Drug Dealer Psychiatrist Alan L. Summers Gets Four Years Prison

October 17, 2018

On October 16, 2018, the New York Board for Professional Medical Conduct accepted the surrender of psychiatrist Alan L. Summers’ medical license.

This surrender was based on an investigation by the Board following Dr. Summers’ criminal conviction.

On or about March 1, 2018, in the United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Summers was convicted of one count of Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances, Narcotics; one count of Conspiracy to Commit Healthcare Fraud; 11 counts of Distribution of a Controlled Substance and Aiding and Abetting; two counts of Money Laundering; and two counts of Healthcare Fraud and Aiding and Abetting.

Summers was sentenced to 48 months imprisonment per count, to run concurrently, following by two years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution of $14,588.31.

According to a U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) press release, Summers operated a Philadelphia medical clinic under the name National Association for Substance Abuse Prevention & Treatment where he and other physicians employed at the clinic prescribed large doses of Suboxone (used to treat opioid addiction) and Klonopin (a benzodiazepine used to treat anxiety) in exchange for large cash payments. Experts for both the prosecution and defense testified that these two drugs should never be prescribed together, except in rare cases, due to the suppressive effect each drug may have on the respiratory system.

Virtually all customers received prescriptions for both drugs, regardless of medical need. Almost all of the prescriptions for Suboxone and Klonopin were pre-printed before the customer met with a doctor. Summers and the other doctors working at the clinic failed to conduct medical examinations or mental health examinations as required by law in order to legally prescribe these controlled substances. The amount of Suboxone and Klonopin which Khan and the other doctors prescribed depended on the amount of cash the customer paid rather than any medical reason. For $200, the customers received a month’s supply of Suboxone and Klonopin. For $50, the customers received a week’s supply.

Evidence at trial demonstrated a stunning lack of medicine being performed at Summers’ clinic.

During the duration of the conspiracy, which took place from 2011 to 2014, Summers deposited approximately $5,033,187 in cash proceeds from the illegal sale of controlled substances. His Pennsylvania medical license was revoked in 2014 after the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration executed a search warrant at his office.

Source: “Ambler doctor charged with illegal drug sales,” Montgomery News, May 17, 2016; “Three doctors indicted for illegally selling prescriptions of Suboxone and Klonopin,” press release of the U.S. Dept. of Justice, US Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, May 11, 2016; “Doctor sentenced to 24 months in prison for selling prescriptions of Suboxone and Klonopin,” press release of the U.S. Dept. of Justice, US Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, April 9, 2018, and Surrender Order in the Matter of Alan Summers, M.D., BPMC No. 18-219, New York State Department of Health State Board for Professional Medical Conduct.