Clinic Owner Convicted of Unlawful Distribution of Opioids
Clinic Owner Convicted of Unlawful Distribution of Opioids
Clinic owner provided addiction treatment but prescribed oxycodone, oxymorphone, and other controlled substances despite red flags for addiction and abuse.
The Department of Justice, together with federal and state law enforcement partners, announced criminal charges against 14 defendants in eight federal districts across the United States for their alleged involvement in crimes related to the unlawful distribution of opioids. Twelve of the defendants were medical professionals at the time of these alleged offenses.
A federal jury in Nashville convicted a physician Tuesday for unlawfully distributing oxymorphone, oxycodone, morphine sulfate, and other controlled substances from his Smyrna clinic.
Officials said Hau T. la, 54, of Brentwood, owned and operated Absolute Medical Care, which closed in the Spring of 2021. According to court documents, La purportedly provided addiction treatment as his primary practice but prescribed opioid pain pills to some of his patients despite red flags for addiction and abuse.
AMC reportedly did not accept health insurance and charged patients $200-$350 cash, credit, or debit, per visit and was only open on Fridays. Officials said that La rarely spent more than a few minutes with the patients to whom he provided unlawful opioid prescriptions.
La was convicted of 12 counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance outside the usual course of professional practice and not for legitimate medical purposes. The jury reportedly acquitted him of four counts. He now faces a maximum of 20 years in prison on each count.
Approximate date(s) of the diversion:
07/19/2019
Where the Diversion Occurred:
Absolute Medical Care
713 President Pl, Smyrna, TN 37167, USA
Type of Healthcare Facility:
Outpatient Clinic or Health Center
Person Diverting:
Hau T. La
Profession of the person diverting:
Physician or Medical Doctor (MD)
Has the incident been reported?
e.g. to local law enforcement, county board of health, state licensure board, and/or federal DEA or FDA authorities?
Yes
To whom has the incident been reported?
Local Law Enforcement
