North Jersey Doc Allegedly Freely Prescribed Opioids For Years

PASSAIC COUNTY, NJ — A local orthopedic surgeon has been temporarily barred from prescribing opioid painkillers after he allegedly prescribed high doses of opioids to patients for years.

Dr. Evangelos Megariotis, who owns Clifton Orthopedic Associates, P.A. allegedly turned a blind eye to signs that patients may have been abusing the drugs or diverting them for illegal purposes, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said in a news release.

Megariotis must also stop practicing medicine until the state Board of Medical Examiners approves someone to be present for all meetings between himself and his patients. This practice monitor must immediately report anything outside of the standard of care expected of Megariotis, Grewal said.

The restrictions are part of an agreement between Megariotis and the medical board.

State officials allege that Megariotis engaged in professional misconduct and gross negligence in treating nine patients between 2012 and 2017.

This misconduct included allegedly keeping patients on pain pills for years for no reason, failing to diagnose or treat patients' underlying conditions, treating conditions outside his area of expertise without referring patients to specialists and performing surgeries without first establishing a legitimate medical need.

“Dr. Megariotis allegedly ran his practice for years with little or no concern for professional standards or the regulations in place to protect patients, including the restrictions on habit-forming prescription painkillers” said Grewal. “We will not allow our battle against the deadly scourge of addiction to be undermined by rogue practitioners who think rules don’t apply to them.”

The state also alleges that Megariotis discouraged one patient for using illegal drugs by telling him "anything that drugs can do on the street, my medications will do better and safer" and to "just call me."

Megariotis also allegedly treated post-traumatic stress disorder, "car phobia" and other conditions outside his area of expertise — often with prescriptions with Xanax, Adderall and cough syrup with codeine — without a complete medical history and physical exam.

Megariotis is also banned from prescribing Prozac, which is not a controlled dangerous substance.

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