pill mill

English

Pronunciation

  • Audio (General Australian):(file)

Noun

pill mill (plural pill mills)

  1. (idiomatic) A clandestine operation where a medical worker illicitly offers prescription medication to patients in exchange for bribes.
    • 2011, Jane Musgrave, “4 men sentenced in pill mill scheme”, in The Palm Beach Post[1], archived from the original on 8 January 2012:
      Four men who helped Jeff and Chris George run their lucrative pill mills received sentences ranging from 9 months to 14 years today in federal court.
    • 2014 April 25, JB McMunn, M.D., “The Stealthy, Ugly Growth of Corporatized Medicine”, in Naked Capitalism[2], archived from the original on 23 June 2025:
      Needless to say, the professional bullying from the primary care physicians (PCPs) and the [hospital] administrators to run both a pill mill and a needle jockey business was tremendous. I resisted the entire time, but god it wore me out. [From a pain specialist for a large multi-specialty group.]
    • 2026 January 20, Stephanie McCrummen, “What Happened to Pam Bondi?”, in The Atlantic[3], archived from the original on 21 January 2026:
      As state attorney general, [Pam] Bondi was widely praised for her crackdown on opioid pill mills and for her work combatting human trafficking.

See also