NEWARK - A Marlton psychiatrist gives up his license, to settle accusations that he indiscriminately prescribed more than 62,000 Oxycodone tablets to two patients in a four-year span.

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Dr. Joel B. Glass, 74, is the first physician to be cited by the New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners for failing to conduct quarterly checks of the state's Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) to trace patient patterns, according to the office of New Jersey Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino. The practice became law in November 2016.

Glass agreed to cede his license in retirement, amounting to a permanent revocation, authorities said. He agreed to a temporary suspension last May, and entered a consent order at the end of October. The terms require him to pay a $25,000 civil penalty and to pay legal costs of $42,002.90 to the state. He's also forbidden to re-apply for licensing.

Investigations began with a referral from the Vermont Board of Medical Practice, who alleged that Glass was over-prescribing addictive substances to a patient in that state.

The 42-year-old patient allegedly was prescribed 33,610 tablets of 30-milligran Oxycodone from January 2013 through April 2015, with no physical exams and no pain management plan, over objections of other doctors, druggists, and the patient's wife, who feared signs of drug abuse.

Investigators said that Glass's first PMP lookup for the Vermont patient took place November 11, 2015, and that he conducted the second in December 2016, but kept prescribing Oxycodone for five more months, until April 2017.

Glass was also accused of prescribing 42,050 tablets of 30-milligram Oxycodone to a 43-year-old New Jersey womant between January 2012 and April 2017, with what was described as a "dearth" of supporting data and three PMP lookups, all in 2016.

The complaint alleges that Glass continued to write prescriptions for the woman, although she told him that her pain threshold allowed her to take part in gym workouts and spin classes, to shovel snow, and to take her children sledding. Glass allegedly ignored concerns by several pharmacists and insurance firms.

State and federal agents allegedly discovered that Glass gave five patients pain-management treatment that amounted to gross negligence. They cited:

  • Prescribing large amounts of Oxycodone and Diazepram, among other narcotics, with no recorded justification.
  • Failing to run diagnostic tests and physical exams to substantiate patient needs.
  • Failing to employ drug-abuse gate-keeping methods such as urine screens, CDS agreements, or PMP histories.
  • Frequently prescribing extremely-addictive combinations of Oxycodone and Diazepram combinations.

The state was represented by Deputy Attorney General Kate J. Calendar. Glass retained attorney Carl Poplar.

Charges are accusations Defendants are presumed innocent unless, and until, found guilty in a court of law.

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