I am forced out of Journal Posting retirement today. . .
I made an entry a few weeks ago and clicked save and it was lost into that black hole of no return. I took this as a sign to take a break, which I did. Alternative outlets to writing had become chopping down trees and digging holes. Since I do it just for fun maybe writing isn't so bad after all. At least it doesn't cause tendonitis and back pain. The real reason for today's post is to hopefully provide equal time for myself. I spoke with the local newspaper yesterday and was informed that they would again be publicizing my situation with the Board today. Since I know that rumors will again be widespread, I want there to be at least one place where people can find the truth from the horses mouth.
I met with the Board on March 20th for formal sentencing and to put some closure to my four year ordeal for choosing to prescribe pain medications without following all of their criteria for every patient. They really had very little to make any case to be taken seriously until the media became involved last June and they were able to get someone to come forward against me. They then blocked my DEA number to prescribe bupenorphrine and accused me of prescribing it without a license. I began to realize that the deck was stacked and it was time to cut my losses and do whatever they wanted. I was fortunate enough to have an attorney who understands the Board because of once working for them. I received some personal validation from learning of this attorney's views about their loss of focus and mission and the way they do business. The doctor receiving his consent order before me pitched a fit and raised a little hell but it didn't make one bit of difference. It probably just made them angry. I was humbled by the experience. I told them I valued my license, I found myself in a difficult situation for a while, and if I knew then what I knew now I would not be before them today.
The way it stands now my practice of psychiatry will not be affected at all. I will have six weeks active suspension of my license during the months of May and June. Personally, that isn't a bad thing because I haven't had a real vacation in many years. I made a plea about not likely being able to find coverage for the time I'm out. That plea fell on deaf ears. If the ER or Mental Health Center have a problem with this I guess they should take it up with them. My hands are tied.
Most of all, I don't want my patients put into another panic like last summer and think that I am going out of business or going to prison for some crime. In my opinion, this is mostly political. I detest the role I have been cast into but there is nothing I can do about it but play along. I am not completely innocent here but the situation has been blown out of proportion and attention has been distracted from what the true problems are. On a much more grand scale this type of thing happened when the establishment went after President Clinton during the Lewinsky scandal. In the mean time, matters leading up to 9/11 were ignored or placed on the back burner. I see several new patients a week who are abusing opioids that they did not get from me. I haven't written a prescription in over six months for an opioid. The action taken against me has not made one bit of difference with that problem other than making other physicians more certain to avoid prescribing opioids at all. Perhaps heroin will make a come back. I don't have any answers but I feel like I understand the magnitude of the drug abuse problem better than any bureaucrat in Raleigh. I tried to do my part. I was unsuccessful. I am through with it.
Dr. Alex Deluca, Pain Relief Network
psychiatry