The Texas Medical Board has suspended a Grapevine physician for improperly operating a pain clinic and engaging in consistent non-therapeutic medicine. The board found that his treatment fell below standard for several patients seeking treatment for chronic pain.
Dr. Alok Pratap Kushwaha’s medical license has been temporarily suspended with notice for being a threat to public welfare. He is not able to engage in the treatment of any chronic pain and must give up any DEA controlled substances. He is also unable to delegate his prescriptive authority to other physician assistants or nurse practitioners.
As the opioid crisis continues to receive attention and correction, doctors and pharmaceutical companies are being suspended for prescriptions that don’t apply best practices, many of which are chronic pain cases. This week, there was a $572 million opioid ruling against pharmaceutical and retail giant Johnson and Johnson. Irving’s McKesson Corp. is also involved in a number of lawsuits around the country for what plaintiffs say was flooding communities with opioids. Drug and drug distribution companies maintain they were just following doctor’s orders. Thousands of lawsuits across the country could reshape the industry.
