SPOKANE, WA — A Spokane physician has agreed to pay $120,000 and surrender his federal prescribing privileges for three years to resolve federal allegations that he issued hundreds of controlled-substance prescriptions without a legitimate medical purpose, according to documents released Wednesday.
Federal investigators said Dr. Duncan Lahtinen wrote more than 1,400 prescriptions for opioids, benzodiazepines, sedatives, and carisoprodol between 2017 and 2025. Thirteen patients were identified in the investigation, with many prescriptions issued in overlapping or combined regimens that federal authorities say raised multiple red flags for substance misuse.
According to the settlement agreement, Dr. Lahtinen admitted the factual details outlining his prescribing patterns but did not admit liability. The United States alleged that many prescriptions were issued outside the usual course of professional practice in violation of the Controlled Substances Act and that some resulted in false claims submitted to Medicare and Medicaid.
Federal officials also noted that Lahtinen had been previously sanctioned twice by the Washington State Department of Health for improper prescribing.
“Doctors are highly educated and sophisticated individuals who are trusted with the ability to prescribe controlled substances for legitimate medical purposes,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Pete Serrano said in Tuesday’s announcement. “When a doctor abuses that power, they trade all the principles of patient care.”
Representatives of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Office of Inspector General for Health and Human Services echoed those concerns, emphasizing ongoing efforts to address improper prescribing amid the continuing opioid crisis.
Under the settlement, Lahtinen will voluntarily surrender his DEA registration and is barred from seeking reinstatement for three years. The agreement also outlines restrictions on billing practices related to the prescriptions at issue and preserves the government’s ability to pursue criminal penalties should additional evidence emerge.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington, the DEA, and HHS-OIG.
