Kansas and Missouri Professional Licensing Attorney Danielle Sanger Explains the Opioid Crisis and Its Effect on Medical Professionals

The New York Attorney General indicted the CEO and the Chief Compliance Officer of a major opioid manufacturer this week.  As you likely know, the United States is currently in the throes of an opioid crisis, and law enforcement’s frequent strategy has been to arrest those involved in distributing pain killers to the public. That means that CEO’s, manufacturers, pharmacists, and physicians are all finding themselves in law enforcement’s cross-hairs.  In my practice here in Missouri and Kansas, medical providers are frequently asking what the implications of the opioid crisis are for their practices. I have written the following blog post as an overview because this is an emerging issue of tremendous importance to those holding medical and pharmacy licenses.

If you are a medical professional in Kansas or Missouri facing an allegation of misconduct or an investigation, call attorney Sanger today at 785-979-4353 to schedule a free consultation. Your career, reputation, and livelihood are at risk, and the challenge facing you is one you cannot work your way through alone.

The Opioid Crisis and Medical Providers

Physicians and pharmacists that provide patients with illegal access to opioids can face a loss of their license to practice as well as potential criminal charges. As we have seen across the country, district attorneys are eager to go beyond a mere licensure action and put medical professional behind bars.

Allegations of misconduct involving opioids can arise from several areas. Unfortunately, drug-seeking patients often make unfounded or exaggerated claims to leverage more opioids from their providers.  Other times, however, legitimate claims have arisen from families of those addicted to these powerful painkillers, alleging that medical professionals were too quick to prescribe or distribute opioids or that they failed to stop providing them after the patient displayed obvious signs of addiction.  Finally, these allegations can also arise from co-workers and hospital staff as a result of petty-infighting or legitimate concerns.  Regardless of how the allegation arises, you need to address the allegations immediately with the help of an attorney that specializes in licensing issues.

Medical professionals that have over-prescribed opioids face a challenging problem when they receive a notice of misconduct from a licensing board.  This is because while a skilled licensing attorney may be able to help you through the administrative process and, hopefully, protect your license, statements regarding a pattern of over-prescription or improper-dispensing of opioids can be used by law enforcement as evidence of criminal activity. As a result, medical professionals facing legitimate allegations are caught in a Catch-22, and it may be better to accept a penalty from a licensing board without making any statement than to make a statement to diminish the licensing penalty, only to trigger criminal charges. In some serious cases, it may be better to endure a licensure suspension in an effort to spare yourself criminal charges.  In most cases, however, a licensing attorney can both protect your license and prevent those sorts of dire consequences.

Contact an Experienced Kansas and Missouri Licensing Attorney Now

The opioid crisis has resulted in numerous medical professionals facing licensing issues and even losing their careers permanently. You have worked too hard to attain your professional license to lose it due to an allegation of misconduct.  Contacting an experienced licensing attorney to help you through the misconduct hearing process, explain the implications of any claims against you, 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 experienced dealing with licensing issues.

 

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