Top Prescribers – Nationwide Investigation – More stories

by CCHR Florida | Dec 14, 2010

Medicaid – Government funded insurance for the poor.

A whistle-blower informed U.S. Senator Grassley’s office and the Miami Herald last year that a Miami psychiatrist wrote close to 100,000 prescriptions for Medicaid patients over 18 months, about 153 prescriptions a day. The prescriptions of psychiatrist Fernando Mendez-Villamil cost tax payers $43 Million from 2004-2009.

A nationwide investigation ensued and newspapers around the country are now publishing stories on their own top prescribers.

Medicaid Pills

Dec. 11, 2010, Texas, Fort Worth Star Telegram

Some doctors handing out prescriptions to kids for potent medications

…a relative handful of Texas physicians wrote $47 million worth of Medicaid prescriptions for powerful antipsychotic and anti-anxiety drugs over the past two years, according to a Star-Telegram analysis. The top five doctors alone wrote $18 million worth.

Most of the drugs have gone to children and adolescents, although prescribing the drugs to children, such as a toddler, is considered “off-label” — uses not approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration.

December 12, 2010, Nebraska, Omaha World Herald

Oversight urged on pill orders

A Lincoln psychiatrist, for example, submitted close to three times as many Abilify prescriptions last year for Medicaid patients as the second-leading prescriber of the drug in Nebraska. Grassley said federal and state departments of health and human services have failed to pay adequate attention to the issue.

A whistle-blower informed Grassley’s office and the Miami Herald last year that a Miami psychiatrist wrote close to 100,000 prescriptions for Medicaid patients over 18 months ending in early 2009. That’s an average of about 175 prescriptions a day if the doctor worked every day of the year.

Dec. 9, 2010, DC, Washington Examiner
Excerpts from recent South Dakota editorials

December 6, 2010, California, The San Diego Union-Tribune
3 local MDs are paid experts, also prescribe the drugs

December 6, 2010, California, California Watch
Top antipsychotic prescribers are also drug promoters

December 5, 2010, Mississippi, The Clarion-Ledger
Mental health drugs probed

December 5, 2010, South Dakota, Rapid City Journal
State snubs feds in doctor probe

December 2, 2010, Tennessee, Nashville Scene
TN Won’t Turn Over Names of Top Prescribers To Senate Committee

December 1, 2010, South Dakota, Rapid City Journal
State ignores Senate request for medical data

December 1st, 2010, Tennessee, The Kingsport Times-News
Tenn. won’t release names of doctors who write most prescriptions

December 1, 2010, Tennessee, News Sentinel
Tennessee won’t give doctors’ names to senator

December 1, 2010, Tennessee, The Tennessean
TN won’t release names of doctors who write most prescriptions

Nov. 30, 2010, Tennessee, Chattanooga Times Free Press
Scrutinizing scripts

November 24, 2010, Nebraska, Lincoln Journal Star
The cost of mental health? Pricey

Nov 23, 2010, South Carolina, From the NBC News Political Unit
An influential U.S. senator is checking up on South Carolina doctors

November 22, 2010, South Carolina, Charleston Post & Courier
Some docs face fraud inquiry – Senator looking into S.C. Medicaid prescription billing

November 22, 2010, South Carolina, Charlotte Observer
S.C. doctors might be over-prescribing

November 22, 2010, South Carolina, The State
Medicaid: Questions raised about S.C. prescriptions

Nov. 22, 2010 , South Carolina, The Herald
S.C. doctors might be over-prescribing

November 22, 2010, South Carolina, Sun News
Doctor inquiry ropes in S.C. – Medicaid fraud check under way

November 18th, 2010, Montana, Alabama, Wisconsin and New Jersey, Pharmalot
States Refusing To Give Medicaid Data To Grassley

November 17, 2010, Connecticut, Journal Inquirer
Beleaguered doc was biggest Medicaid prescriber of pain ‘lollipop’