A federal jury has found Dr. Stephen Schneider and his wife, Linda, guilty of running an illegal prescription pain medication operation, according to CBS News. The article reports that Stephen Schneider, 56, is linked to 107 overdose cases, at least 68 of which were fatal. The couple is facing sentences of 20 years to life in prison but U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch had little sympathy, stating that prescription drug abuse is a serious public health concern and that “when prescription painkillers are unlawfully prescribed, they can be as dangerous as illegal drugs.”
2007 Press Release Calls Clinic “Pill Mill”
A 2007 FBI press release stated that a 65-page indictment described the Schneider Medical Clinic as a “pill mill” that was open seven days a week. Stephen Schneider was charged with unlawfully writing prescriptions for fentanyl, methadone, morphine, Oxycodone and other narcotic medications. According to the press release, the clinic scheduled patients 10 minutes apart and billed more than $4 million to health benefits programs.
From 2003 through 2006, 51 of Schneider’s patients died of accidental drug overdoses. In contrast, the greatest number of comparable deaths associated with any other doctor during that time frame was nine deaths associated with one doctor treating AIDS patients.
An article on aboutlawsuits.com says that former patients of the clinic said drug prescriptions were made with minimal examination and testified that the waiting room functioned as a pharmaceutical swap meet, with patients often trading prescription drugs. The article also cites a West Virginia University School of Medicine study which found that the number of people hospitalized due to overdoses from OxyContin, fentanyl, morphine and similar drugs are now 65 percent higher than they were in 1999 through 2006. That is twice the increase seen in hospitalizations for other drugs.
When doctors write prescriptions following merely cursory examinations, or fail to warn clients of side effects or drug interactions, it can result in serious adverse effects, or even death of the patient. Patients who have been injured by the negligent prescription of medication should contact a personal injury lawyer to learn about their options.
