Two former medical professionals plead guilty in 2019 opioid investigation

Between 2013 and 2016, Jay Shires and Loran Karlosky co-owned Downtown Medical Clinic in Bells.

Nurse practitioner Mary Bond was the sole full-time provider at the clinic, and both Shires and Karlosky were listed as Bond’s precepting physicians while she was employed at the clinic.

According to court documents, many of Bond’s clinic patients regularly sought and obtained prescriptions for opioid pills such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, for no legitimate medical purpose.

The court documents say Shires provided his DEA registration number to Bond in 2013, which allowed Bond to prescribe controlled substances.

From around October 2013 through April 2014, Shires reviewed Bond’s patients’ medical records, revealing they were incomplete or insufficient to justify her prescriptions for the schedule I controlled substances hydrocodone and oxycodone.

According to court documents, in July of 2014, the Tennessee Board of Nursing interviewed Shires, who falsely indicated he was continuing to supervise Bond.

Karlosky acknowledged he had concerns about Bond’s controlled substance prescribing practices in the interview.

According to court documents, in the Summer 2014, Shires withdrew from any active role in the practice entirely.

On paper, however, he continued to be held out as Bond’s supervising physician until her termination from the clinic in March 2016, which allowed the clinic to bill health care benefit programs for services that the programs otherwise would not have been paid.

The documents state after Shires withdrew, Karloskly allowed Bond to continue prescribing, and acknowledged it was motivated by the desire for the clinic to become and remain profitable regardless of how many opioids were prescribed.

Bond unlawfully issued prescriptions of around 6,750 hydrocodone pills and 1,685 oxycodone pills, according to the court documents.

On April 1, Loran Karloskly withdrew a not guilty plea and entered a plea of guilty to count 1 of the indictment. He is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute schedule II controlled substances and could face up to 20 years in prison.

Shires also entered a plea of guilty to count 1 of the indictment, and is charged with one count of making a false statement in connection with a health care matter, and could face up to five years in prison.