Bucks County doctor accused of selling Suboxone prescriptions from basement office: DA
MIDDLETOWN, Pa. - A Pennsylvania doctor is facing charges after investigators say he prescribed Suboxone to at least 80 patients from the basement of his office.
The Bucks County District Attorney's Office says 55-year-old Kenneth Fox was fired by Jefferson Health in Nov. 2023, but continued to see patients in the basement of his office on Frosty Hollow Road in Middletown Township.
Investigators were alerted about Fox's "suspicious and questionable practices" by one of his longtime patients, who noticed that his practice had suddenly moved to the basement of the building in the summer of 2023.
Investigators say Fox did not schedule appointments and had patients sit in chairs lined up outside his office door, which was left open during patient visits. Fox, authorities said, would call out next when an appointment was finished.
Fox allegedly charged $130 per visit, which patients paid by using a phone app. Once payment was made, investigators say Fox prescribed the patient a 30-day prescription of Suboxone, a drug commonly used to treat opioid dependence.
During the investigation, detectives discovered that Fox had recently been fined nearly $500k for a number of crimes, including failing to maintain accurate records of controlled substances and writing prescriptions "for stock."
Undercover detectives and informants visited Fox's office in February where investigators say they were e-prescribed monthly Suboxone prescriptions. At no time during the visits did Fox discuss the patient's health or any medical issues, investigators said.
During a search warrant of the basement office in June, investigators found incomplete patient files. Fox allegedly told investigators that he could make a patient file based on the knowledge in his head.
Dr. Stephen Thomas, who authorities say is an expert on pain and disability management and controlled substance management, suggested that Fox "selling the prescriptions as opposed to providing a professional service in the usual course of practice."