Dracut doc who prescribed opioids charged with patient’s death

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WOBURN — A Dracut doctor is facing a slew of serious charges after he allegedly illegally prescribed opioids that resulted in an at-risk patient’s death.

According to the state Attorney General’s Office, Dr. Richard Miron also allegedly illegally prescribed opioids to other at-risk patients for no legitimate medical purpose and defrauded MassHealth.

Miron, 76, was indicted by a Middlesex County grand jury Thursday on 23 counts of illegal prescribing of controlled substances, 23 counts of Medicaid false claims, and one count of involuntary manslaughter.

Miron will be arraigned in Middlesex Superior Court at a later date.

The AG’s Office began investigating Miron in September 2017 after the matter was referred by MassHealth. From September 2015 to February 2016, Miron was the largest provider of high-dose, short-acting oxycodone prescriptions of all MassHealth care providers across the state.

MassHealth terminated Miron from its program in September 2017. Following an agreement with the state Board of Registration in Medicine, Miron, who was a solo practitioner of internal medicine, is not currently practicing medicine.

The AG’s Office alleges Miron was responsible for the death of a patient on March 17, 2016. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the woman’s death was caused by acute intoxication from the combined effects of fentanyl, morphine, codeine and butalbital, all prescribed by Miron.

State investigators allege Miron was aware the victim had previously overdosed on opioids he had prescribed. The woman was treated and discharged from Lowell General Hospital Feb. 2, 2016, but Miron allegedly continued to prescribed large doses of opioids to her on multiple dates through March 9, 2016.

The AG’s investigation alleges that Miron allegedly prescribed such opioids as oxycodone, morphine, fentanyl, methadone and hydromorphone to patients for no legitimate medical purpose on multiple other occasions, including patients with documented substance use disorders.

Miron allegedly continued to prescribe opioids to many patients, despite their drug screens showing they were negative prescribed opioids but positive for cocaine, heroin and other non-prescribed opioids.

“The illegal prescriptions Dr. Miron allegedly wrote caused pharmacies to unwittingly falsely bill MassHealth for the medication,” according to the press release from the AG’s Office.

Assistant Attorney General Steven Hoffman is prosecuting the case. Lowell Police and state police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office investigated the victim’s death.

This is a developing story