Opinion ID: 1263929
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: The Medical Records Issue

Text: The Board charged Dr. Clark with failing to maintain medical records as to his care and treatment of a patient he regularly injected with Demerol, thereby violating W.Va. Code §§ 30-3-14(c)(11) and (17) and 11 C.S.R. § 1A.12.1(u). The hearing examiner found that the documents submitted by Dr. Clark contained inconsistencies and inaccuracies and that no records were submitted which showed a consistent chronology justifying his course of treatment of the patient and setting forth a record of examinations and treatments rendered. The Board also charged Dr. Clark with ordering Demerol and Dexedrene from various suppliers without maintaining any record or log of dispensed Schedule II substances, thereby violating W.Va.Code § 30-3-14(c)(17) and 11 C.S.R. §§ 1A.12.1(e), (j), 12.2(h), and 11 C.S.R. §§ 5.9.3 and 11. The Board charged Dr. Clark with disposing and destroying Demerol in such a way that he violated 21 C.F.R. § 1307.21(a)(2), W.Va. Code § 30-3-14(c)(17), and 11 C.S.R. §§ 1A.12.1( o ) and (bb). The hearing examiner concluded that the record supported the allegation that the respondent prescribed and injected Demerol without keeping written records and that the respondent failed to maintain any record or log of dispensed Schedule II controlled substances. The Board found Dr. Clark failed to maintain proper and adequate medical records. When appealed to the circuit court, the court concluded that the Board properly found that Dr. Clark failed to maintain proper and adequate medical records. There is no showing this conclusion was clearly wrong. The trial court properly affirmed the Board's order on this issue; therefore, we affirm the ruling of the trial court.