Evangelos Megariotis, MD, is banned from prescribing opioids after investigators discovered more than 75 percent of the orthopedic surgeon's patients were written prescriptions, North Jersey reports.
Here's what you need to know.
1. Dr. Megariotis is now required to hire a board certified orthopedic surgeon to be present during all patient visits. The investigation alleged the orthopedic surgeon was over prescribing thousands of doses of opioids to patients who were not using them.
2. Investigators also alleged Dr. Megariotis performed unnecessary surgery. His prescription restrictions are temporary, pending the outcome of an administrative law judge.
3. In 2014, Dr. Megariotis was arrested on domestic violence charges. He did not disclose the arrest in his 2015 license renewal application. He also told regulators he did not believe in testing patients for substance abuse prior to treatment because it could harm the relationship with the patient.
4. The investigation stirred from a review of nine patient records from 2012 to 2017. The complaint describes Dr. Megariotis' disregard for patient's drug abuse habits and use of the state's opioid database.
5. New Jersey requires physicians to check the Prescription Monitoring Program for patient's who might be physician shopping. According to the investigation, some of Dr. Megariotis' patients were receiving prescriptions from five to six other physicians.
6. Dr. Megariotis paid $1.1 million to settle a medical malpractice lawsuit in 2016, according to state records.