I will definitely let you guys know if I hear anything else from the Florida Department of Health. I was very suprised when the letter arrived. I have been using OCSs since 1999, and I have never had anything like this happen before.

I am just glad it was the Department of Health and not the DEA!!!

Super ...Thank you for filling in the Blanks! I Owe you an Apology for what I Posted in another Thread! Please Accept my Sincere Apology ....We need People like you that have the Legal Expertise and Knowledge that are on the Legitimate CP'ers side!!

Peace
Stevo

All I can say to you guys and stick it out and don't go down with out a fight.

I would be more then happy to help out in any way I can.


I truly learned a lesson after this trial and wanted to share it with all of you


Everyday you go about your business, work, home life, children, parents, grand parents, neighbors etc, just THINK about our servicemen and women overseas devoting LIFE for our life. Even though we all have an opinion or two about how we got over in the Middle East, these honorable human beings 24/7 are risking life and limb. Some don't come back and so do but missing arms,legs and just beat up physically and mentally.

All of them have family that think about them all day, every day -hoping they are alive and doing alright.

When you see them at the airport or driving down the road, remember what they are doing and what most importantly, what they are risking.


All and all - we will all look back at this current debacle of treating pain patients (elderly, young, old, soldiers etc) and learn.


And to my previous message from yesterday, Yes- I applied at Starbucks and have an interview tomorrow. The Manager thought I was nuts and over qualified, but I just want to be happy and get away from the trials that should have NEVER been trials to begin with.

If I can offer any service to you all, just let me know and of course, no fees. Heck, I might be filling your coffee next week and you will never know!

Your amazing!

I am an ongoing patient of Dr. Friedlander and his Physician Assistant Troy Wubbena. I have script with refills and a future appointment. Should I fill the script? I did some research and found that Dr. Friedlanders license was suspended on 4/16/2009 (see below). Should I try and refill the prescription and is it even still good? Does anyone else know what is going on with their office? Are they still open? I have tried contacting them and only get a recording and they have not returned any phone calls. I am afraid that if I go to a different physician and get a new script for the same dates that the one for Dr. Friedlander covers, I might be accused of Dr shopping.

JEFFREY FRIEDLANDER
LICENSE NUMBER: ME43369

Profession
MEDICAL DOCTOR

License/Activity Status
Emergency Suspension


Qualifications
Dispensing Practitioner



License Expiration Date License Original Issue Date
1/31/2010 12/14/1983


Discipline on File
YES Link To Discipline


Address of Record
1525 EAST AMELIA STREET
ORLANDO,FL32803
UNITED STATES

The only reference I have is Dr. Garcia who seems to have lost his scripting license also. People still had one or two refills with him and I only heard one person on this board say they couldn't fill it.
He wrote more scripts than Friedlander I bet since he worked for so many services.
It's worth a try and if they tell you it's no good at the counter than it's no good and you know for sure. Otherwise you will always wonder if you did the right thing.
This is no fault of yours so do not feel embarrassed to try and get your refills. You saw him F2F like the law requires. How did you know he was doing something illegal?
Should I check each of my Dr.s before I go and refill. Of course not. Unless the government wrote you to tell you he lost his license there is no real way for you to have known in all honestly. Okay since we all know that was a speech just give it a try.
Did you try Lucy?
I used him too last year and loved their service but never went F2F.
K

I would definitely try to get the refills. Just call them in. If there is a problem, they should tell you when you call. I would not worry about it. If they say yes, GREAT. If they say no, at least you tried. You are not going to get in any trouble for requesting your refills. If you wouldn't have done the research, you would have never known that his license had been suspended.

As Tango posted, most people do not research their doctors prior to calling in a refill.

Also, wanted to add, I have talked to my attorney regarding the letter. He is a friend, so I don't have to pay him for the advice. He said to not worry about it. He said that if anything else comes up, I should just point them in his direction.

While I agree you should go try to get the prescription filled, the person who said this was the same situation as Dr. Garcia is incorrect. Dr. Freidlander is under an emergency suspension of his license. Dr. Garcia's license was never suspended. He received threats to stop writing for controlled substances or else. I and quite a few others refilled scripts after that date. One person posted they did not, and the pharmacy lied as to the reason. They were most likely just uncomfortable with the script, which means they did not have to fill it.

They may or may not fill a Freidlander script, but it is worth a try.

An Update. I went to the Publix pharmacy today where I had intially filled the prescrition and tried to get a refill. They came back after 10 minutes and said that their system kicked out the Rx as Dr. Jeffrey Friedlander has had both his Medical License and DEA Number suspended. They would not refill it. They practically screamed that to the whole store, and the other three people in line behind me, that I could not get my drugs because my doctor has been flagged and is under investigation. How embarrasing!!! They said almost all pharmacies have automated systems now days for checking licenses. I will run out of my current meds tomorrow and I guess I will just have to suffer through the dehabilitationg headaches (I haver a large Hernation in my neck that presses on a several nerve roots leaving them inflamed most of the time). I have started looking for a new Pain Doctor, but do not even have an appointment at this time. I have sent an e-mail to the DOH for my records, but have not even gotten a response. I am new to this site, who is Lucy?

