A state board has suspended a Fayetteville doctor's medical license after a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs investigation found that he diverted prescription pain medication for his own use.
In the March 9 order suspending Chet Crawford's license, the Arkansas State Medical Board said it had been notified that the VA had terminated Crawford's medical privileges and medical staff membership at agency medical facilities amid an investigation into prescription drug diversion.
The Medical Board's website lists the suspension as having taken effect Monday. He is set for a board hearing June 8 on whether he violated the state Medical Practices Act.
According to the Medical Board order, the VA reported to the board that it received information from patients and a VA office of inspector general review about Crawford's drug diversion.
The VA reported that, on one occasion, Crawford prescribed 90 oxycodone tablets for a patient whom he described in a medical record as having denied having any pain, according to the Medical Board order.
The VA also reported that Crawford told the office of inspector general that he had twice written oxycodone prescriptions for patients with the intention of later retrieving the drugs, either by intercepting a UPS package or visiting the patient at home, according to the order.
The order also quoted the veterans agency as reporting that Crawford initially described the unneeded prescriptions as errors.
Crawford later said he was trying to taper off his hydrocodone use and wanted access to another pain medication as a "safety blanket" in case he needed it, the Medical Board order further quoted the VA report.
Metro on 04/01/2017