Two Massachusetts doctors and their medical practice have been indicted on multiple charges tied to the illegal prescribing of controlled substances and fraudulent billing, Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office announced Tuesday.
According to Campbell’s office, a Worcester County grand jury indicted Drs. Jeffrey J. Jones and James C. Wilson III on eight charges of illegal controlled substance prescribing and one count of Medicaid fraudulent claims.
Prosecutors claim the doctors prescribed opioids, stimulants, and benzodiazepines without a valid medical reason. Investigators believe that these prescriptions caused pharmacies to submit bogus claims to MassHealth, the state’s Medicaid program.
The doctors are also accused of prescribing prohibited drugs to patients with a history of substance use problem, including some who had previously overdosed.
Their shared business, West Brookfield Family business, was also charged on accusations of filing false claims with MassHealth for office visits related to the alleged illicit prescriptions.
Prosecutors allege that Jones and Wilson routinely failed to fulfill accepted medical standards when administering restricted medications.
According to investigators, several patients were prescribed various controlled medications for years, even when they were not seen by the practice for extended periods of time.
In addition to the prescribing allegations, both doctors are accused of charging MassHealth and managed care entities for office visits during which controlled substance prescriptions were issued without a valid medical reason.
Authorities contend that these efforts resulted in pharmacies submitting additional bogus claims.
On May 6, the Drug Enforcement Administration suspended both doctors’ authority to prescribe restricted drugs.
The inquiry is still ongoing as prosecutors move forward with the charges.
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