A Pennsylvania-based internist was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a federal judge on Tuesday for running a prescription "pill mill" from his medical practice.
Since May 2005, Andrew Berkowitz, MD, 62, of Huntington Valley, Pennsylvania, was president and CEO of A+ Pain Management, a clinic in the Philadelphia area, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Prosecutors said patients, no matter their complaint, would leave Berkowitz's offices with "goodie bags" filled with a selection of drugs. A typical haul included topical analgesics, such as Relyyt and/or lidocaine; muscle relaxants, including chlorzoxazone and/or cyclobenzaprine; anti-inflammatories, such as celecoxib and/or fenoprofen; and Schedule IV substances, including tramadol, eszopiclone, and quazepam.
The practice was registered in Pennsylvania as a nonpharmacy dispensing site, allowing Berkowitz to bill insurers for the drugs, according to The Pennsylvania Record, a journal covering Pennsylvania's legal system. Berkowitz also prescribed oxycodone for "pill seeking" patients, who gave him their tacit approval of submitting claims to their insurance providers, which included Medicare, Aetna, and others, for the items in the goodie bag.
In addition, Berkowitz fraudulently billed insurers for medically unnecessary physical therapy, acupuncture, and chiropractic adjustments, as well as for treatments that were never provided, according to federal officials.
