Settlement Reached Over Invalid Prescriptions

(St. Louis, MO) A press release from the United State's Attorney's Office of the Eastern District of Missouri indicates a civil settlement is now reached with St. Francis Medical Center in the case of Farmington physician Brett Dickinson. It was alleged Dickinson, who was employed by St. Francis, wrote prescriptions for controlled substances without legitimate medical purposes, and outside the usual course of professional practice. Prosecutors alleged he issued invalid prescriptions for opioids such as morphine, hydromorphone, and oxycodone.  According to the allegations, Dickinson prescribed these opioids to patients simultaneously with muscle relaxers and benzodiazepines while ignoring warning signs of drug diversion or misuse, including aberrant urine drug test results and patients’ previous hospital treatment for medical problems related to drug misuse. As part of the settlement, Saint Francis agreed to pay just over $1.6 million.