott has opposed due to privacy issues. This week, a judge in Tallahassee, Fla. cleared the way for the program to begin operation. If Florida's drug monitoring program goes into effect, it will track prescriptions for controlled substances filled by Fla. pharmacists and medical practitioners using a database.

Currently, Florida is the largest state in the U.S. that does not have a drug monitoring system similar to those operating in another 34 states. The problem of unethical pain management clinics operating in Broward County, Florida has received national attention, as families who have lost loved ones to drug overdoses cry out for laws to be changed. Prescription drug addicts may engage in "doctor shopping" -- going from clinic to clinic to obtain narcotic medications. And some medical doctors engage in excessive prescription writing. Unfortunately, Broward County, Florida has become a destination for both addicts and dealers in illegal narcotics.

Ruling could clear way for prescription drug monitoring in Florida
TampaBay.com March 9, 2010

Sons and daughters, lost to a pill epidemic
MiamiHerald.com March 5, 2011

Related Florida Accident Attorney article:
State Attorney Calls West Palm Beach Summit on Florida Pain Clinics and Prescription Drug Abuse Feb. 22, 2010

Related Web Resources

STOPP NOW: Stop the Organized Pill Pushers

Florida Office of Drug Control

South Florida's pain management clinics have come under increased scrutiny in connection with the illegal pill trade and trafficking of Oxycontin and other powerful prescription drugs.

The office of State Attorney Michael McAuliffe of Palm Beach County, Florida, is hosting a summit in West Palm Beach to look at the growing problem of pain clinics, drug trafficking, and prescription drug abuse. The Prescription Drug Abuse and Pain Clinic Summit, held in late Feb., will bring together medical officials, law enforcement personnel, and policymakers to examine the problem.

Last year, several pain management clinics in Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach County and Broward County, Florida, came under investigation for illegally selling prescription drugs. (See Florida Elder Care Alert: Fort Lauderdale, Broward & Palm Beach County Pain Clinics Scrutinized.) SAMHSA (the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) reports that drug abuse among senior citizens is on the rise, as the Baby Boom generation ages.

Florida medication error lawyers have knowledge pertaining to product liability, prescription drugs, and medical malpractice as they all impact the care of our senior citizens.

Overdose of powerful prescription pain drugs such as opioids can lead to wrongful death. Experts at the Feb. 2010 Summit, which will be held Clayton Hutcheson Agricultural Center in West Palm Beach, will discuss legislation for greater self-regulation in the Florida medical industry.

West Palm Beach summit takes look at prescription drug abuse, pain clinics
Sun-Sentinel.com Feb. 22, 2010

Drug Use Rising Among Seniors; Baby Boomers Continue Using, SAMHSA Says
Jan. 11, 2010

Related Web Resources

Florida State Attorney Michael F. McAuliffe, Palm Beach County, Florida

American Academy of Pain Medicine

A spokesperson for an Ocala, Florida pharmacy has stepped forward to say that a supplemental medication it prepared for the Venezuelan Lechuza polo team's horses may have been incorrectly mixed. Last weekend, 21 polo horses died while preparing for the championship polo matches in Wellington, Florida, leading some in the equestrian community to speculate whether the horses had been poisoned.

The Associated Press reports that a statement made by Jennifer Beckett of Franck's Pharmacy in Ocala said that "the strength of an ingredient in the medication was incorrect." The pharmacy, which came forward after conducting its own internal investigation, and the Lechuza polo team are cooperating with investigating officials. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are investigating.

Questions remain as to the ingredients used in the compound and whether the mixture was approved for use in the United States. The AP reports that the pharmacy mixed the prescription--written by a Florida veterinarian--to create a compound similar to a French-made mineral and vitamins supplement called Biodyl, which is used to treat horses for exhaustion. Many of the horses who died last Sunday expired within hours of being given the compound. The U.S. has not approved the use of Biodyl, and it is unclear whether issues of product liability will be relevant to this case.

It is also unclear whether any medical or pharmaceutical negligence occurred in the preparation of the medication given to the horses, nor whether any medication error lawsuits will be filed. The sudden deaths of these beautiful animals demonstrates what can happen when medication errors occur. Unfortunately, medication errors occur all too frequently. A Florida prescription error attorney represents families who believe they or a loved one may have suffered personal injury or perished due to medication errors.

The U.S. Polo Association website states that the Lechuza Caracas team has withdrawn from the U.S. Open Polo Championships. Equestrian sporting events bring commerce, tourists, and media attention to Wellington and Palm Beach County, Florida.

AP Newsbreak: Pharmacy made mistake in horse drug
Yahoo! News, Associated Press April 23, 2009

Ocala pharmacy says it incorrectly prepared medication for 21 polo horses that died
SunSentinel.com April 23, 2009

Related Web Resources

United States Polo Association

Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that pain management clinics in Fort Lauderdale and Broward and Palm Beach Counties are under scrutiny for potential illegal activity surrounding distribution of prescription pain medications.

The report states that 130 pain clinics are in operation in South Florida -- 70 of which have opened in Broward County and Palm Beach County since January 2008. Of those 70, the report found that 48 clinics are owned by investors and not physicians. Police are stepping up efforts to examine activities at some clinics, which are under suspicion for taking part in the illegal sale of OxyContin and other painkillers as street drugs.

Doctors are pushing for a bill that would enable the state of Florida with more power to regulate investor-operated pain management clinics. The Sun-Sentinel reports that some pain clinics are offering gift cards and cash rewards for patients who refer other patients to the clinics.

A Florida personal injury attorney assists families in cases where an overprescription of drugs leads to physical injury, brain damage or wrongful death. In this case, the Sun-Sentinel learned that of the physicians staffing these pain management clinics under scrutiny, 14 had been disciplined for overprescribing drugs. The report also stated that more than 4,000 Floridians died from prescription drug overdoses in 2008 -- up 20 percent from 2007. Of the top 50 U.S. clinics known for dispensing OxyContin, are all in Florida -- with Broward County hosting 33 of them.

Nursing Home Medication Errors
Seniors who are trying to manage chronic pain due to arthritis and a host of other conditions are vulnerable to being given the wrong medication or too much medication, causing an estimated 800,000 "adverse drug reactions" every year. (Gurwitz, et al., Incidence and preventability of adverse drug events in nursing homes, The American Journal of Medicine, Aug. 1, 2000.) Nursing home medication errors is a concern for families who've placed their parents or grandparents in a long-term care facility and depend on nursing home staff to dispense medications and keep their loved ones safe.

South Florida pain centers that promote pill trade face scrutiny
SunSentinel.com April 7, 2009

Related Web Resource

AARP:Your Guide to Choosing a Long-Acting Opioid Analgesic for Chronic Pain