Kansas and Missouri Professional Licensing Attorney Danielle Sanger Discusses Prescription Drugs’ Effects on Medical Licensing

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There is an opioid crisis in the United States, and in its aftermath, there has been increased scrutiny of physicians’ patterns of prescribing these powerful drugs. That scrutiny precipitated an increase in licensing investigations regarding prescription patterns and opioid use by physicians themselves.

If you are a physician contacted by an investigator, do not make the mistake of trying to handle your response to the investigation alone. I have seen physicians’ lives and careers devastated because they tried to be helpful with investigators, in the wrongheaded belief that that generosity would buy them the investigator’s good favor. It won’t. Physicians under investigation often erroneously believed that “playing ball” or helping the investigators helps their case, but this positive impulse consistently results in negative consequences. Don’t fool around, get the help you need from an attorney that specializes in licensing issues. If you are a physician in Kansas or Missouri facing an investigation, call attorney Sanger today at 785-979-4353 to schedule a free consultation.

How Prescription Drugs Can Affect Your Medical License

There is no question that being a physician can be incredibly stressful. In addition to staying up to date on current medical procedures and regulations regarding patient care, being a physician can pose personal challenges as well. Time away from home, massive workloads, relationship issues, and medical school debt can make work-life-balance challenging to achieve. Every day, physician prescribe medication to help alleviate their patients’ anxiety and pain. As physicians’ own stresses mount, the temptation to self-prescribe can be powerful.  Unfortunately, some physicians succumb to this pressure and self-prescribe powerful opioids and other. While physicians understand these drugs’ powerful effects better than anyone, self-awareness diminishes as drug use increases.  Drug dependence ensues.

In my practice, I most commonly see physicians who have developed an addiction to Vicodin, OxyContin, and Valium. I also see the frequent misuse of amphetamines, depressants or painkillers, such as Darvocet, Percocet or Demerol. While these brand names vary, all opioids are highly addictive and are associated with controlled substance addictions in physicians.

Allegations that give rise to licensing issues can take several forms. First, I frequently see physicians that are legally attaining the drugs but have become addicted to them. This addiction leads to sloppiness and mistakes in the medical setting. Even if the doctor is not making mistakes, if colleagues and coworkers note that he or she is coming to work under the influence of prescription drugs, they often file a complaint. Second, I also see physicians that have stopped attaining these drugs legally and have transitioned to either self-prescribing them or to attaining them illegally. Obviously, this is a serious issue that may lead to criminal charges in addition to licensing issues.

If any of the above descriptions describe your scenario, you need legal help now to thwart efforts to suspend or revoke your medical license. I have helped physicians in Kansas and Missouri in your situation and can help you too.

Contact an Experienced Kansas and Missouri Licensing Attorney Now

You have worked too hard to attain your medical license.  If you are a physician under investigation or have developed an addiction to opioids, pain pills, or any other drug, do not agree to any suspension of any kind or speak to an investigator without an attorney by your side to defend you and to negotiate the best possible outcome. Your career, reputation, and livelihood are at risk, and the challenge facing you is one you cannot navigate alone. Contacting an experienced licensing attorney to help you through this process and can mean the difference between getting back to helping your patients and losing your career forever.

Kansas and Missouri professional licensing attorney Danielle Sanger is prepared to advocate for your best interests and defend you. Call Attorney Sanger at 785-979-4353 to schedule a free consultation with an attorney prepared to guide you through your licensing issues.

 

 

Kansas and Missouri Professional Licensing Attorney Danielle Sanger Explains How Charting Errors Can Lead to Discipline

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One of the most time consuming and tedious aspects of the nursing profession is charting. That said, it is also one of the most vital tasks, as it is the primary line of communication between you and the rest of the medical professionals on your team. If you are a veteran nurse or work in a rural or small clinic, you may be acquainted with hand-charting your patients’ health information. On the other hand, if you work in a modern medical facility, you may use an entirely electronic charting program. Regardless of the charting system you use, charting errors and omissions can cost you your job and your nursing license

Before my work representing medical professionals in licensing cases I advised the boards that discipline them. As a result, I have a unique insight into how to avoid discipline altogether or to minimize it when avoidance is impossible. I frequently represent nurses accused of charting errors and often achieve positive results on their behalf. If you are a nurse in Kansas or Missouri facing an investigation that jeopardizes your professional license, call attorney Sanger today at 785-979-4353 to schedule a free consultation.

Charting Mistakes and Fraud

I frequently see nurses accused of charting mistakes that fall into two categories. The first category is somewhat minor mistakes that taken together demonstrate a pattern of sloppiness. The second is serious, singular errors that result in harm to patients and other sentinel events. I am categorizing both of these types of allegations as “mistakes” because they are the unintentional results of overwork, poor charting systems, or other medical professionals’ errors.

