Kansas and Missouri Professional Licensing Attorney Danielle Sanger Discusses: DEA Ramps Up Enforcement to Deal with Opioids
If you are licensed medical professional in Kansas or Missouri facing an investigation by the DEA, call attorney Sanger today at 785-979-4353 to schedule a free consultation. Your career is at risk and you cannot work your way through this alone.
How Will the DEA Contact Me?
As someone who holds a controlled substances registration, you have to comply with the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Violations of the CSA are severe. Civil penalties include substantial fines and the loss of the ability to distribute controlled substances. Criminal penalties also include fines, but may also include jail time. Parallel to both of those federal processes is usually a Kansas or Missouri state process to revoke or suspend the person’s license to practice medicine, nursing, pharmacy, or other medical professions.
If you hold a registration and are under a DEA investigation, you may not even know it. They may just arrive at your place of business or home with agents and state licensing officials. If you are subject to this sort of unannounced visit, it is likely because the DEA is serving a warrant to seize records and inspect the premises. DEA agents may want to interview you and your staff during their visit; in this situation, you will want to call counsel immediately, as it is rarely, if ever, a good idea to speak with law enforcement without the help of counsel present. The DEA may also demand that you surrender your registration at this point. Again, it is rarely advisable to simply give in to these demands without first discussing the situation with your attorney.
The DEA’s involvement in your practice is not always so dramatic, however. The DEA also engages in routine audits, where you will be notified beforehand that your records will be reviewed, your practices scrutinized, and employees interviewed. This is still a very serious situation that you should not try to go through alone. Even a routine DEA audit can leave to a revocation of your registration and loss of your license to practice. If you are contacted by the DEA for a routine audit, you will need the help of experienced counsel to help prepare records for submission.
Contact an Experienced Kansas and Missouri Licensing Attorney Now
Any medical provider or clinic in Kansas or Missouri contacted by the DEA should contact experienced counsel immediately. Your business and license to practice are in jeopardy, and those initial moments are crucial. “Playing along” or talking to the DEA may seem like the easy way to go, but it may not be in your best interest. Contacting an experienced licensing attorney to help you through this process and can mean the difference between getting back to helping your patients and a suspension or revocation of your license.
If you are a medical professional in Kansas or Missouri and are worried about an audit or misconduct costing you your career, call attorney Sanger now.
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.