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A Hazard to Himself and All Those around Him

Michael Bummer, 39, a resident of Sewickley, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of unlawfully distributing controlled substances, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and health care fraud.

Bummer was a physician practicing at Redirections Treatment Advocates (RTA) clinics. The treatment center was a Suboxone clinic, located in Washington, Pennsylvania. A Suboxone clinic assists those suffering and recovering from opioid addiction.

Over the course of his medical practice at the treatment center, Bummer admitted that he and others conspired to create and submit unlawful prescriptions. Specifically, Bummer and his colleagues created fake prescriptions for buprenorphine, known as Subutex and Suboxone.

Then Bummer unlawfully dispensed the controlled substances to people who were not authorized to take the medication.

Finally, Bummer admitted to committing health care fraud. He submitted a myriad of fraudulent claims to Medicaid and Medicare to cover the costs of the unlawfully prescribed buprenorphine.

Patients would obtain blank, pre-signed prescriptions, completed by Bummer and others. Shortly thereafter, the patients would fill the prescriptions at pharmacies that accepted Medicaid or Medicare.

Unknown to Bummer, federal agents were hot on his trail, and they marked the blank, pre-signed prescriptions with invisible ink.

According to information Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Cessar gave the court, “The prescriptions were in the trunk of a car traveling between RTA locations and were pre-signed by several RTA physicians. Patients received the marked scripts without seeing Dr. Bummer.”

A 'Bummer' for Bummer

Bummer faces sentencing on January 9 at 11 a.m. The law provides for a total per count sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of $500,000, or both, for the controlled substances offenses. Bummer faces an additional maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years and fine of $250,000 for the health care fraud charge.