The following is a list of common chart mistakes that I see: food allergies, medication reactions, changes in patient conditions, treatment actions taken, physicians’ requests to discontinue the use of a medication, adverse effect of a medication, known preexisting conditions. I also frequently see mistakes such as inadvertently writing one patient’s chart notes on another patient’s chart. Finally, I often see mathematical errors, such as writing “2 milligrams” when in fact the patient received “.2 milligrams” of a drug.

Less frequently, my clients are accused of fraudulent charting, which is the intentional misrepresentation of patients’ medical information. The reasons alleged for fraudulent charting vary, but often involve an overworked nurse trying to “catch up” on charting that he or she did not do but should have. Rather than come clean about the omission, the nurse fabricates information for a patient’s chart to cover his or her tracks.

Often, nurses’ inadvertent mistakes are misconstrued as a pattern of sloppiness or intentional fraud when, in fact, they are simple human error.  An attorney can help you gather evidence and explain the situation in a manner that makes that critical distinction clear. A single mistake or mischaracterization should not define your nursing career.

Contact an Experienced Kansas Licensing Attorney Now

You have worked too hard to attain your nursing license.  If you receive a notice of investigation, my experience is that “playing along” and being helpful will only hurt you in the end.  Do not speak to any investigators or agree to any type of suspension without an attorney to protect your interests. Your livelihood is at risk, and the challenge facing you is one you cannot navigate alone. Contacting an experienced licensing attorney to help you through this process and can mean the difference between getting back to helping your clients and losing your career forever.

Kansas and Missouri professional licensing attorney Danielle Sanger is prepared to advocate for your best interests and defend you. Call Attorney Sanger at 785-979-4353 to schedule a free consultation with an attorney prepared to guide you through your licensing issues.

 

Kansas and Missouri Professional Licensing Attorney Danielle Sanger Explains Common Ways that Social Workers Endanger Their Licenses

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Social workers frequently work with their community’s most troubled and marginalized populations, often working closely with people suffering from addiction, poverty, and abuse to accomplish their goals. But these necessary aspects of the social worker’s job frequently expose social workers to accusations of misconduct. Because social workers often work one-on-one with clients, these allegations can be tough to defend.

If you are a social worker in Kansas or Missouri facing an investigation into your conduct, call attorney Sanger today at 785-979-4353 to schedule a free consultation. Do not agree to speak with an investigator without an experienced attorney by your side. Your career, reputation, and livelihood are at risk, and the challenge facing you is one you cannot navigate alone.

Most Frequent Allegations Against Social Workers 

Boundary Violations—allegations of boundary violations arise when a social worker’s relationship with a client extends beyond a therapeutic relationship. Sexual and romantic relationships are clear boundary violations, but even a perceived friendship or connection on social media can give rise to allegations. With the rise of social media, I advise clients to have a strict rule that they will have no virtual or social media relationship with their clients.

Failure to Maintain Client Records and Case Notes—social workers often struggle under oppressive caseloads. Clients’ immediate emotional and safety needs can seem more important than paperwork. But maintaining client records is a vital and mandatory aspect of the social work profession, and a failure to keep up with case notes results in an inability to communicate across the therapeutic team. Have a system for documenting client interactions at the time those interactions occur or soon after. I frequently see social workers find themselves in the midst of an administrative investigation when they have tried to catch up long after a client meeting or when they created false records long after a client interaction has occurred. 

Working Outside the Scope of Practice—while social workers are all compelled to help those in need, that compulsion can result in licensure issues when the social worker wanders outside his or her area of competency. If you are trying to develop a new competency, seek and document mentoring, supervision, training, and education. The problem with working outside the scope of practice is that, without mentoring and training, you can easily make mistakes and not be aware you are making them, even when you are otherwise conscientious. 

Failing to Keep Up with Continuing Education Requirements—many disciplinary actions start with an allegation that a social worker was unable to keep up with required continuing education requirements and grow from there. Keep up with your continuing education requirements and document your compliance so that this issue never arises. 

Contact an Experienced Kansas and Missouri Licensing Attorney Now

You have worked too hard to attain your social work license to lose it because you failed to adequately document your compliance with continuing education requirements or some other housekeeping issue.  An inquiry from a licensing board regarding your professional actions and decisions means that your livelihood as a social worker is in jeopardy. As the investigation progresses, you will need help in gathering and organizing evidence, hiring expert witnesses, cross-examining witnesses, among other tasks.  Contacting an experienced licensing attorney to help you through this process and can mean the difference between getting back to helping your clients and losing your career forever.

Kansas and Missouri professional licensing attorney Danielle Sanger is prepared to advocate for your best interests and defend you. Call Attorney Sanger at 785-979-4353 to schedule a free consultation with an attorney experienced dealing with licensing issues.