New Jersey’s Attorney General has revoked the license of a doctor who has been accused of a “grossly negligent pattern” of over-prescribing narcotic painkillers and putting his patients at risk of addiction. According to a news report in the Times of Trenton, the 46-year-old doctor has signed a consent order effectively turning in his license to practice medicine after the New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners formally revoked it.
Investigators tracked a total of eight cases, during which the doctor allegedly made, and continued to make, large quantities of narcotic painkillers available to his patients, despite knowing that the drugs were being abused. Failing to notice the obvious signs of addiction, as well as taking preventative steps to curb such dependency, violates the doctor’s Hippocratic Oath according to NJ health officials.
The Attorney General’s statement said that the doctor prescribed excessive amounts of potentially dangerous drugs such as Oxycodone, even when the patients’ diagnoses did not warrant such treatment. He continued to prescribe increasing amounts of narcotic medications, despite the fact that many of his patients tested positive for heroin, cocaine or prescription opiates previously.
Doctors in New Jersey have a legal responsibility to prescribe the right types and dosages of medications. When doctors prescribe drugs that do not benefit their patients or harm their patients, they can be held accountable for their criminal and/or negligent actions. Patients who are given unnecessary prescriptions may suffer from adverse health effects, including addiction.
If you have been the victim of medication errors or have suffered adverse health effects because of an unnecessary or contraindicated prescription, the experienced personal injury lawyers at Blume Forte can help you better understand your legal rights and options. Contact us for a no-cost evaluation of your potential claim.