Virginia Medical Board Reprimands Psychiatrist Mukesh Patel for Allowing Assistants to Prescribe Controlled Substances While He Was out of the Country

June 30, 2022

On June 21, 2021, the Virginia Board of Medicine reprimanded psychiatrist Mukesh Patel for unprofessional conduct; negligent conduct; conducting his practice in such a manner as to be a danger to the health and welfare of his patients or to the public; and violating the requirements for prescriptions.

Patel violated Virginia codes by allowing his subordinates to jeopardize patient safety by permitting them to provide patient care outside of their scope of practice. 

Between December 28, 2019 and February 9, 2020, when Patel was out of the country, he failed to ensure appropriate care was available for patients at the multilevel addiction treatment facility where he was medical director. In his absence, he allowed treatment decisions at the facility to be made by two physician assistants who had not received waivers from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and were not authorized to prescribe buprenorphine for addiction treatment.

During his absence, the Prescription Monitoring Program Report showed that 58 prescriptions for controlled substances had been authorized in his name—52 for buprenorphine and 6 for gabapentin. 

The “protocols” or “standing orders” that Patel relied upon to delegate the administration of buprenorphine for addiction treatment were unclear. Some of the standing orders were self-contradictory.  

Source: Consent Order in re: Mukesh P. Patel, M.D., license number 0101-035881, case number 202160 before the Virginia Board of Medicine, June 2, 2021.