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Mapleton Clinic Provider Put on Probation in State Opioid Prescribing Case
(A report from the Iowa Capital Dispatch) – A physician assistant charged with incompetence and over-prescribing opioids will be allowed to keep his license under the terms of a deal with state regulators. The Iowa Capital Dispatch says the Iowa Board of Physician Assistants recently alleged that licensee Chad Walker violated several state regulations at some undisclosed time in the past. According to the board, Walker was working at the Burgess Family Clinic in Mapleton, when he allegedly engaged in the inappropriate prescribing of narcotics, benzodiazepines and amphetamines. He also is alleged to have over-prescribed controlled substances, including opioids, to a patient.
In addition, the board alleges Walker failed to follow guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when prescribing controlled substances; failed to perform annual drug screens on patients in accordance with polices on controlled substances; failed to have checked the Prescription Monitoring Program on a regular basis for the names of his patients; and failed to prescribe a drug the board identifies as “nalozone” — the drug naloxone is commonly used to reverse the effect of an opioid overdose — for patients who had received high doses of opioids with concurrent use of benzodiazepines.
The board also alleges Walker “created documents and signed (them) on behalf of his supervising physician without her permission or knowledge.” The publicly available board documents give no indication as to whether any patients were harmed by Walker’s alleged conduct. As a result of the allegations, the board charged Walker with professional incompetence, prescribing opioids in dosages that exceeded what would be prescribed by a “reasonably prudent licensee,” and unethical conduct. Although the board has not disclosed when any of the alleged violations took place, board documents indicate the case against Walker was initiated in 2023. The Burgess Health Center’s website indicates Walker joined the Burgess Family Clinic in Mapleton in late 2016.
In order to settle the matter, Walker and the board recently agreed to a settlement that calls for Walker’s license to placed on probation for two years, during which time he can continue to practice subject to restrictions imposed by the board. Those restrictions call for Walker to complete eight hours of educational training in “Drug Enforcement Administration narcotics,” and to complete a course of unspecified duration in ethics and prescribing. Walker will also be required to meet with a worksite monitor for at least one hour each week. The monitor will review 20% of Walker’s patient charts each month. In addition, the board has issued a formal warning to Walker, informing him that any future violations may result in additional sanctions.
Walker is currently affiliated with Sioux City’s Thrive Wellness Center as a direct care provider.
