A Kennebunkport doctor has had his license to practice placed on probation after a complaint alleging he was overprescribing medications to a man struggling with addiction.
Dr. Calvin Fuhrmann, an internal medicine and pulmonary disease specialist, entered into a consent agreement with the Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine and the Attorney General’s Office last week.
He agreed to a license probation for a period of time yet to be determined by the board and to enroll in a clinical competence assessment, according to a news release Wednesday by the board.
Elizabeth Campbell, an attorney for Fuhrmann, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The agreement said Fuhrmann responded to the complaint made by the patient’s mother, saying he did not feel the patient was a candidate for “weaning” from medication to ease his addiction and should instead be referred to a long-term inpatient recovery program.
The board obtained an independent outside review that identified several violations in standards of care, as well as issues with clinical judgment, medical decision making, medical knowledge, patient care, professionalism and record keeping.
The board also initiated a second complaint after another physician reported a patient of Fuhrmann was admitted to the hospital in an altered mental state after being found driving erratically and notably confused, the release said.
That patient had a significant medical history that included end-stage renal disease and substance abuse, including opioids, cocaine and benzodiazepines, according to the consent agreement.
He was receiving high-dose prescriptions of opioids, a benzodiazepine and a short-acting stimulant from Fuhrmann.
A review of the patient’s records and those of 12 others revealed further issues with Fuhrmann’s controlled substance prescribing practices, medical decision making and medical record keeping, the board said.
Fuhrmann was first licensed to practice medicine in Maine in 1998.
According to board records, he also received a warning in 2001 for improper disposal of old medical supplies, equipment and records.
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