Kansas and Missouri Professional Licensing Attorney Danielle Sanger Discusses Trends in Medical Board Licensing Cases—Opioid Issues

People used to ask me what sort of trends I am seeing in medical license defense. I do not hear that question as much anymore, as you do not have to be involved in medical licensing issues to know that there is an opioid crisis in the United States. Physicians are perceived as the root of the problem and accusations of over-prescription of opioids and other “pain pills” are rampant. This perception tracks with what I am seeing in medical licensing cases, as both the Kansas and Missouri medical boards are taking a hard line on physicians accused of over-prescribing pain medications or failing to adequately supervise employees in clinics accused of becoming “pill mills.”

 

If you are licensed medical professional in Kansas or Missouri facing an investigation or medical board disciplinary action, 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.

What Are the Trends in Opioid Licensure Enforcement?

In general, the public is the primary source of complaints about physicians.  These complaints range from the serious and valid to the frivolous and vindictive. Regardless of the complaint’s validity, the accused physician must take it seriously, as the majority of complaints result in some form of reprimand, often with a temporary or permanent loss of license. Again, regardless of an accusation’s validity, you must reach out for experienced counsel’s help immediately if you are accused.

Retaliatory complaints are common. These are patients that were denied opioid prescriptions because of abuse. Basically, the physician actually met the standard of care in these cases.  However, these former patients attempt to hold physicians hostage by threatening complaints to licensing boards once the physician ends their ability to get more pain killers. This is fairly common drug-seeking behavior by desperate people. As crazy and backwards as this situation sounds, an allegation’s baselessness does not mean that it cannot have serious repercussions.

Another form of complaint arises from negligent supervision of medical clinic staff. Even if a physician is responsible when he or she writes prescriptions, he or she also has a duty to adequately supervise staff working under his or her license.  These employees can be susceptible to drug seeking patients and illegally give access to opioids in an effort to make extra money, in exchange for sex, or due to their own negligence. Regardless of the source of the problem, employees working under a physician’s license can threaten that license with their own misconduct.

Obviously, sometimes physicians themselves are overprescribing opioids. This sort of misconduct can be driven by the same reasons as described above regarding staff. The good news is that there are many opportunities to derail efforts to suspend and revoke physicians’ licenses. An attorney’s vigorous defense, careful review of all evidence, and experience before the Kansas and Missouri medical boards can make the difference between revocation of a license and just probation.

Contact an Experienced Kansas and Missouri Licensing Attorney Now

Any medical provider or clinic in Kansas or Missouri contacted by the state medical board or DEA should contact experienced counsel immediately. Your business and license to practice are in jeopardy, and these initial moments are crucial. Trying to be helpful or “playing along” may seem like the easy way to go, but it may not be in your best interest. You have no obligation to speak to anyone without counsel present, and speaking to an investigator without counsel may be a fatal error. 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 opioid related 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.

 

Comments are closed.