A dentist is among the 60 people who were charged with the illegal prescription and distribution of opioids and other narcotics and also healthcare fraud on April 17, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
Denver Tackett, DMD, of McDowell, KY, was charged in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky with allegedly writing prescriptions for opioids that had no legitimate medical purpose and with writing prescriptions that were outside the usual course of professional practice. Dr. Tackett was also charged with removing teeth unnecessarily, scheduling unnecessary follow-up appointments, and billing inappropriately for services, according to the DOJ and multiple published reports.
The 60 charged defendants include 31 physicians, seven pharmacists, eight nurse practitioners, and seven other licensed medical professionals.
