Alabama doctor, Elizabeth Korcz, and her husband were convicted last month for facilitating a drug ring in the sleepy town of Hoover, AL. According to a recent Department of Justice press release, the court found them guilty of “dispensing controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose and outside the course of professional practice”.
On May 4, 2021, the couple pleaded guilty to dispensing unadvisable dosages of hydrocodone, commonly known by its brand name of Vicodin, to patients without a proper examination and even without Dr. Korcz’s approval in some cases. The drug was traced back to the Korczs’ medical clinic, Hoover Alt MD, which operated an in-house dispensary by unlicensed staff.
Hydrocodone is one of the most abused substances in the United States and is a key player in the devastating opioid epidemic that has ravaged communities in the last 20 years. The painkiller is “generally safe when taken for a short time and as prescribed by a doctor, but because they produce euphoria in addition to pain relief, they can be misused…when misused, opioid pain relievers can lead to addiction, overdose incidents, and deaths” according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
In prescribing their patients unnecessary and high doses of the drug, the Korczs were “fueling our country’s epidemic,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. Elizabeth and Matthew Korcz have been sentenced to 50 and 32 months in federal prison, respectively. If a physician at your facility is under investigation for questionable drug distribution, it’s important to consult with a defense attorney to ensure you or your organization are not implicated in the crime as well.
