Clifford T. Bowe, M.D., a retired Cadott, Wisconsin physician, entered into a settlement agreement to pay $70,000 to resolve civil allegations that he violated the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”) relating to his prescribing of controlled substances, including opioids, outside the usual course of professional practice, among other CSA violations. Dr. Bowe owned and operated Cadott Medical Center (“CMC”) in Cadott. A majority of his patients went to CMC because they were suffering from opioid use disorder and other addictions. Dr. Bowe had received authorization to treat up to 100 opioid dependent patients for opioid use disorder with medication-assisted treatments, such as the FDA-approved Schedule III drug, buprenorphine (Suboxone).
According to the government’s allegations set forth in the settlement agreement, Dr. Bowe not only improperly prescribed buprenorphine along with other potent opioids, but he also counseled patients on how to fill these improper simultaneous prescriptions so as to avoid rejection by pharmacies or insurance payers. Moreover, the government alleged that Dr. Bowe prescribed Schedule II opioids to treat opioid use disorder, which is prohibited by CSA regulations. According to the settlement agreement, the government alleged that Dr. Bowe also violated the CSA by prescribing emergency Schedule II controlled substances to a family member that failed to meet the regulatory requirements for such prescribing; by providing inaccurate directions for use on controlled substance prescriptions to maneuver-around pharmacies refusing to fill compounded prescriptions or insurance companies denying payment for such prescriptions; and by failing to maintain records regarding the receipt and dispensing of controlled substances, or to maintain an inventory of controlled substances on-hand at CMC. Dr. Bowe denies these allegations.