I don't want to sound like an idiot, but could someone please clarify for me the new law change. As I understand it, through out the years Dr.s abilities to perscribe have changed from simply needing to fill out a medical questionare, to needing medical records, to needing a consultation.. Now, as I understand, we need to do a face to face consultations. Is it true that this law took affect on or around 4/15? If so, if we had a phone consultaion before that date, with refills, are those refills still legal after 4/15? I read a recent post stating the new perscribing law, but I did not see were it referred to refills on consults written prior to 4/15. Could someone please clarify this for me? Thank you

You got it all Correct ! As Far as Refills ...I guess it's how you Interpret the RHA Act! To Me it Looks as though any Script that was written before April 13th that did Not result from a F2F is Illegal!!...That is how I Interpret it!...I have read it (the RHA over and over)...I keep coming up with it being Illegal! Others think It is Legal! Most Pharm's That Knew that they were Internet Scripts...Refused to fill them after April 15th.....Most That is!! a Few Pharms seem to be filling them still!!!

While it may be worth a try, a refill on a prescription that was written by a doctor for a scheduled medication whose DEA license has been suspended is invalid.

How does the pharmacy know if you had a F2F with a Dr. or not. I once went the direct script route from an online pharmacy and hand written on the script was "I saw this patient in my office". Who is to say I did or did not?

I know nothing about Dr. Freidlander but am curious how would the pharmacy know the Dr's license is on hold ? Is there some type computer system they enter the Dr's information in each refill ?

There is a way for them to look up the Doc's DEA License and see if it has been suspended or has Pending Actions!...Also I don't know how this info is sent to the DEA but the Angry Pharmacist said that Every Pharm has to supply the DEA all Controlled Meds that were filled each month with the Doc's Names and Patients Names....So the DEA has Records of All Controlled Meds that were filled everywhere in the USA!!

its his medical lic# that is temporarily suspended. the dea lic# is different.

You are technically correct but this doctor was indicted and has been jailed for illegal distribution of controlled substances.
Do really think the authorities are going to allow his DEA authorization to remain valid pending trial?
Not likely.

I want to heartfully thank you and afterward another lawyer who joined in with an honest opinion about the lack of advocacy for adults who choose their provider, based on need, through the internet. I've known cancer patients who continued to see the same doctor even though he moved from New York City to Florida to open a private practice. That's extreme, but health and comfort within your body is necessary to function. It's not the court or legal system's option or training to decide what occurs between doctor and patient, unless a patient asks for legal intervention for malpractice. Isn't that rational?

When did the AMA become so dopey and disorganized? Where are their lobbyists? They are a powerful, wealth based nationwide group who is sitting, wringing their hands, just like their patients. This is just too much!

Nobody is really interested in what these legal entities think is the moral or safe route for free, competent, adult Americans. The more people move over the more room will be taken by this insolent new version of "social workers". Because that's what the DEA, FDA, and courts have become, untrained wannabe medical and mental health professionals.

Good, they can pay my malpractice and every other provider who does the best they can, retains a license, cares about people as individuals. That should become a reasonable lawcase if the government wishes to take over the decision making for medical professionals. We can have a class action lawsuit for reimbursement of all monies spent in the pursuit of becoming licensed medical professionals. And then the government can step in and do our jobs, we won't have an investment in providing treatment and we can just step out of the field.

once a doctors licenses are suspended, all his prescriptions becom einvalid even if he wrote the prescription prior to the suspension?

SoHO
You hit the nail on the head. Well said my friend.

It has always been my personal experience that once a doctor's license to prescribe controlled substances has been suspended, the refills become invalid.
However, this would be a question better asked of your pharmacist.

I know of several people that tried getting their refills from Dr. F's scripts in the last 8 day and were told that due to his suspension they cannot be refilled.

My question is if by luck they got their license reinstated would the refills be able to then get filled. Meaning that if I went in today to get it refilled and they said they could not fill it do to the docs license being suspended and in the next month or two their license got re-instated would the refill still be valid or wuld I need to get a whole new script and start from scratch? Sorry if it is a dumb question. Just pondering... I hope the answer is that the refills could just be filled again.

I would like to know the Answer to that also!

How could you possibly find out the answer to that question? A Dr. would probably know. If theres a Dr. in the house some input would be nice.

Honestly.... I really think it doesn't matter because he will Probably be fighting this for a Long time! I do wish him the Best though!

I talked to two people who know Dr. Freidlander and Troy Wubbena (the Physicians Assistant) well today. Dr. Fiedlander has disappeared and his wife Laura, whom he is in the middle of a nasty divorce with, is desperately trying to find him. Troy Wubbena, who evidently owned the clinics (Dr. Friedlander was an employee and worked for Troy), has had the IRS seize his personal and business accounts, due to hundreds of thousands in back taxes owed from 2004 and 2005. After the seizeure of the clinics he quickly filed for bancruptcy. I do not really want to know or pry about their personal situations, but it does tell me that the clinics will not be reopening and any hope of the refills becoming valid is just a bad dream. I am moving on and have an appointment with another Pain Doctor next week. He gave me an early appointment due to my situation with the pain meds I am currently on being unavailable unexpectedly. I will let you know how it goes. Thank all of you for the support and information, it has truly helped.

Interesting. It wasn't the drugs that it was all about. It was the overdue taxes and nasty divorce.

You all know what happens when we assume......

Hello,
I also was a patient of Dr F. I'm over on the east coast but would be willing to drive to the west coast if there is a reputable dr there. If you wouldn't mind letting me know of one that you trust I would be most appreciative. I am low maintenance but had been a loyal patient of Dr F's for years and was so distressed to learn of his practice closing.
Thanking you in advance,
Mariana