A Lubbock cardiologist has agreed to pay more than $1 million in a settlement following allegations he used the names of friends and family members to prescribe opioids to himself.
Dr. Juan Kurdi was accused of issuing prescriptions for medications such as Oxycodone and Vyvanse under the names of his family members and friends that were for his personal use, according to a news release from acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District Nancy E. Larson.
“Prescribing opioids and other dangerous narcotics outside the usual course of professional practice betrays the trust placed in physicians by society and threatens public safety,” Larson said in the release. “This settlement demonstrates our office’s commitment to holding doctors accountable for violating their obligations to properly prescribe these powerful drugs.”
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Kurdi will pay $1,200,000 as part of the settlement and admitted to prescribing certain opioids in the names of family members and friends including Oxycodone. However, the settlement is not an admission of liability from Kurdi, who has also agreed to relinquish his registration with the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Kurdi, who is an interventional cardiologist and co-owned a medical practice in Lubbock, would fill the prescriptions at pharmacies in the Lubbock area, despite some of the purported patients residing hundreds of miles away, settlement documents say.
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At times, he collected the medication himself, according to the release.
“This case should serve as a strong warning to all physicians who knowingly prescribe controlled substances without a legitimate medical need or a proper doctor-patient relationship,” acting Special Agent in Charge Joseph B. Tucker said.
“The DEA will continue to aggressively target and hold accountable physicians who, like Dr. Kurdi, contribute to the poisoning crisis in our communities by improperly distributing these controlled substances.”