JACKSON, Tenn. — A Tennessee doctor will spend 20 years in prison for illegally prescribing opioids that caused the death of one of his patients.
According to court documents, Thomas Ballard, 63, of Jackson, owned and operated Ballard Clinic, where he prescribed controlled substances not for a legitimate medical purpose.
Investigators also said, Ballard engaged in inappropriate sexual contact with several female patients while he ignored red flags of drug abuse by those women.
Ballard’s illegal prescribing to one patient led to her death.
Ballard’s treatment records showed that he believed the patient had psychiatric issues, overutilized medication, had engaged in manipulation, and fabricated personal trauma. The records also reflected that the patient had been in jail, received prescriptions elsewhere for Suboxone, a drug used to treat opioid dependency disorder, and that she had abnormal drug testing results. But, Ballard still prescribed her hydrocodone repeatedly, which she fatally overdosed on.
On June 23, Ballard pleaded guilty to one count of illegal drug distribution resulting in death.
