Kansas and Missouri Medical Licensing Attorney Discusses DEA Role in Curbing Drug Misuse Among Medical Practitioners

The Drug Enforcement Administration, or DEA, is an arm of the U.S. Department of Justice that investigates drug crimes, as well as endeavors to prevent drug crimes and safeguard the community from the dangers of drug abuse. The DEA’s Diversion Control Division is dedicated to identifying people who are in trouble and assisting drug misusers find the help they need to combat the deadly disease of addiction.

The DEA also performs another important function as overseers of medical professionals licensed to dispense prescription medications.  By virtue of their oversight capacity, the DEA has the jurisdiction to investigate any medical professional for misuse of his or her prescribing authority as well as investigate behavior the DEA called “diversion.” According to the DEA, “diversion” is the unlawful appropriation of narcotics from a medical professional. However, the DEA is not solely interested in pursuing criminal charges. The DEA offers medical practitioners and their colleagues’ advice on how to identify who might be caught in the web of addiction and how colleagues can render aid to doctors, physicians’ assistants, nurses, nurse practitioners, medical assistants, in addition to all other medical professionals suffering from addiction.

Danielle Sanger, Esq. is a professional licensing attorney who exclusively practices administrative law in Kansas and Missouri. Attorney Sanger understands the challenges medical professionals face in today’s increasingly stressful workplace. Attorney Sanger knows that the demands of medical professionals’ time have never been greater. Furthermore, Attorney Sanger is well aware of how easy it is to slide down the slippery slope of addiction and wants to help you successfully enter and complete recovery so that you can return to your chosen profession.

Attorney Sanger can identify with professional licensees who run into difficulties with professional discipline based on experiences some of her close family members once endured. Accordingly, Attorney Sanger focuses her law practice strictly on making sure that all of her clients receive due process guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

Identifying a colleague who may need help with a drug addiction can be difficult. Even the most intelligent, well-educated, and highly respected medical professionals can hide their problem for so long. Eventually, behavioral changes, work performance, and personal problems will emerge despite the addict’s best efforts to conceal his or her dark secret.

The DEA compiled an extensive list of behavioral changes that could signal the person is struggling with an addiction. These changes are not exclusive to drug misuse. Notwithstanding, any of these changes signify that the person is in distress because of substance abuse or some other reason. Therefore, action must be taken by fellow medical professionals to protect the safety of the public and the medical practitioner if any or a combination of these following behavioral changes occur:

  • Taking an abnormal number of sick days,
  • Poor attendance,
  • Unexplainable trips out of the work area and into the location where drugs are kept,
  • Poor productivity or a recent and precipitous decline in work performance,
  • Worsening handwriting and charting,
  • Confusion, uncharacteristic memory loss,
  • The abnormal drug “wastage,”
  • Over-prescribing medication,
  • Declining attitude,
  • Inability to maintain interpersonal relationships,
  • Inconsistent moods and mood swings,
  • Declining personal hygiene,
  • Arriving late for work, or

As a medical professional, you have an ethical and moral obligation to confront these issues and informing the individual in charge of your office, or hospital Human Resources department.

Medical Professionals Facing the Threat of Licensing Discipline Must Contact Attorney Sanger Immediately

Call Kansas and Missouri professional licensing attorney Danielle Sanger today at 785-979-4353 to schedule a consultation if you are a medical professional who could face professional discipline because of your addiction. Attorney Sanger will educate you about your rights and devise an effective defense strategy to protect you, your profession, your family, and your way of life.

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