Another pain physician in South Florida has surrendered his medical license rather than face a lengthy disciplinary action by the state. Dr. Jack Norden’s fall is the most recent sign of how far south Florida has come in shaking its unfortunate reputation as the pill mill capital of the southeast.
Pain clinics in south Florida once numbered more than 250, but are now down to about 100. Sales of oxycodone, the most abused pain pill, dropped 20 percent in Florida, to 500 million doses last year. Last year, Florida prohibited pain clinics from selling drugs. At the same time, Florida began a computerized database where pharmacies are mandated to log all narcotic prescriptions, in an effort to stem the tide of doctor shopping. About 12,000 physicians in Florida have, to date, signed up to use the database. At least 34 pain physicians have been arrested in Florida and the state has disciplined dozens more. The Drug Enforcement Administration has stripped at least five dozen south Florida physicians of their right to prescribe narcotic drugs.
“It’s clear we’ve got these guys on the run. Oh, my gosh, the problem is definitely not gone, but I definitely think we have turned the corner,” said Dave Aronberg, a Palm Beach County prosecutor for the state attorney general’s office.
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