HONALO — The arrest of Dr. Clif Arrington nearly three months ago continues to complicate the lives of his patients as local pharmacies deny filling some of their prescriptions. ADVERTISING HONALO — The arrest of Dr. Clif Arrington nearly three
HONALO — The arrest of Dr. Clif Arrington nearly three months ago continues to complicate the lives of his patients as local pharmacies deny filling some of their prescriptions.
Arrington was arrested on March 17 by officers of the state Narcotics Enforcement Division while he was seeing patients, then held for several hours, before he was released without charges.
Several local pharmacists stopped filling prescriptions written by Arrington, citing various reasons including the purported involvement of federal law enforcement, the nonexistent charge and more.
Patients reported to West Hawaii Today in previous interviews their medication for heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes were all denied, leaving them feeling helpless as the investigation played out.
For Arrington and his wife, Deborah Hilton, the whole situation has been baffling.
“If you were sick with a chronic condition, what are you going to do if someone doesn’t give you medication?” Hilton asked.
The case remains under investigation, according to Toni Schwartz, communications officer for the state Department of Public Safety. Specifics about and comments from the office regarding the investigation haven’t been shared, and there’s no timetable of when charges could be filed, if they are at all.
The couple feel left in the dark, as well.
The two spoke to West Hawaii Today about their legal ordeal, saying the arrest has hurt their patients the most, as they’re being punished for being connected to Arrington. Part of that may stem from the incorrect belief that Arrington was charged after his arrest.
“They make the patients feel like criminals,” said Hilton, who is also the office manager for the clinic.
She said the goal appears to be simple: “Let’s put Dr. Arrington out of business.”
Several patients have reported to West Hawaii Today that they have filed complaints with the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. Staff at the DCCA said they were unable to confirm how many, if any, complaints were lodged related to Arrington’s practice.
An examination of the local pharmacies shows no complaints advanced by the DCCA since Arrington’s arrest. Complaints made to the DCCA are evaluated before they are advanced.
Arrington said he is confused about why it is all happening.
He said his best guess is because he provides alternative medical care, such as anti-aging care and oxidative therapy. However, other doctors in the region practicing similar techniques are not seeing prescriptions they’ve written go unfilled, he said.
And the blanket response is unlike what he is used to when operating with pharmacists. He’s accustomed to pharmacists calling his office for clarity on prescriptions, a normal part of his operations. But such blanket denial, for medications on and off the controlled substance lists, is beyond his experience.
“They’re intentionally causing harm,” he said.
For a time, they were backed by one of the corporations in the area but that backing has shifted.
On March 23, CVSHealth sent a letter to Arrington, advising him they would no longer fill controlled substance prescriptions, based on a letter provided by Arrington’s attorney, Robert Kim.
That situation has been reversed after a consultation with the company, Kim said, and pharmacists were directed to begin filling the prescriptions but that has yet to occur. Arrington said he now works to connect his patients with various mail-order pharmacies. Traditionally, the transfer from a local pharmacy to a mail-order one is done by the patients, he said.
“Ironically, it’s actually worked better for the patients,” Hilton said.
They no longer have to find rides, walk their way into town or remember to pick it up. Instead, the medication arrives directly at their door, she said.
The pharmacists working at the mail-order centers operate at the same standards as their local counterparts. That includes the mail-order sections of the local pharmacies who refuse to fulfill his prescriptions, Arrington said.
Not all Arrington’s patients can use this mail-order method as it is only available to people with insurance, Hilton said. Arrington’s practice services a number of people who are without insurance and are now effectively unable to get their medication.
Patients have also sought alternate doctors, leading to openings in the doctor’s upcoming schedule for the first time in years, Hilton said. Some pharmacists reportedly advised their patients to get a new doctor, which Hilton considers difficult, if not impossible due to the state’s doctor shortage.
The University of Hawaii’s Physician Workforce Assessment shows that the county has an overall 36.1 percent shortage of doctors. Statewide, the general/family medicine Arrington practices is 34.6 percent below what the study considers necessary.
Hawaii has 112.9 primary care physicians per 100,000 people, placing it at sixth in the nation, above the 83.1 seen nationwide, according to the American Association of Medical Colleges. Massachusetts leads the nation at 133.9, with Mississippi at the bottom with 64.5.
Both groups wrote the shortages will be getting worse in the years ahead.
Some patients have asked if Arrington is retiring, as he is approaching 70.
He does not plan to, he said.
“Certainly not because of this situation,” he said.
