Munster doctor sentenced for over-prescribing pain pills
HAMMOND — A doctor has been sentenced to serve 15 months in prison for over-prescribing pain medication at a Munster clinic.
Dr. Jay K. Joshi, 34, a general practice physician at Prestige Clinic in Munster, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Court Judge Philip Simon to serve 15 months followed by three years of supervised release, a $7,500 fine and a $100 special assessment after pleading guilty to dispensing hydrocodone, an opioid, for non-medical purposes, according to the U.S. attorney’s office for nothern Indiana.
“Prescribing controlled substances that are not medically necessary intensify the opioid problem our nation faces,” U.S. Attorney Thomas Kirsch said. “We, working with our law enforcement partners, are focused on reducing opioid abuse in the Northern District of Indiana. Doctors who abuse their authority are just one of the areas on which our partners are focusing.”
Between September 2017 and December 2017, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Munster Police Department obtained information about Joshi’s history of prescribing controlled substances through Indiana’s prescription monitoring system, INSPECT, according to Kirsch.
INSPECT data obtained by investigators showed that from April 2017 to November 21, 2017, Joshi issued more than 6,000 prescriptions for controlled substances.
Joshi was ranked first in Lake County and ninth in the state among registered drug providers in 2017 for the number of prescriptions written for controlled substances, court records state.
Joshi’s medical license has been suspended since February 2018.
If one does the “reverse calculation” of the Rxs and time frame and this doctor could have some 300-600 pts on controlled meds
But did the DEA really screw up?… sure they went after the largest controlled substance presciber in his county and 9th largest prescriber in Indiana… But they went after a YOUNG PHYSICIAN… who probably don’t have much assets – still has a VERY LARGE student loan debt.
NO JURY TRIAL… just got him to plead guilty to Hydrocodone for non medical purposes. – 15 months in jail and some fines. His license was suspended but no mention that he can’t petition to have his medical license reinstated after jail time. Not typical of we normally see when the DEA raids a practice and what they do to the prescriber.
Filed under: General Problems
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Dr.Joshi,I will be the 1st to sign petition to get you reinstated!!!aalligood204@gmail.com.I suggest others to help him pls.if you will!Thanx!!
“He dispensed hydrocodone, an opioid, for non-medical purposes, according to the U.S. attorney’s office for Northern Indiana.” I have to wonder what he dispensed the meds for? Someone, in every state, is going to be the largest prescriber of opioids. Was he guilty of helping too many pain patients? In this case, we don’t know as we don’t have enough info. Just wondering!
louisva;
you hit the real problem of this witch hunt…someone is always going to be the “largest prescriber.” And then when they ruin that doc (& his/her patients), there will be another “largest prescriber.” They can keep going down the list until they hit some doc who prescribed one 5 mg hydrocodone pill two years ago & toss him in jail, & end up with only doctors who’ve never prescribed a pain med for anyone. And it will do absolutely NOTHING about illegal drugs.
and you’re also right that there are an awful lot of questions left unanswered in this article…