Tag: West Virginia Attorney General’s Office

State Sues 3rd Pharmacy Over Painkillers

West Virginia’s attorney general has sued a third pharmacy alleging it dispensed too many prescription painkillers and violated state consumer protection laws.

Attorney General Patrick Morrisey says Crab Orchard Pharmacy Inc. dispensed 4.6 million doses of hydrocodone and oxycodone over seven years in Raleigh County, despite the presence of 32 competing pharmacies and eight medical facilities. The Raleigh County town has less than 3,000 residents.

The lawsuit filed Wednesday in Raleigh County Circuit Court suit seeks unspecified penalties, punitive damages and an injunction.

Kathlyn Sallaz says she and her husband, Richard, have owned the pharmacy since 2012 and have worked to reduce the number of narcotics dispensed. She says that number has gone down every year.

Morrisey filed similar lawsuits last month against pharmacies in Boone and Grant counties.

State Board to Request Reports of Painkiller Orders

West Virginia’s Board of Pharmacy plans to ask prescription drug wholesalers to report pharmacies that place suspiciously large orders of painkillers or other controlled substances.

The board plans to forward those reports to the state Attorney General’s Office, which last week sued a pharmacy in Boone County, alleging it provided too many highly addictive painkillers over more than a decade.

The distributors McKesson Corp. and Cardinal Health now notify the state of such questionable orders.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail (http://bit.ly/2hAI2Wi) reports the pharmacy board has agreed to send letters asking other wholesalers.

The board’s rules require they report suspicious prescription drug orders, but the regulations don’t spell out the criteria.

Distributors already submit reports on suspicious drug orders to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

W.Va. Settles Claims Against 3 Drug Companies

The West Virginia Attorney General’s Office says it has reached settlements with three more prescription drug wholesalers for $800,000 resolving allegations they failed to detect, report and stop suspiciously large drug orders into the state.

According to the office, the settlements with Smith Drug Company, Top Rx and Masters Pharmaceutical expand their responsibility to report suspicious orders to state authorities.

The companies deny any liability in the settlements.

Smith is to pay $400,000 with Top Rx and Masters paying $200,000 each.

The attorney general’s office says the each allegedly distributed far fewer pills than some other companies.

So far nine companies have reached settlements with more than $7.5 million paid to the state.

The case against some others continues in Boone Circuit Court. 

Court Blocks Release of Hospital Merger Documents

The West Virginia Supreme Court has blocked the release of documents related to the proposed merger of two hospitals.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that the Supreme Court voted 3-1 on Wednesday to put a hold on Kanawha County Circuit Judge Tod Kaufman’s order to release the documents.

The case began when steel manufacturer Steel of West Virginia sued Attorney General Patrick Morrisey after he refused to release records about the merger of Cabell Huntington Hospital and St. Mary’s Medical Center. The manufacturer says the merger will increase health care costs and lower the quality of patient care.

Morrisey says he hasn’t released the documents because he secured them while leading an antitrust investigation. His lawyers say other documents were “internal memoranda” and not subject to release.

Frontier Starts to Resolve Speed Complaints

The West Virginia Attorney General's Office says Frontier Communications has increased internet speeds for almost one-fourth of nearly 28,000 customers…

The West Virginia Attorney General’s Office says Frontier Communications has increased internet speeds for almost one-fourth of nearly 28,000 customers covered by the December settlement to resolve complaints over slow service.

The agreement requires Frontier to make at least $150 million in capital expenditures over three years to increase internet speeds.

According to the attorney general, Frontier has spent almost $49 million so far and reports increasing internet speeds to 6,320 customers.

Customers paying for high-speed service up to 6 megabits per second complained they frequently received speeds 1.5 mbps or lower.

Frontier agreed to temporarily reduce monthly rates to $9.99 until download speeds increased, saving them $10 to $20 a month.

Frontier, which denied wrongdoing, has estimated the rate cut will cost it about $1.5 million quarterly.

Attorney General's Office Looking for Social Security Fraud

The West Virginia Attorney General's Office says it has added a criminal investigations component to its unit looking for Social Security disability…

The West Virginia Attorney General’s Office says it has added a criminal investigations component to its unit looking for Social Security disability fraud.

Two investigators and an analyst have been working with the Social Security Administration, its inspector general’s office and the state’s Disability Determination Section to review suspicious or questionable disability claims.

Attorney General Patrick Morrisey says they have helped administratively prevent more than $1.4 million in improper payments over the first nine months.

According to Morrisey, they are now also reviewing past claims and payments for fraud and possible referral to county and federal prosecutors.

The Attorney General’s Office has 95 attorneys among 188 staff, including two cross-designated as assistant federal prosecutors.

The Social Security Administration runs a hotline on weekdays for calling in suspected fraud at 1-800-269-0271.

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