Nashville child psychiatrist Dr. Raju Indukuri allowed to prescribe; remains on probation
Dr. Raju Venkata Indukuri, a child psychiatrist operating out of Nashville, Tennessee, was disciplined by the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners in January, 2023. At that time, the Department of Health investigated his practice and found that:
[Raju Indukuri] provided treatment that included prescribing benzodiazepines, buprenorphine, and other medications and controlled substances in amounts and/or durations not medically necessary, advisable, or justified for a diagnosed condition.
Further, the Department found that he:
prescribed controlled substances used for the treatment of anxiety in conjunction with other medications with a high potential for abuse without making a clear objective finding to justify the ongoing and increasing prescribing.
Indukuri failed to consistently review and document use of the Controlled Substance Monitoring Database (CSMD). The CSMD is a database used to monitor the dispensing of certain drugs. All healthcare practitioners are required to check it at specified times before prescribing an opioid, benzodiazepine, or Schedule II amphetamine.
Investigators also discovered that Indukuri prescribed without obtaining a thorough history of patients, and without inquiring into their potential substance abuse history. He prescribed in a manner:
…such that the persons would likely become addicted to the habit of taking said controlled substances and failed to make a bona fide effort to cure the habit of such persons or failed to document any such effort.
Disciplinary Actions
For the above offenses, his license was placed on probation for three years and he was prohibited from:
- collaborating with any Advanced Practice Registered Nurse
- collaborating with any Physician Assitant
- prescribing opioids, for six months
- acting as medical director of a pain management clinic
He was also required to complete remedial training in documentation and prescribing, pay a fine of $4,000 and undergo a psychiatric evaluation and monitoring of his practice by Dr. Sricharan Moturi.
Repeat Offender
In September 2023, the Board reviewed a petition from Indukuri asking permission to start prescribing opioids again. However, he admitted he had failed to comply with the January order and had instead prescribed opioids while prohibited. He was fined, and the prohibition on prescription extended another three months.
In January 2024, his case was heard again and he was allowed to resume prescribing opioids. His license remains on probation until January 2026. Probation is a formal disciplinary action which places a licensee on close scrutiny for a period of time. Further violations can lead to suspension or revocation of a license, and ending probation requires a petition to the Board which shows one has complied with its terms.
Training Facilities and Licensure
Indukuri was trained at SKBR College in India, graduating in 1974. He got his medical degree from Rangaraya Medical College, a government college in Andhra Pradesh, India in 1980.
He was further trained in psychiatry at Vanderbilt University and Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee in the early 1990s.
He was first licensed to practice medicine in Tennessee in 1995; that license expired in 1996 and he was granted a new license in August 1996. This latter is the license currently on probation and set to expire on June 30, 2024.
Patient Reviews
His patient reviews on healthgrades.com are mostly positive, however, two patients noted a tendency to get people “hooked on” addictive drugs:
Nothing but a drug dealer..needs to go to jail for what I’ve seen done to three different women with adderall. Treats everybody for ADHD and gets them hooked on drugs
~Review posted May 7, 2019
I like him as a person but kind of agree he gets patients hooked on very addictive drugs.
~Review posted Dec 25, 2019
Links
- Board order of January 2023
- Board order of September 2023
- Board order of January 2024
Request for Information
Due to Indukuri’s record of abusive prescription and failure to document his activities, there is a real concern that there may be additional victims.
CCHR Nashville wishes to speak with anyone who has been harmed, and has pledged to maintain confidentiality. Anyone with further information about this psychiatrist or others should reach out to CCHR through the contact page at cchrnashville.org.