KENTWOOD, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – A veterinarian in Kent County is forbidden from prescribing controlled substances after officials say sloppy bookkeeping lead to more than 41,000 opioid and benzodiazepine tablets unaccounted for.
US Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten said Dr. Ronald E. Zylstra owes $35,000 in civil penalties. Meanwhile the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) will monitor the veterinary practice for the next five years. Totten clarified the penalties stem from a Consent Decree, not criminal proceedings.
The deal came after an audit revealed the Kentwood Veterinary Clinic wasn’t keeping accurate records of the comings and goings of Schedule II controlled substances. That lead to the large deficit.
“Practitioners who dispense controlled substances must adhere to their recordkeeping obligations under federal law, which are critical to preventing and detecting diversion,” said Totten.
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