20-year prison sentence for doctor who billed fraudulently for 'goodie bags' of drugs

A Pennsylvania doctor found guilty of running a “pill mill” has been sentenced to 20 years in prison by a federal judge. Dr. Andrew Berkowitz, 62, of Huntington Valley, Pennsylvania, sent patients home—no matter their complaint and despite some of them exhibiting drug-seeking behavour—with “goodie bags” of drugs that typically included a mix of topical analgesics such as lidocaine, muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatories, synthetic opioids such as oxycodone, and sedative-hypnotics such as eszopiclone and quazepam, according to a Medscape news report. "Doctors who dare engage in healthcare fraud and drug diversion, two drivers of the opioid epidemic ravaging our communities, should heed this sentence as a warning that they will be held responsible, criminally and financially," said Jennifer Arbittier Williams, acting U.S. attorney. The doctor billed drug insurers about US$4,000 for each of these goodie bags and pulled in an estimated US$4 million from this fraudulent scheme between 2015 and 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Read: On trial: For one nurse, overriding an automatic drug dispensing cabinet went horribly wrong Dr. Berkowitz’s clinic in the Philadelphia area is listed as a non-pharmacy dispensing site, which allowed him to bill insurers for the drugs he handed out to patients. He also fraudulently billed insurers for procedures—such as physical therapy, acupuncture and chiropractic adjustments—that were either not clinically necessary or that he never provided, according to federal officials. The beginning of the end of Dr. Berkowitz’s scheme came about when Blue Cross investigators forwarded several complaints to the FBI, which in 2017 got a patient to go undercover to his clinic. The undercover patient received a prescription for oxycodone, Motrin and Flexeril and paid $185. Read: EXPLAINER: Where do U.S. opioid trials, settlements stand? Dr. Berkowitz pleaded guilty in January 2020 to 19 counts of healthcare fraud and 23 counts of distributing oxycodone outside the course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose. In addition to his 20-year prison sentence, the judge imposed five years of supervised release, a US$40,000 fine and almost US$4 million in restitution. Dr. Berkowitz must also pay about US$1.8 million for the false claims he submitted to Medicare. He has been permanently prohibited from prescribing, distributing or dispensing controlled substances. "Doctors are supposed to treat illness, not feed it," said Jacqueline Maguire, a special agent in charge of the FBI's Philadelphia division. "Andrew Berkowitz prescribed patients unnecessary pills and handed out opioids to addicts." Read: Stranger than fiction: How one doctor solved a murder mystery that sent another doctor to life in prison

20-year prison sentence for doctor who billed fraudulently for 'goodie bags' of drugs

Register for free access or login.

Related Topics