A former northeast Georgia hospital CEO and a doctor were convicted of more than 100 federal charges for illegally prescribing thousands of doses of pain medications.
Dr. James Heaton, 63, of Blairsville, and John Michael Gowder, 61, of Nashville, Tenn., were found guilty after a two-week trial of prescribing pain killers outside the usual course of professional practice and for no legitimate medical purpose, U.S. Attorney Bjay Pak said in a news release.
Gowder was the CEO of Union General Hospital in Blairsville when Heaton illegally prescribed him increasing amounts of pain medications, such as oxycodone and hydrocodone between 2011 and 2016, the release said.
Heaton did not properly document Gowder’s need for the medications and in some instances wrote him more than one prescriptions for oxycodone per day, according to the release.
MORE: Georgia hospital's ex-CEO, 2 doctors indicted on federal drug charges
Heaton only recorded Gowder’s prescriptions on his patient file six times over the course of three and a half years, the release said. Heaton wrote Gowder at least 95 prescriptions between January 2012 and June 2015. In order to conceal the large amounts of doses prescribed, Heaton would fill the prescriptions in pharmacies in Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina.
The duo were convicted of 102 counts related to illegally prescribing medication, and Heaton was also convicted of 27 counts of prescribing hydrocodone, oxycodone and methadone to two female patients outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose, the release said.
As part of the same investigation, Dr. George David Gowder also pleaded guilty to a single count of illegally dispensing medication in March, the release said.
Their sentencing date has not been scheduled yet.
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