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Patients risk addiction relapse with closure of doctors’ clinics

More than 1,000 left on own since 2004

By Chelsea Conaboy

 |  Globe Staff  

  April 01, 2012

At least 21 doctors who prescribed substance abuse medications in the state have closed their clinics unexpectedly since 2004, leaving more than 1,000 recovering drug addicts looking for urgently-needed care. In all but two cases, the doctors faced legal trouble or disciplinary actions, often for fraud, over-prescribing, or their own drug use. Wayward providers strain the limited resources available for substance abuse treatment in the state and, in many cases, put patients in danger of relapse.

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