re: Pain cream scandal in Hattiesburg is going nationwide

I worked for several compounding pharmacies. In the good days, 2013, insurance companies were reimbursing $8000+ per bottle of pain cream. It was the rate THEY set, not us. Even I, as a sales rep, was making $30k a month in commission. Imagine what the pharmacy was making. Life was amazing. Then mid-2014 things came crashing down and insurance companies started dropping coverage all together. Finally Tricare dropped it in May of 2015. Pharmacies and doctors like the ones mentioned on that page are looking for the glory days again and doing anything they can to get back there. Unfortunately they're idiots and they're breaking the law. The glory days are gone. It's no longer covered and if it is, reimbursement is maybe $100. Not worth it. Several pharmacies here in Houston are doing the same thing and will get blown up eventually too.

It's compound meds and my wife has a customer in the middle of this crap.... Large Medicade fraud

Compounds don't have a brand or label name; they are a mixture of several ingredients.

I had a feeling shite would hit the fan with the pain cream scam. That's why I didn't get involved in the first place

ETA: I bet some doctors and pharmacists in BR and the surrounding area have tightening buttholes if shite goes down

I call on docs who speak for compounding agencies. They write for the pain cream, no doubt.

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Some of it does work wonders.

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It all works, the problem is in the scridting, claims, payments, med necessity, etc

Pain cream died two years ago, went the way of Medicaid specialty chairs, You could get in on some of that scar cream action.

If I had one crooked pharmacy call me to sell it I had ten. I don't give a shite if it was being reimbursed at, if anyone sold it they are absolute scum.

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I don't give a shite if it was being reimbursed at, if anyone sold it they are absolute scum.

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The pharmacies that are accepting payment from the insurance companies that set the price are scum?

Keep in mind that health/rx insurance is very, very big business. Have a look at salary and bonus for the big payers. Good times.

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However, there are also legit investment opportunities for providers with some large volume pharmacies. They offer x number of shares and pay invested providers a set amount every month that isn't based on performance or volume. The providers must disclose this to patients, etc.

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No. Marketed to doc's as legit. Those that do they're homework will find it is all very sketchy. Ultimately as a physician anything paying worth a shite it illegal in some way shape or form. They're offering the same enticements with drug screens. There are various business models out there, but they are all shady. Common sense should prevail, but when you have docs making $8-10k month and seeing reimbursement get slashed and other bullshite, $15K-$45k/month in "dividends" can be tempting. Especially when they drag out some legal opinion written in their favor. Of course, the opinions never explicitly state the physician is in the clear. Many will go with that and never seek their own counsel on the matter, then claim ignorance when it hits. Common sense should tell you that if writing some creams will pay you multiples of what you make in you office...it's not legit.