‘Frequent fliers’ said to request refills of opioid prescriptions over Facebook
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - On Monday morning, an Anchorage jury heard allegations surrounding eight people who were said to have been prescribed vast amounts of opioids by a nurse practitioner.
Missing from the list of more than a half-dozen people was Courtney Jones, a 22-year-old who died in 2015 after police said she had been using opioids that Kris Kile, a nurse practitioner, was accused by police of giving to Jones.
Kile previously faced manslaughter charges in the death of Jones, but those charges were dismissed when key evidence was destroyed by Anchorage police and labs, according to online records.
She now faces 13 counts involving a controlled substance in the second and third degree related to oxycodone, fentanyl, and meperidine prescriptions.
“What the evidence will show is these prescriptions were filled for no medical purpose,” prosecutor Daniel Shorey told the jury on Monday.
The first witness for the state, Mckenzie Cooper — who previously worked for Kile — said Kile would refill medications after being sent messages through Facebook.
Cooper testified that some patients would ask for refills before a prescription should have been approved, and described some patients as “frequent fliers.”
“That happened so often, I started feeling uncomfortable,” Cooper testified.
The defense said that, at the time, Kile had around 2,000 patients, but the state only found fault with eight of them, which led to the 13 criminal charges.
“A provider doesn’t make more money based on prescribing more drugs,” Kile’s defense attorney John Pharr told the jury.
Kile owned and operated Surgical Specialists of Alaska, offering “advanced treatment options for Orthopedic Trauma, Orthopedic Surgery and Arthroscopy, Orthopedic Sports Medicine, and Primary Care.”
When the defense questioned Cooper, she described an office staff that was behind on their paperwork and stretched for time, with work spilling over and having to be finished at home. At one point, a doctor resigned.
The case continues on Wednesday.
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