Fraudulent Opioid Prescribers Can Expect More Federal Charges

A surge in opioid-related settlements targeting individual physicians in 2018 is likely to continue as the government uses a law targeting false claims to fight the nationwide opioid abuse crisis.

The government recovered over $4.6 million from five individuals involved in opioid fraud in fiscal year 2018 under the False Claims Act, according to Bloomberg Law Data Analytics Manager Christina Brady and Analysis Manager Betsy Mountenay. Only two opioid-related FCA settlements with individuals occurred from 2014 through 2017.

“The government is targeting practitioners who are making money writing medically unnecessary opioid prescriptions and taking kickbacks from drug companies,” Mountenay said. ...