If you are sick and head to the doctor, you are expecting to receive a diagnosis and a medication which will help you to get back to normal and comfortable health. While this is what is expected of doctors, not all of them perform their duties with honesty. In fact, some doctors resort to running “pill mills” where they will deal out strong medical narcotics to men and women all throughout the community. These pill mills are simply places where people can receive strong medicines in order to experience highs or drug-related feelings. They are not places where people are carefully treated for their illnesses.

Richard Minicozzi is one of the doctors that have been caught participating in pill mill distribution. He set up a medical practice in a rowhouse in South Philadelphia. For most patients that headed to the clinic, Dr. Minicozzi had one cure: narcotic drugs. He would write patients prescriptions of Xanax and Vicodin without performing a medical procedure. He would also write inappropriate prescriptions for oxycodone or hand out drugs at the clinic for cash. When he was discovered, the doctor was charged with 19 charges of illegal distribution of controlled substances. The prosecution claimed that this man was not treating people or acting as a doctor. He was simply dealing drugs without any intention to see his patients brought back to health.

Currently, the United States government Is focusing in on the production of pill mills and trying to slow the misuse of pills and stop the use of narcotic drugs for recreational purposes. In order to do this, the government has been examining doctors and pharmacies that have access to the drugs to make sure that they are only giving them to those in need. Many men and women ask for the painkillers for pleasurable purposes, but then an overdose can cause them to fall ill or eventually die. Drug makers usually sell the powerful painkillers to wholesalers who then resell the products to others. This is where the doctors, pharmacies, drugstores, and other locations typically get the controlled substances. Some of the stronger painkillers are considered narcotics and they must be registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration before they can be sold.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the three biggest wholesale drug companies are Amerisource Bergren, Cardinal Health, and McKesson. All of these wholesalers have the right to “self-police” so that they can monitor their painkiller orders and note where they are selling the controlled substances. The wholesalers are partially responsible to make sure that they are only distributing the drugs to reliable companies, hospitals, and physicians who will use them for their intended purposes. Minicozzi’s defense attorneys claim that the elderly gentleman has dementia and that he prescribed the medications to customers because he was given such a large shipment. The defense lawyers are blaming wholesalers for failing to monitor Doctor Minicozzi’s orders or practice.

Anyone who overdosed on medical painkillers because of a faulty prescription form a doctor like Doctor Minicozzi can sue for medical malpractice as a result. As well, if your loved one overdosed on prescription drugs or developed an addiction because of unnecessary prescriptions, you may be able to sue for medical malpractice in these cases as well. Typically, if a doctor is running a pill mill then he is not performing his expected medical duties and he can be sued for misleading or dangerous information or procedures. It is important to be aware of pill mills and steer clear of these establishments when possible. Contact a local medical malpractice attorney if you want to seek compensation a medical malpractice case!