Illegally writing prescriptions to himself: An impaired physician in long-term recovery

He had five knee operations, and by the late 1970s he was treating his constant pain by illegally writing prescriptions to himself. Dr. Michael Palmer became hooked on painkillers and was drinking heavily. In 1978 he was arrested for writing false prescriptions, was put on probation, and had to surrender his right to prescribe narcotics for two years. For nearly a year, he didn't work at all.

Then, he says, "a group of doctors with problems similar to mine mentored me and helped me. By the end of the 1970s I was in solid recovery, and by 1981 I began to reach out to find doctors I could help. It coincided with the beginning of writing [novels]. In retrospect, having a book to write was one of the things that kept me sane."

After his first novel was published, he left private practice to serve in the Emergency Room at the Falmouth Hospital, where he worked for the next ten years. He volunteered to work with the "Impaired Physicians Committee" of the Massachusetts Medical Society. In 1993, around the time its name was changed to Physician Health Services, he left the E.R. and began to work with troubled doctors nearly full-time.

He explains, "It seemed to me that I was put on earth to take care of people. This is what I should be doing, and I never got tired of it."

Advice to people struggling with tough health or personal problems: See if writing, and helping others who have your problems, helps in your own long-term recovery, as it has for Dr. Palmer.

Browse for similar stories in our index at the very bottom of this page, or read another impaired physician story.

Thanks to David Mehegan for the source story in the Feb. 23 issue of the Boston Globe.

I decided to report a colleague who had problems: Lawsuit and countersuit on reporting of medical malpractice

Dr. Ernst Heilbrunn's letter to the editor of the New York Times:

Your editorial states that almost half of those doctors "who had direct knowledge of impaired or incompetent colleagues, or who knew of significant medical errors, had failed to report them."

Twenty years ago, I was the director of a clinical department at a metropolitan area hospital. I decided to report a colleague who had problems. The hospital administration agreed and disciplinary action was started, and eventually successfully concluded.

It took me four years to settle the multiple lawsuits against me personally and as director of the department.

Based on my experience, I believe legal protection should be provided so that doctors who do their duty are not penalized with long and expensive lawsuits. If this were done, reporting would increase.

Advice: Google the name of your physician and the terms "lawsuit" and "court."

Browse for related stories in the index at the very bottom of this page, or read a story about impaired physicians.

Thanks to Dr. Heilbrunn, whose letter appeared in the NY Times of Dec. 29.

It's atrocioius that doctors do not carry enough liability insurance: A surgical error lawsuit

Here’s the comment by a reader who was the subject of my recent blog post:

I am the person mentioned in the article which Dr. Paul Cho disabled while addicted to narcotic prescriptions which he was writing for himself. I think it is atrocious that these doctors do not carry enough liability insurance. Not to mention that the Texas Medical Board did not pull his license; barely reprimanding the doctor at all. Who is out there to protect the patient from these doctors? Something needs to be done. Dr. Cho simply moved out of El Paso to open another practice in Fort Worth. Why, so he can disable more people? These doctors need to start taking responsibility for their actions and the Texas Medical Board needs to start doing what they are supposed to be there to do...PROTECT THE COMMUNITY.

Thank you,
Demian M. McElhinny

Advice: Tell your story to warn others.


Read the original blog post, or read more from the source article in the Oct. 5 issue of the New York Times.