Doctor Illegally Prescribed Medication To Substance-Abuse Patients: AG

North Andover MA

13 May, 2022

11:25 AM

Description

LAWRENCE, MA — A Lawrence family medicine physician was indicted for illegally prescribing drugs to substance-use disorder and chronic pain patients for no medical purpose, and for defrauding the state's Medicaid program, Attorney General Maura Healey said Friday. Dr. Ramon Saurez-Martinez, 69, of Methuen is accused of prescribing drugs including amphetamines, benzodiazepines, and morphine sulfate to his patients even when he knew they weren't using them, Healey said in a statement. The former medical director of Lawrence Medical Center was indicted on 12 counts of illegally prescribing drugs to at least six patients, and six counts of false medical claims. The AG's office claims these prescriptions were distributed outside of professional practice and that these illegal prescriptions resulted in false claims billed and paid for by MassHealth. Healey believes Saurez-Martinez prescribed these drugs to patients even though he knew from repeated urine drug screens that they were not taking the drugs. In several instances, urine drug screens indicated that these patients were negative for the prescribed medications but positive for illicit substances such as cocaine or fentanyl, the attorney general's office claims. Suarez-Martinez no longer holds a license to practice medicine and is expected to be arraigned in Essex Superior Court on May 19.