A civil lawsuit against a former Maine doctor claims he allowed another person to electronically prescribe drugs in his name while he was out of the country.
The complaint, filed Aug. 1, claims Douglas Jorgensen caused electronic prescriptions for Schedule II drugs to be dispensed by another person using his U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration registration from Sept. 25, 2018, through April 26, 2019. The allegations are a violation of the Controlled Substances Act, which ensures that such drugs are accounted for when dispensed and distributed.
Jorgensen was a licensed osteopathic physician with a private medical practice in Manchester, Maine, at the time of the alleged violations.
The DEA found Jorgensen allegedly flew to Jamaica, England and Germany between September 2018 and April 2019. During his time out of the country, Jorgensen’s DEA registration was allegedly used to issue 316 electronic prescriptions for controlled substances.
Schedule II drugs, such as oxycodone, fentanyl, opium and morphine, have a high potential for abuse that may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
“We are in the process of arranging to service the suit on Dr. Jorgensen, so we can proceed to litigating the merits of the case,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Lizotte, who is prosecuting the case, said Thursday.
Jorgensen could face a maximum civil penalty of $25,000 per violation, which, adjusted for inflation, is raised to a maximum per violation penalty of $64,820 because the time frame at issue spans September 2018 through about April 2019, Lizotte said.
Jorgensen previously paid $124,110 in a settlement agreement for allegations that he submitted false claims to Medicare from January 2011 through August 2014, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
According to a civil complaint filed July 17, 2017, Jorgensen allegedly violated the federal False Claims Acts by knowingly submitting claims for certain services that were not eligible for payment under Medicare. Jorgensen was not entitled to be paid for those services because they were provided in connection with treatment Jorgensen performed on the same day.
In total, Jorgensen received $62,055 from the Medicare Trust Fund.