Clinics offering free appointment for defrauded patients – UPDATED with Additional Docs

Clinics offering free appointment for defrauded patients – UPDATED with Additional Docs

 

Even more Missouri-based physicians are stepping up to help the 600 patients who were defrauded by a fake physician. Around 600 medical marijuana patients were defrauded by a person pretending to be a physician who certified them for medical marijuana. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the incident in a press release on June 19, and clinics immediately offered to certify patients who were defrauded for free.

Dr. Lisa Roark of Roark Family Health and The Dispensary in Cassville, opening later this year, reached out to other medical marijuana-supportive doctors and clinics to also offer certification fixes.

“This is absolutely outrageous,” Dr. Roark said. “Someone posing as a doctor did 600 fake physician certifications. Now, these poor patients have to scramble to get new certifications.”

Multiple other clinics are also helping with the mission to ensure these patients don’t lose their medical marijuana cards. Currently, the following clinics will certify patients who have proof that they were affected by this incident:

“Through our many types of regulatory efforts, we remain watchful for any wrongdoing in order to protect Missourians,” Dr. Randall Williams said in the press release. “Our main concern is how this fraudulent activity negatively affects patients, and we are working to minimize the impact on them while also holding accountable for those who are responsible.”

However, the release goes on to say patients will be notified if their physician certification was performed by the fake doctor, and then those patients have 30 days to get valid physician certifications from a new physician, despite patients being unaware the doctor was impersonating someone else.

Roark said her clinic would not stand idle knowing these patients are already out at least $100 for their initial appointment that was not valid.

“For many patients, even $100 for a telehealth appointment is an undue burden. Many medical marijuana patients are low income, disabled, or veterans,” Roark said. “They shouldn’t have to scrimp and save to pay yet another fee. That’s why we are offering to do their certifications at no cost. Roark Family Health will do these certifications for free with proof from DHSS that the patient was affected, but we can’t do all of them by ourselves,” Roark said. “So, I asked all of my fellow cannabis-doctors to help, as well.”