On February 28, 2019 Commonwealth Court issued a decision reversing a Pennsylvania Medical Board order reprimanding a physician. The order reprimanding the physician stems from a medical malpractice case. The patient died and the Medical Board accused the physician of...
Hark and Hark
New prescription monitoring tool could see increase in false tips
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control, more than five thousand people died in Pennsylvania in 2017 due to opioid overdoses. In the state's ongoing battle against the opioid epidemic, the state Attorney General's Office rolled out a new program in...
Can Pennsylvania doctors prescribe marijuana to their patients?
For the last several years, medical marijuana has been in the national news. While some fear that allowing it to be used in the medical field is a slippery slope to allowing its permissible use by everyone, there is no doubt that for some medical patients marijuana is...
Immediate Tempory Suspension — Do Not Sign Any Document
Doctors beware. Government prosecutors are fighting the opiate epidemic on many fronts. Now more than ever local police in coordination with DEA and Commonwealth Attorney General drug enforcement investigators are investigating doctors for writing unreasonable amounts...
The PHMP, Kevin Knipe, Pharmacy Board, and an Abuse of Discretion
The PHMP, it's caseworkers, and director Kevin Knipe's treatment of licensees is a major topic of my blogs and website. I routinely field inquiries regarding false positive drug tests, chain of custody issues, and other PHMP claimed violations. How do I get out of the...
Should I report a crime if the statute of limitations expired?
Individuals who are subject to professional licensing are often required to self-report the criminal charges that are issued against them. Certain crimes and convictions may be weighed against them and can threaten one's ability to attain and retain his or her license...
Finishing the PHMP Term — Returning to an Unrestricted Health Care Practice
How do you get out of Pennsylvania's Professional Health Monitoring Program ("PHMP"). The PHMP administers both the Voluntary Recovery Program "VRP" and the Disciplinary Monitoring Program ("DMU"). As a licensed professional voluntarily enrolled in the PHMP - VRP - or...
Multiple medical professionals sentenced on federal charges
Doctors take an oath to do no harm in the execution of their professional duties. This can mean that they engage in different courses of treatment based upon the specific needs and wishes of their patients. Because they are licensed and bound to certain standards of...
What is a Petition for Appropriate Relief
A Petition for Appropriate Relief ("PAR") is a licensing board prosecution motion, presented to a licensing board committee, alleging an emergent need to suspend a licensee's license. PARs target licensees currently on PHMP disciplinary probation, whether a voluntary...
Marijuana Impaired Drivers — The DRE Revisited — Costs
In recent weeks, the New Jersey Legislature has identified cannabis-impaired drivers, which will require training hundreds of new Drug Recognition Experts -- as a cost that is potentially crippling to smaller municipalities. Several New Jersey Municipal Court...