Kentucky Providers Sentenced in Deadly Distribution, Fraud Case

Sarasota, FL (WorkersCompensation.com) – A former family medicine specialist and an advanced practice registered nurse in Kentucky have been sentenced in an extensive case that involved high volumes and dangerous combinations of controlled substances, as well as blatant fraud.
Former physician Jeffrey Campbell, and former advanced practice registered nurse Mark Dyer were sentenced last Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. Both defendants were found guilty of distribution, healthcare fraud, and money laundering.
Campbell will serve 105 months in prison, followed by a 3-year term of supervised release for charges that include conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense controlled substances, conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Campbell’s medical practice is also required to pay a $1,000,000 fine for unlawful distribution and fraud.
Dyer will serve 60 months in prison, followed by a 3-year term of supervised release, for conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense controlled substances, conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Neither party will have a chance at parole as the option is not available in federal prison.
In 2017, Campbell and Dyer were indicted on multiple counts of unlawful distribution going back to as early as 2012. Additionally, they were charged with healthcare fraud for billing therapy services under a high-level evaluation and management code for a physician when in fact the services were performed by a physical therapist and a non-physician. According to the 2017 indictment, Campbell additionally ordered medically unnecessary genetic lab tests that were billed out by Proove Biosciences as part of a kickback scheme. In addition to the lab kickback scheme, both men were also charged with money laundering of bonus money for referrals for therapy. In 2021, both defendants were officially charged after a 6-week jury trial.
According to details highlighted in the case opinion, both parties prescribed high levels of controlled substances, and dangerous combinations of drugs. In fact, other nurse practitioners in addition to Dyer had free access to Campbell’s pre-signed prescription pad, and prescriptions were frequently issued without ever seeing the patient. The providers with the practice would commonly issue prescriptions of muscle relaxers with benzodiazepines along with the opioids, a deadly combination known on the street as, “the holy trinity.”
A formal complaint was eventually filed by a local pharmacist. It was noted in the complaint that due to the high volume Campbell and his practice were prescribing, the pharmacy would often run out of Oxycodone. Additionally, a medical assistant that had been employed by Campbell’s office testified that ninety to ninety-five percent of Campbell’s patients were on controlled substances, such as Lortab and Percocet.

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