Ohio doctor convicted of overprescribing painkillers, fraud

TOLEDO (AP) — A doctor who portrayed himself as an advocate for patients who need legitimate pain treatment has been convicted of overprescribing painkillers.

A federal jury on Wednesday convicted Dr. William Bauer of Port Clinton on charges of distributing controlled substances to 14 patients and healthcare fraud.

Federal prosecutors said Bauer prescribed dangerous drug combinations and high doses of addictive narcotics that weren’t medically necessary between 2015 and 2019 at his office in Bellevue.

Bauer’s attorney said he’ll appeal the verdict. Bauer testified that the medication allowed patients to resume some normal activities and that he closely monitored his patients to watch for any signs of drug abuse.

Prior to his arrest, Bauer was a vocal critic of the crackdown on opioid pills for chronic pain patients, saying they were being hurt by moves to stop them from receiving large amounts of opioid pain pills.