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NC schools, healthcare will benefit from settlement with SC "pill mill"

PRE News & Ideas | By Annette Weston

Published December 6, 2023 at 6:53 AM EST

How does the doctor decide what to write on the prescription pad? — File: Attorney General Josh Stein reached a $1.45 million settlement against Med First Immediate Care and Family Practice, just over the state line in Dillon, South Carolina.

North Carolina’s attorney general has reached a settlement with a doctor’s office accused of being a pill mill and filing false claims with Medicare and Medicaid for unnecessary drug tests and lengthy office visits that never happened.

Attorney General Josh Stein reached a $1.45 million settlement against Med First Immediate Care and Family Practice, just over the state line in Dillon, South Carolina. Some North Carolina patients covered by Medicaid were treated at the clinic.

North Carolina’s share of the settlement will go to the North Carolina Medicaid program and the North Carolina Schools Fund.

Annette Weston

Annette is originally a Midwest gal, born and raised in Michigan, but with career stops in many surrounding states, the Pacific Northwest, and various parts of the southeast. An award-winning journalist and mother of four, Annette moved to eastern North Carolina in 2019 to be closer to family – in particular, her two young grandchildren. It’s possible that a -27 day with a -68 windchill in Minnesota may have also played a role in that decision. In her spare time, Annette does a lot of kiddo cuddling, reading, and producing the coolest Halloween costumes anyone has ever seen. She has also worked as a diversity and inclusion facilitator serving school districts and large corporations. It’s the people that make this beautiful area special, and she wants to share those stories that touch the hearts of others. If you have a story idea to share, please reach out by email to westona@cravencc.edu.

See stories by Annette Weston