Oral surgeon agrees to pay $120K

An oral surgeon in Pennsylvania has agreed to pay $120,000 in civil penalties for allegedly failing to appropriately prescribe and keep careful records and inventories of controlled substances, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Dr. Donald Dinello of Mid-Penn Oral Surgery in Hershey and Harrisburg, PA, agreed to the settlement for allegedly failing to comply with the requirements of the Controlled Substances Act, a U.S. law that is intended to combat the illegal distribution and abuse of controlled substances, according to a press release dated December 20 from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The agreement is neither an admission of liability by Dinello nor a concession by the U.S. that its claims are not well founded.

Between January of 2023 and August of 2024, Dinello failed to use the required U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Form 222 for each distribution of a schedule II controlled substance, failed to maintain complete and accurate records of controlled substances dispensed by him at both of his oral surgery practices, failed to maintain biennial inventory at both his registered locations, and in one instance, failed to issue a prescription for a schedule IV controlled substance in the usual course of his professional practice, said the DOJ in its press release. Dinello reportedly acknowledged that he must comply with the law and its regulatory provisions, according to the release.