COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) _ The government says an Ohio doctor and an employee at a Columbus medical clinic have pleaded guilty to illegally distributing pain pills.

The U.S. Attorney's office says the Columbus Southern Medical Center prescribed painkillers to patients without properly examining them and focused on patients addicted to pain pills and other drugs.

Prosecutors say Dr. David Rath of Alexandria and Karen Climer of Columbus each pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to one count of conspiracy to illegally distribute oxycodone. 

The government says Rath supervised two physician assistants who each saw up to 100 patients a day while Climer scheduled between 200 and 400 patients daily knowing that many were oxycodone addicts.