Sunday, June 21, 2009

UPDATE

Very interesting new information:

According to the
State of Georgia's Composite State Board of Medical Examiners, Dr. Joyce Poag was subject to DISCIPLINARY ACTION for "quality of care" and "unprofessional conduct" on November 6, 2008! Action taken against her was: "fine, reprimand, limitation and restriction of licence: prescribing practices limited and other: mini-residency prescribing and CME in record keeping." Which essentially means that: SHE AND HER STAFF LIED TO PATIENTS OF ROYCE MEDICAL CENTER. She did NOT leave town because of a sick family member as her staff told patients in November 2008: she got CAUGHT by the State of Georgia and has been subjected to fines and disciplinary action!

You can find this information by copying and pasting this address into your browser window:
https://www.gaphysicianprofile.org/profile.ShowProfileAction.action?lic_nbr=021355

We are very seriously considering a lawsuit for the pain, suffering a monetary loss inflicted upon us by Dr. Joyce Poag. Anyone interested in being a part of a class action lawsuit against Dr. Poag and her staff, please feel free to contact us through this website.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Royce Medical Center SCAM

If you have been "treated" by Dr. Joyce H. Poag, MD at "Royce Medical Center" located at 5400 Laurel Springs Parkway, Suite 1002, in Suwanee GA for Opioid Dependence and have had a feeling that something just wasn't quite right, please post your experience in the comments section below. It is our belief that the "Royce Medical Center" is a scam in which Dr. Poag made a lot of money by prescribing the drug Suboxone to opioid dependent people, much in the way a drug dealer sells drugs to an addict. We believe that this was a money making scam and that Dr. Poag is a fraud. Suboxone is supposed to be prescribed in conjunction with therapy, counseling and contact with your doctor. According to the Suboxone website (http://www.suboxone.com):

"During induction, daily appointments are not uncommon. This allows your doctor to adjust for your withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Induction can last anywhere from 2 to 7 days. Urine drug screening at every visit is also fairly standard during induction. Patients whose SUBOXONE dose may be too low often use other drugs to try to suppress the withdrawal symptoms and cravings; doctors look for this when evaluating whether a patient is at the right dose.

Stabilization
During stabilization, your SUBOXONE dose is "fine tuned" about once a week, as needed. The goal is to find a dose where your withdrawal symptoms and cravings are suppressed, and you experience minimal to no side effects. You and your doctor will discuss your treatment options going forward, specifically, maintenance versus medically supervised withdrawal.

Once your dose is stabilized, the maintenance phase of treatment begins. During maintenance, your treatment compliance and progress will continue to be monitored. Participation in some form of behavioral counseling is strongly recommended to maximize the likelihood of your treatment success. You and your doctor will discuss counseling options that meet your needs. Your doctor may request urine samples from time to time. Some doctors find urine testing a helpful part of treatment because by verifying the absence of opioids in your system they can evaluate the effectiveness of your SUBOXONE dose. Talk with your doctor if you have questions about the role of urine testing in treatment. During your ongoing maintenance treatment, your doctor will want to know if you experience any cravings. If you do, your dose may need to be adjusted. Appointments are usually scheduled on a weekly basis, however, if treatment progress is good and goals are met, monthly visits may eventually be considered sufficient. The maintenance phase can last anywhere from weeks to years—depending on what you, your doctor, and, possibly, your therapist or counselor determine is best for your individual needs."

Dr. Poag does not do any of this. Dr. Poag merely doles out the drug in the form of a prescription and takes your money.
Dr. Poag has never taken urine or blood tests and in essence has taken her patients' "word-for-it" that they even have an addiction.

Dr. Poag does nothing more than get you addicted to a new drug, collect your money, send you on your way, and repeat the cycle when you run out. She is not available for calls. A woman, Donna, who is not a medical professional is occassionally there to read information off of a Suboxone informational sheet, but more probably, you've called an gotten an "answering service."

When questioned about any of this Dr. Poag has become extremely defensive, angry and suspicious. She talks about a "CEO" who owns Royce Medical Center. She states that it she is only following the instructions of her CEO.

Today Royce Medical Center is suddenly CLOSING DOWN. Patients were NOT PHONED. Patients whose prescriptions have run out can not make an appointment or get a referral. We only found out about this because a patient called today to make an appointment. Donna told the patient, "there are no more appointments, we are closing today, I am packing up boxes right now." When asked what happened, Donna states that Dr. Poag's mother in St. Louis has suddenly fallen ill and Dr. Poag is closing "the business." When asked: "what about the 'CEO'?" Donna has no response. Donna, then stated that: "medical records are in the mail, along with a list of other doctors who can prescribe Suboxone. " When asked why patients weren't phoned ahead of time in order to allow them to make arrangements with one of these new doctors so as to avoid going into severe Suboxone withdrawal, Donna becomes very angry and defensive. She responds: "patients who had appointments in the last three weeks were given their records, everyone else is being sent their records in the mail." When asked why would the other patients be sent their records in the mail TODAY, on the day they are closing as opposed to three weeks ago when they supposedly knew about the closing, Donna has no answer. When asked what are patients who have run out of their presecriptions supposed to do while they wait for their records to arrive, Donna responds: "we are closing today and I can't help you anymore." She then hangs up and will not answer the phone.


We phoned another doctor who said that with the medical records, they will see the patient today so that the patient does not go into severe withdrawal. They called Royce Medical Centers to request the records be faxed to them and Donna told them that they will not do that. Donna told them that all records are being sent in the mail and the mail was "just picked up."

All of today's contact with Donna at Royce Medical Center has been highly suspicious, strange and confusing. Something isn't adding up.

It is our belief that Dr. Joyce Poag and Royce Medical Centers in Suwanee, GA are a FRAUD. It is our belief that something has not been quite right with this "medical center" and "doctor" from the beginning. The way that Royce Medical Center is closing, so abruptly and so angrily, is highly suspect. This situation should be investigated by anyone with the means to do so. Innocent people who were just looking for help from a medical expert, a doctor who treats opioid dependant people have been hooked onto a new drug and scammed by this doctor. If you know anything about
Dr. Joyce H. Poag, MD, Donna and Royce Medical Center, please post it in the comments section below. Also if you have had a similar experience and have felt uncomfortable with the "treatment" you have received by Dr. Poag, Donna and Royce Medical Center, please post your experience in the comments section below. We sending the address of this blog to all of the Atlanta area news stations for further investigation.

Royce Medical Center's website: http://www.roycecenters.com/index.htm
Royce Medical Center's phone number: 770-888-8999