Pubdate: Wed, 08 Dec 2004 Source: Orlando Sentinel (FL) Copyright: 2004 Orlando Sentinel Contact: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/325 Author: Mark Hollis, Tallahassee Bureau GRAND JURY INDICTS 2 IN DRUG SCHEME A Miami Beach Doctor And His Aide Are Accused of Fraud And Prescribing Painkillers Illegally TALLAHASSEE -- A Miami Beach doctor described by officials as the state's largest prescriber of OxyContin was accused Tuesday of illegally distributing the painkiller in a scheme dating back to June 2003. Dr. Armando J. Solis and his assistant, Harold Fox, made court appearances in Miami on Tuesday after a grand jury in Miami unsealed a 15-count indictment charging the men with conspiracy to defraud Medicaid and illegal distribution of the powerful medication. Attorney General Charlie Crist said Solis was the state's most prolific prescriber of OxyContin, having written more than $900,000 worth of prescriptions for the drug since 2000. In the past two years, more than $9.8 million in Medicaid drug costs have been subscribed under Solis' medical-license number, officials said. "We believe that the evidence will show that Dr. Solis was a drug dealer in a white coat," Crist said. Crist, Gov. Jeb Bush and officials involved in the investigation of the Miami Beach practice praised the arrests as a sign of the state's stepped-up efforts to go after medical professionals who illegally deal drugs. The state's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, a division of Crist's office, has made 43 arrests this year, stemming from 146 cases referred to that unit by state health regulators. Authorities said the investigation is ongoing, and they refused to answer any questions about the scope of their probe and whether other doctors, pharmacists and Medicaid recipients will be implicated. Solis and Fox allegedly wrote prescriptions for drugs to Medicaid patients without properly determining the medical necessity for the pain relievers. In three incidents, Solis signed prescriptions for OxyContin and other drugs for several patients without even seeing the individuals, the indictment says. Health officials last year had taken Solis off a state list of Medicaid providers. There are now more than 2,000 overdose deaths involving prescription drugs each year in Florida, said Jim McDonough, director of Florida's Office of Drug Control. Solis and Fox could not be reached for comment. Their arrest and indictment were announced by authorities in Tallahassee, where lawmakers are gearing up to consider Medicaid reforms and cost cutting to the government's prescription-drug programs next year. Last year, the Legislature balked at approving a drug-monitoring computer system to help investigators track down patients who have been shopping for multiple prescriptions and falsely billing the state's $14 billion Medicaid program. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth