Tennessee 'Rock Doc,' under investigation by the DEA, prescribed unjustified opioids, state says

Brett Kelman | Nashville Tennessean

Show Caption Hide Caption Tennessee nurse, raided by the DEA, over-prescribed opioids, state says Jeffrey Young, a nurse practitioner in Jackson, is the subject of an ongoing DEA investigation and has been disciplined by state authorities.

A West Tennessee nurse who once branded himself as grungy "Rock Doc" in an effort to launch a reality show has been accused of prescribing opioids in questionable cases and unjustifiable amounts, according to newly released state records.

The nurse is also the subject of an active investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Investigators raided his clinic in 2017.

Jeffrey W. Young, 43, who runs the GeneXis Health clinic in downtown Jackson, has been accused of prescribing opioids in amounts that were not “medical necessary, advisable or justified,” according to medical discipline records filed with the state.

Records also say Young prescribed “dangerous” combinations of opioids, benzodiazepines and muscle relaxers. All of these drugs can be abused separately, but the risk of a deadly overdose is far higher if they are combined.

Young initially planned to contest the allegations at a disciplinary trial before the Tennessee Board of Nursing last week, but then agreed to settle the case on the day that arguments were set to start.

“He did not admit to having done anything wrong, but we stipulated that the board believed that he had,” said Claiborne Ferguson, his attorney. “Jeff is as legit as they come. His entire career has been designed around helping people.”

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In a telephone interview, Ferguson said he believed the case against Young was flawed because state officials were applying modern-day standards to prescriptions that the nurse practitioner wrote in 2014 and 2015, before the opioid crisis led to tighter restrictions on prescriptions. Ferguson also said many of the allegations stemmed from what state officials described as incomplete record keeping, which he believed made some prescriptions appear unjustified.

Young’s settlement is similar to a criminal Alford plea, in which a defendant agrees to be convicted but does not admit guilt. As part of the settlement, Young agreed to surrender his authority to prescribe many medications, including opioid painkillers. His nursing license also will be on probation for two years.

That's quite a downfall for a medical professional who, only a few years ago, thought he was ready for television.

'Rock Doc TV,' a reality show hopeful

In 2016, Young was the star of a TV pilot produced for an envisioned reality show, "Rock Doc TV," which revolved around his clinic in Jackson. It does not appear the pilot ever aired on television, but it remains available on YouTube.

In the pilot, Young leans into a rock 'n' roll image, wearing a backward baseball cap and sleeveless shirt that shows off his tattooed arms. A heavy metal soundtrack blasts throughout the show, and Young drinks a glass of red wine as he speaks to the camera.

“I may be a little untraditional,” he says during the pilot. “But don’t judge a book by its cover. Because one of the things my patients will tell you is that I’m very passionate about what I do and I’m very good at what I do. I work hard, but I play harder.”

Young had planned to start shopping this pilot to television networks in January 2017, but an unexpected roadblock came in the form of a DEA raid. Federal agents, dressed in head-to-toe camouflage tactical gear, seized computers and documents from Young’s home and one of his clinics. At that time, Young’s clinic was in North Jackson and operated under the name of PreventaGenix.

Young has not been charged with any crime as a result of that raid, but someone else was.

A few months after the raid, a pharmaceutical representative named John Kevin Phillips pleaded guilty to sending text messages threatening a DEA agent who was leading the investigation into PreventaGenix. Phillips sent a text message threatening to kill the agent and his children, according to court records.

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Phillips' ties to Young are made clear in the "Rock Doc" pilot. A few minutes into the show, Phillips is introduced as “Uncle Kev,” one of Young's closest friends, who tries to reinforce the nurse practitioner's image as a rebel in medicine.

"I think the secret to Jeff's success is always questioning the status quo," Phillips tells the camera.

DEA spokesman Kevin McWilliams said last week that Young remains the subject of an “active investigation” that is separate from the discipline case handled by the Board of Nursing. The DEA declined all further comment.

Ferguson said Young has never been informed about the crux of the DEA investigation, but it was obvious the agency is suspicious of his prescription habits. However, Ferguson stressed that the DEA would not have allowed Young's clinic to remain open after the raid if it had found any alarming evidence.

“Let’s be honest: Why would they take this long to even move forward with even the state nursing board case?” Ferguson said. “Because they had the power to shut him down immediately if they thought he was a threat to the public. They would have had a duty to step in faster.”

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Brett Kelman is the health care reporter for The Tennessean. He can be reached at 615-259-8287 or at bmkelman@gannett.com.