LA MESA PSYCHIATRIST MAY LOSE MEDICAL LICENSE OVER ALLEGED NEGLIGENCE AND OVERPRESCRIBING DRUGS

By Miriam Raftery

July 8, 2017 (La Mesa) – The California State Medical Board is seeking to revoke the medical license of La Mesa psychiatrist Harry C. Henderson III.  The causes for disciplinary action include gross negligence, repeated negligence, repeated excessive prescribing of narcotics, prescribing without appropriate medical examination or medical need, prescribing to addicts, and failure to maintain adequate records.

The investigation involved multiple patients, including one prescribed thousands of pills ranging from sedatives to narcotic painkillers. His prescriptions included dangerous and potentially life-threatening combinations of certain drugs with powerful and addictive narcotics such as fentanyl, which is 50 times more powerful than heroine.

NBC 7 reports, “The Medical Board documents reveal the agency based its investigation on an anonymous tip from a health provider who treats inmates and the homeless. That provider complained of seeing “again and again, inmates who are on high doses of (anti-anxiety medications) during active substance abuse use, also being prescribed pain medications by Dr. Harry Henderson...I have great concern that he is known by the inmates as someone who will ‘give them what they want.’”

View case document: http://www2.mbc.ca.gov/PDL/document.aspx?path=%5cDIDOCS%5c20170629%5cDMRAAAGI3%5c&did=AAAGI170629215035999.DID&licenseType=C&licenseNumber=36159#page=1

Dr. Henderson did not respond to NBC 7’s requests for comments.  ECM attempted to call Dr. Henderson’s office, letting the phone ring a dozen times, but the call was not answered.