BERLIN, Conn. — A Berlin practice and several individuals affiliated with it have paid $300,000 to resolve allegations that they violated the Controlled Substances Act, according to a release from the U.S Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Vanessa Roberts Avery.
Dr. Steven Shifreen, Physician Assistant Christopher Norval and Multicare Musculoskeletal Medicine and Pain Management Associates, P.C. have entered a civil settlement agreement with the federal government.
Shifreen, a physician specializing in general medicine, and Norval, a PA, practiced at Multicare Musculoskeletal Medicine and Pain Management Associates, P.C. in Berlin, which Norval currently owns. Prosecutors allege that Shifreen and Norval prescribed controlled substances to patients who were showing signs of potential diversion and drug abuse because of the inconsistent results of their drug tests.
An inconsistent urine drug test happens when a patient tests positive for an unexpected, non-prescribed substance or tests negative for expected, prescribed medicine, according to prosecutors. An inconsistent urine test can be a sign of diversion or drug abuse.
The federal government alleged that between March 23, 2021, and Feb. 14, 2023, Shifreen and Norval gave out 43 prescriptions to six patients for oxycodone, fentanyl or both. The prescriptions were given after patients received a urine test result that was inconsistent with the medicine they were prescribed.
According to the government, the 43 prescriptions were given without a legitimate medical purpose and were written outside of the typical course of professional practice, violating the CSA.
By passing the CSA, prosecutors say Congress took steps to create a “closed system” of distribution for controlled substances, where every part of handling the substances was to be subject to intense governmental regulation. This was done to prevent the diversion and abuse of legitimate controlled substances, while making sure there were enough of those substances to meet the need in the United States.
“When medical practitioners prescribe controlled substances to patients who are showing signs of misuse or diversion, not only are they likely violating the law, but those medical practitioners are putting their patients at risk of overdose, and threatening the safety of our community,” Avery said.
She added that the settlement demonstrates the office’s commitment to holding practitioners accountable for their irresponsible prescribing.
DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge of New England Stephen Belleau said the DEA is committed to ensuring that all registrants comply with the required regulations, which are enforceable through the CSA.
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“Failure to do so increases the potential for diversion and jeopardizes public health and public safety. The DEA pledges to work with our law enforcement and regulatory partners to ensure these rules and regulations are followed,” Belleau said.
Shifreen and Norval voluntarily surrendered their DEA registrations to prescribed controlled substances on March 10, 2023. Under the settlement agreement, neither individual can re-apply for DEA registration numbers for five years.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA’s New Haven District Office Tactical Diversion Squad and the Office of Diversion Control, with help from the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Drug Control Division.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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