SUSPENDED DOCTOR SAYS HE FOLLOWED PROTOCOL

[Photo caption] Comprehensive Care & Pain Management Center, at 7714 N.
Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach, remains closed after recent sanctions by the
DEA.

A doctor who has temporarily lost his right to prescribe drugs said he did
nothing wrong while working at a Myrtle Beach pain management clinic that's
under investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The DEA has not disclosed details about the investigation, but the American
Medical Association reported in June that Comprehensive Care and Pain
Management Center at 7714 N. Kings Highway is being investigated for its
prescribing methods, particularly involving OxyContin, a potent pain
medication. The clinic has closed.

The AMA article said Dr. Benjamin Moore's DEA license was suspended for
improperly prescribing OxyContin and other drugs while working at the clinic.

Moore, a neurologist, said this week he did nothing wrong. He said he was
following pain management protocol approved by the S.C. Board of Medical
Examiners and the Feder- ation of State Medical Boards.

"I was practicing within those guidelines," Moore said. "They made it look
like I was wantonly wanting to make people addicted, and that is simply
untrue. I had no financial incentive to get people hooked. I had a flat
salary. I got paid whether patients came or didn't come to the clinic."

The pain management clinic shut down in mid-June after DEA sanctions. A DEA
spokesman refused to release details about the sanctions because the agency
is still investigating.

Dr. D. Michael Woodward, the clinic's chief executive officer, has been
unavailable for comment.

After the clinic closed, area emergency rooms and treatment centers
reported more people seeking help with pain management or pain medications,
most citing problems with OxyContin dependencies, health officials said.
Officials blamed the increased patient load on the clinic's closing. The
National Institute of Drug Abuse officials say prescription drugs are safe
but can be dangerous, addicting or fatal when used improperly.

Grand Strand Regional Medical Center is continuing to see eight to 10
patients a day seeking help for pain management and medications, according
to Joan Carroza, hospital spokeswoman.

"It is still pretty steady; it really hasn't declined," Carroza said.

People seeking help also continue to visit South Strand Ambulatory Care
Center in south Myrtle Beach.

"We're still seeing some but the numbers are declining," said Dr. Brian
Kelleher, medical director of Conway Hospital's emergency department and a
South Strand Ambulatory Care Center emergency medical physician.

The future of the Comprehensive Care and Pain Management Center is uncertain.

Moore said Woodward had planned to sell the clinic. Moore said he had hoped
to become medical director.

Woodward's attorney, Joseph McCulloch of Columbia, has said the closing of
the clinic was a business decision and had nothing to do with the DEA
investigation.

Moore, who is not currently working, said he is awaiting official
notification from the DEA about his suspension.

Moore said he believed he was "guilty by association."

"I have to go to court to prove myself innocent," he said. "[The DEA] had a
vendetta against the clinic and I'm collateral damage."