Arlington doctor gave patients whatever prescription they wanted, indictment alleges
An Arlington physician routinely issued prescriptions for drugs without conducting a proper medical examination of patients, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas alleged.
At times, Dr. Clinton Battle approved prescriptions for controlled substances including hydrocodone, codeine, tramadol, Xanax and phentermine, without conducting any exam, according to an indictment handed up in U.S. District Court.
He sometimes told his office staff to issue prescriptions for whichever controlled substance the patient wanted, the indictment alleges.
In return, Battle received illicit drugs and other forms of payment.
A grand jury indicted Battle, 67, and two colleagues on June 17.
The indictment accuses Battle and Donna Green, his nurse practitioner, of a conspiracy to distribute controlled substances between January 2011 and April 2017.
Battle and his medical assistant, Yajaira Lopez, are accused in the indictment of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. That crime occurred between January 2012 and December 2017, it alleges.
Battle’s practice, Arlington Occupational & Medical Clinic, is at 615 East Abram Street in Arlington. He also worked at 817 Baker St. in Fort Worth.
Battle and Lopez, 39, pleaded not guilty at an arraignment last week. Green has not entered a plea.
Battle allowed Green, 45, to use his U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration number and medical credentials to issue prescriptions for controlled substances, knowing that Green was not legally authorized to issue such prescriptions, according to a statement issued by U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox.
Beyond the prescriptions, Battle and Lopez worked together to submit falsified claims to health insurers, including the Texas Department of Insurance’s workers compensation division, the indictment alleges. They up-coded claims for medical procedures, billing for higher reimbursement levels than were authorized based on the medical service provided, it alleges.
If they are convicted, Battle faces a maximum prison sentence of 15 years. Green and Lopez face up to as many as 10 and 5 years, respectively.
