OLYMPIA — The state Department of Health has suspended the license of a former Jefferson County physician accused of prescribing medicine to out-of-state patients on the Internet.
Joseph Fog, 59, prescribed pain killers online to five patients from California to Pennsylvania on June 8 and 9 of last year, the state Department of Health said.
He let his license to practice as a physician expire in May 2008 and designated his primary specialty as anesthesiology.
The state Department of Health indefinitely suspended Fog’s license to practice in Washington on March 4.
The state department announced disciplinary actions of 26 health care providers on Tuesday, including two on the North Olympic Peninsula.
The Medical Quality Assurance Commission said it suspended Fog’s license because of unprofessional conduct and failing to have a change of address on record.
The state said that Fog prescribed pain medicine to patients who completed an electronic questionnaire on the Internet, and used an electronic signature to issue the prescriptions.
According to the commission, he issued:
• 30 tablets of Ultracet, a pain reliever, to patients in Chicago and Orange, Calif.
• 90 tabs of Ultracet to a patient in Orange, Texas.
• 90 tabs of Fioricet, a headache and pain reliever, to a patient in Charlotte, Mich.
• 90 tabs of Fioricet to a patient in Tunkhannock, Penn.
The state Department of Health said that it not been able to find Fog.
It said that an investigator sent a letter to Fog’s Port Townsend address in August asking about his prescription methods. The letter was returned to sender with notice that the time to forward it to Fog’s Portland address had expired.
Another letter was sent to Fog’s Portland address, which is listed on his American Medical Association profile, in November, the state said.
That letter was not returned to the commission by the U.S. Postal Service, and no response from Fog was received.
Fog has an active license to practice medicine in California and a Portland address listed on the Medical Board of California license lookup system.
Fog does not work at Jefferson Healthcare hospital.
Gordon MacCracken, Department of Health spokesman, said he did not have access to the place of employment of the disciplined health care providers.
The address that Fog used on his license application was redacted by the state Department of Health.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
