Claremore Doctor Under Investigation For Obtaining Pain Killers By Fraud

A Claremore doctor is under investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Rogers County District Attorney's Office.

There has been no arrest or charges filed in the case, but documents show when investigators questioned Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Jeremy Thomas after reading him his rights, he admitted to writing prescriptions to patients for hydrocodone pills with the understanding the patients would give him some of the pills in return.

The documents say Thomas gave investigators permission to search his phone and that they found text messages revealing he would engage in drug deals at various locations in Claremore, including Hillcrest Hospital in Claremore where he performed surgery.

Hillcrest Health System sent us a statement saying:

“We are aware of an incident involving a provider with Utica Park Clinic. The provider is no longer with the organization, and we are working with our staff and team of providers to ensure continuity of care for our patients. We will continue to cooperate with authorities on this matter, and we remain committed to providing a safe environment for all of our patients and employees.

“This very unfortunate situation highlights a growing epidemic in our country; Tulsa and our own health care community are not excluded from its impact. We take matters of this nature very seriously, and while we believe this is an isolated incident and our organization’s culture does not tolerate actions such as this, we are also reviewing our existing protocols and will add additional safeguards as needed. Additionally, the health care community in our state has measures in place, such as the Oklahoma Prescription Monitoring Program, to help fight this crisis and we must all continue to work collaboratively to address this critical matter.

“We are and will remain determined to take a proactive stance on how we address this epidemic both internally and among our patient population. We are committed to improving and continuing to provide the very best care to our patients.”

The Osteopathic Board of Examiners also sent a statement saying:

“The Osteopathic Board of Examiners takes all reports of physician abuse of alcohol or drugs seriously. A physician accused of violating the Osteopathic Medicine Act is entitled to a full hearing before the Board to answer the allegations against him. This Act strictly prohibits a physician prescribing controlled substances unless they are prescribed for a proper purpose.”

The district attorney's office confirmed it’s an ongoing investigation.

They said they also seized Thomas’ Jeep, saying it was used to transport the pills.

If anyone has information about the case, they would like to hear from them.