The United States is experiencing a deadly epidemic and it has to do with prescription drug overdose deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “More than 41,000 people died of drug overdoses in 2011, and most of these deaths (22,810) were caused by overdoses involving prescription drugs,” reported the CDC. Of the fatalities from prescription overdoses, three-quarters of them involved prescription opioid pain relievers (OPR), which are drugs made from opium poppies or synthetic versions, such as methadone, oxycodone, and hydrocodone.
Getting Prescriptions from Multiple Doctors
Typically, a patient will have one primary care physician who will be responsible for most, if not all of the patient’s care unless the patient needs to see a specialist. Under normal circumstances, any prescriptions a patient receives will come from one doctor and one doctor only, their primary care physician. However, when a patient engages in the illegal and intentional practice of “doctor shopping,” it’s a whole different story. What is “doctor shopping”? It’s when a patient obtains controlled substances from multiple doctors without the doctors having knowledge that the other doctors are issuing prescriptions. The practice of doctor shopping is illegal in all 50 states, including Arizona. Arizona’s doctor shopping laws are covered under Section 13-3406(A)(6) of the Arizona Revised Statutes. Under this section, it’s illegal for a person to “Obtain or procure the administration of a prescription-only drug by fraud, deceit, misrepresentation or subterfuge.” When a patient goes around to different doctors to obtain multiple prescriptions of the same substance and they hide this from the doctors, it’s a form of doctor shopping, which is highly frowned upon in the medical and legal communities. Doctor shopping in Arizona is a Class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by:
- Up to 3 years of unsupervised probation
- A fine up to $2,500 and a surcharge
- Up to 180 days in jail
Are you facing doctor shopping charges? If so, contact our firm 24/7 for a free consultation by calling (602) 493-3600 .
