Pubdate: Thu, 21 Feb 2002
Source: Roanoke Times (VA)
Copyright: 2002 Roanoke Times
Contact:  http://www.roanoke.com/roatimes/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/368
Author: Jen McCaffery

Roanoke Pain Specialist To Be Arraigned Today

ATTORNEY: CARE FOR KNOX'S PATIENTS HARD TO FIND

The prosecutor argued that the Roanoke Valley has adequate medical 
facilities to care for Dr. Cecil Knox's patients. The judge agreed.

Only 26 of Dr. Cecil Knox's nearly 800 patients have been able to get an 
appointment with another doctor.

One or two doctors at best from Southwest Virginia or even West Virginia 
had agreed to take on any of the Roanoke pain specialist's patients as of 
Wednesday.

And Tuesday night, one of Knox's patients, who was suffering from extreme 
withdrawal from prescription painkillers, died.

These were some of the arguments Knox's attorney, Tony Anderson, presented 
to U.S. Magistrate Judge Glen Conrad in federal court Wednesday, when he 
sought to have the court's restrictions on Knox's seeing his patients 
changed. Anderson said Knox needed more time to care for his patients.

Knox is scheduled to be arraigned this morning. The charges include 
illegally prescribing narcotics that led to the death or serious injury of 
10 of his patients.

Knox's patients, meanwhile, are being "shunned" by doctors aware of the 
criminal allegations against Knox, Anderson said. He has said Knox plans to 
plead not guilty to all of the charges he is facing.

But Assistant U.S. Attorney Rusty Fitzgerald, who had sought to have Knox 
taken into federal custody after he was indicted, called the allegation 
that one of Knox's patients could have died for lack of his care "outrageous."

"No one should die as a consequence of Knox not writing prescriptions," 
Fitzgerald argued.

When Knox was freed on bond this month after he was arrested at his 
practice, Southwest Virginia Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine on Second 
Street, Conrad ruled that Knox could have 10 days to refer his patients, 
many of whom suffer chronic pain, to other health care providers.

Anderson argued Tuesday that that wasn't long enough. Only 123 of Knox's 
patients have picked up their medical records at Knox's office, Anderson said.

But Fitzgerald countered that the Roanoke Valley is well-equipped with 
health care facilities to address the medical needs of Knox's patients.

"He is certainly not indispensable to the care of his patients," Fitzgerald 
said.

Conrad agreed with Fitzgerald that local medical facilities should be able 
to care for Knox's patients.

But Anderson sounded a less positive note concerning the fate of Knox's 
patients.

"I think we're all going to be rudely awakened and sadly surprised," he said.
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