DOCTOR SURRENDERS LICENSE MOVE COMES AS PHYSICIAN FACES HEARING OVER CHARGES.Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer QUARTZ HILL - A Quartz Hill physician accused by state authorities of negligently prescribing pain medication has surrendered his medical license rather than face an administrative hearing administrative hearing n. a hearing before any governmental agency or before an administrative law judge. Such hearings can range from simple arguments to what amounts to a trial. There is no jury, but the agency or the administrative law judge will make a ruling. . The state Medical Board of California was seeking to suspend or revoke To annul or make void by recalling or taking back; to cancel, rescind, repeal, or reverse. revoke v. to annul or cancel an act, particularly a statement, document, or promise, as if it no longer existed. the license of 75-year-old Dr. John Blodgett, who was charged with gross negligence An indifference to, and a blatant violation of, a legal duty with respect to the rights of others. Gross negligence is a conscious and voluntary disregard of the need to use reasonable care, which is likely to cause foreseeable grave injury or harm to persons, property, or in prescribing methadone methadone (mĕth`ədōn', –dŏn'), synthetic narcotic similar in effect to morphine. Synthesized in Germany, it came into clinical use after World War II. It is sometimes used as an analgesic and to suppress the cough reflex. to patients, including one who died of an overdose. ``It was a suggestion made in settlement negotiations that he surrender his license rather than litigate the issue,'' Deputy Attorney General E.A. Jones said. ``The ultimate remedy the board was seeking was revocation The recall of some power or authority that has been granted. Revocation by the act of a party is intentional and voluntary, such as when a person cancels a Power of Attorney that he has given or a will that he has written. of the doctor's license. If the doctor is willing to surrender his license, we can achieve the same thing. The surrender is a form of discipline.'' Blodgett surrendered his license on Aug. 9. Blodgett's son, Dr. Jeffrey Blodgett, an osteopathic physician osteopathic physician n. An osteopath. osteopathic physician, n an individual who is fully licensed to practice medicine who is trained in the principles and techniques of osteopathic philosophy. , is accused by the state Osteopathic os·te·op·a·thy n. A system of medicine based on the theory that disturbances in the musculoskeletal system affect other bodily parts, causing many disorders that can be corrected by various manipulative techniques in conjunction with conventional Medical Board of gross negligence in prescribing excessive amounts of addictive painkillers, including Lorcet and Norco, to four patients. The younger Blodgett's hearing is set for October. The attorney representing both Blodgetts did not respond last week to requests for comment. He said earlier that the treatment the doctors dispensed had been exemplary and did not represent a departure from any standards of care Standards of care are medical or psychological treatment guidelines, and can be general or specific. They specify appropriate treatment protocols based on scientific evidence, and collaboration between medical and/or psychological professionals involved in the treatment of a given . Jeffrey Blodgett owns the Quartz Hill Walk-in Medical Group, a clinic on 50th Street West. His father was the previous owner. By surrendering his license, the elder Blodgett can no longer practice medicine in California. In February, Blodgett's attorney had said his client was not working at the clinic due to health problems. Jones said it was his understanding that the elder Blodgett has moved to Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. . The clinic was the target of two civil lawsuits, filed in 2001 and 2002, alleging that staffers submitted fraudulent bills, addicted patients to prescription drugs prescription drug Prescription medication Pharmacology An FDA-approved drug which must, by federal law or regulation, be dispensed only pursuant to a prescription–eg, finished dose form and active ingredients subject to the provisos of the Federal Food, Drug, and provided unnecessary treatment to boost revenue. One case was dismissed and the other settled through binding arbitration, court records show. This was the first medical board complaint lodged against Jeffrey Blodgett, although his father has been subject to state sanctions in the past. Documents obtained from the California Medical Board show John Blodgett has a history of substance abuse and disciplinary action dating back to 1965. John Blodgett's medical license was revoked four times from 1965 to 1982 - two of them stayed - for, among other things, writing drug prescriptions for himself and testing positive for cocaine. John Blodgett's request to have his license reinstated was granted in 1985, and he was placed on 10 years' probation. The 1994 Medical Board ruling that ended his probation said John Blodgett had received treatment for alcohol and substance abuse in 1992 and had been drug-free and sober since, records show. The current complaint against the elder Blodgett concerned nine patients, three of whom are also listed in the complaint against the younger Blodgett. Besides the pain medication charges, the elder Blodgett was accused of failing to recommend follow-ups for elevated blood pressure, to order X-rays for fractures he had diagnosed, and to follow up on a high blood-glucose level. Karen Maeshiro, (661) 267-5744 karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com |
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