Doctor, Wife Plead Guilty to Running Pill Mill
DAYTON – David Kirkwood, 61, and Beverly Kirkwood, 50, of Dayton, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to health care fraud. David Kirkwood also pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful drug trafficking.
Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, Lamont Pugh III, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Chicago Region and Timothy J. Plancon, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced the pleas entered into before U.S. District Judge Water H. Rice.
According to the facts outlined in the plea agreements, David Kirkwood owned and operated Kirkwood Family Practice in Dayton beginning in 1986.
David Kirkwood distributed nearly 4,000 units of Oxycodone outside the scope of medical practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose. All of these units were paid for by Medicare or Medicaid.
The doctor often used the same billing code for his customers regardless of the service performed, and would accept health care insurance payments for examinations that were not medically appropriate or sufficient for the billing codes submitted. Those bills were submitted on behalf of the practice and with the assistance of Beverly Kirkwood.
According to the indictment, David Kirkwood saw up to 100 patients per day, charging $100 per office visit. The government has sought to seize approximately $2.5 million in proceeds from the conspiracy.
“When a doctor distributes Oxycodone without a legitimate medical purpose and outside the scope of medical practice, that’s not just bad practice. It’s unlawful drug trafficking,” U.S. Attorney Glassman said. “In pleading guilty, David Kirkwood admitted that he was distributing opioids and other controlled substances as a drug dealer, not as a doctor.”
“The investigation found that this doctor took advantage of those suffering from addiction in the Dayton area for personal gain,” said Attorney General DeWine. “The pills never should have been prescribed because they served no legitimate medical purpose, and I applaud the work of state, federal, and local authorities to hold him accountable for his actions.”
As part of David Kirkwood’s plea, he has agreed to pay restitution in the amount of nearly $160,000, which represents the loss to Medicare and Medicaid.
Both David and Beverly are scheduled for sentencing before Judge Rice on December 6.
U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the Ohio Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, HHS-OIG and DEA, as well as Special Assistant United States Attorney Maritsa Flaherty and Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Oakley.