Indiana DEA Nurse Practitioner Defense Attorney

Lawyer Representing Advance Practice Nurses in DEA Investigations

While all nurses provide essential care for patients, nurse practitioners and other types of advance practice registered nurses (APRNs) may be authorized to provide certain forms of treatment, including writing prescriptions. These nurses may face close scrutiny of their practices of prescribing certain types of medications, administering drugs to patients, or other uses of controlled substances. If the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) suspects that a nurse practitioner has violated the law, it may perform an investigation and take action to prevent the illegal use of controlled substances. In these situations, an APRN may face multiple different types of penalties, including the loss of their DEA registration, discipline to their nursing license, or loss of Medicare/Medicaid provider status.

Nurse practitioners who have learned that they are being investigated by the DEA will need to take action to protect their rights and determine how they can avoid issues that will affect their ability to continue providing treatment to patients. Understanding the best ways to respond to an investigation can be difficult, and an APRN may be concerned that if they say or do the wrong thing, they may be unable to avoid serious consequences that will affect their career. Because of the high stakes in these cases, it is crucial for a provider to secure legal representation from an experienced attorney. The Law Offices of Joseph J. Bogdan, LLC works with nurse practitioners in matters involving the DEA, and we can help them protect against actions by federal or state officials that may limit their ability to write prescriptions, work with controlled substances, or provide other types of medical services.

DEA Investigations of Suspected Drug Diversion

The DEA regularly investigates medical professionals to address drug diversion, which may include any cases where controlled substances are diverted from legitimate medical channels, distributed or sold to people in multiple states or countries, or otherwise used for non-medical purposes. In some cases, a nurse practitioner may need to respond to accusations that they have used controlled substances illegally, such as to further an addiction. A person may be accused of stealing medications that are stored at a medical office or hospital, failing to dispose of the wasted portion of medications administered to patients, or administering substitute substances in order to use a dose of a medication for themselves.

However, DEA investigations will often be focused on drug trafficking in which controlled substances are sold or distributed to other parties. In these cases, the DEA may look at a nurse practitioner's prescribing practices to determine whether they may have written illegitimate prescriptions for controlled substances. Agents may look at whether a person has a pattern of prescribing certain drugs in unusually large doses, seeing large numbers of patients without performing full medical exams, or failing to follow up with patients to address potential drug abuse and determine whether other treatment options may be available.

If the DEA believes that a nurse practitioner or APRN has engaged in drug diversion, it may take action to prevent them from working with controlled substances in the future. In some cases, DEA agents may ask a person to surrender their DEA controlled substance registration, or it may issue an Order to Show Cause and hold an administrative hearing to suspend or revoke a person's registration. The DEA may also refuse to renew a person's controlled substance registration, and it may refer a case to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution.

Contact Our Indiana DEA Nurse Practitioner Investigation Lawyer

Attorney Joseph Bogdan can provide representation for nurse practitioners who are being investigated by the DEA or who may be subject to different forms of disciplinary action. To get the legal representation you need in these cases, contact our office at 463-219-2612 and schedule a complimentary consultation today.