What Happened
A physician who owned Green Mountain Family Medicine, with offices in Rutland and White River Junction, Vermont, admitted to writing and receiving at least nine controlled-substance prescriptions in staff members' names for his own use from May 2013 through October 2015.
The controlled substances included hydrocodone bitartrate and acetaminophen, lorazepam, diazepam, and tramadol. The physician also admitted writing at least four controlled-substance prescriptions in staff members' names for an immediate family member's use, including diazepam and carisoprodol, and altering staff medical records to include false information about the prescriptions. The Board approved a consent order reprimanding the physician, suspending his license for five years with time served from June 21, 2016, prohibiting him from prescribing Schedule II-V controlled substances in Vermont, and imposing a $9,000 administrative penalty.
What the Record Shows
The Board reprimanded the physician; suspended his Vermont medical license for five years with time served from June 21, 2016; permanently prohibited him from prescribing Schedule II-V controlled substances in Vermont; required practice monitoring, treatment, and a $9,000 administrative penalty.
Why It Matters for Diversion Programs
This entry comes from a primary source rather than a federal enforcement release, and it is recorded as reported: The physician admitted to writing and receiving at least nine controlled-substance prescriptions in staff members' names for his own use from May 2013 through October 2015, writing at least four such prescriptions in staff members' names for an immediate family member's use, and altering staff medical records to include false information about the prescriptions.. Board and news records are a lagging indicator - by the time a licensing authority or a reporter learns of a diversion, the diversion was normally detected internally first, which makes each entry a signal that inventory reconciliation, waste observation or dispensing oversight failed earlier.