Kansas doctor fined after improperly prescribing opiates

? The Kansas medical board has fined a doctor $2,500 and put his license on probation after an investigation revealed improper and potentially dangerous opioid prescribing.

The Kansas City Star reports that the Kansas Board of Healing Arts released its order this month saying its investigation into Overland Park doctor Joseph Baker began after a complaint from a pharmacist.

Investigators found that Baker violated guidelines in prescribing controlled substances to at least seven patients in two years.

Baker acknowledges how much he prescribed but says the patients “tolerate it extremely well.”

He currently works at Vein Clinics of America. The company’s national medical director says the incidents outlined in the board’s order happened before he was hired, but that the company is supporting him during his probation.