Federal agents arrested an Indiana anesthesiologist Wednesday morning for allegedly stealing narcotics from IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie, Ind., and for treating patients after using the drugs at least twice, The Star Press reported.
Fifty-one-year-old Jose Ramos, MD, faces four felony counts for possessing narcotics, four misdemeanor counts for theft and two misdemeanor counts for criminal recklessness, according to the report. He posted $32,000 bond to be released from the Delaware County jail later Wednesday, but a circuit court judge ruled he cannot "engage in any practice of medicine," according to the report.
Allegations against Dr. Ramos were first brought in October after the hospital's director of pharmacy services contacted the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The director reported surgical case records showed multiple occasions when Dr. Ramos obtained controlled substances but did not administer them to the patient. Records also indicated the drugs were not returned or discarded and nurses had noted unusual behavior by Dr. Ramos, according to the report.
When the medical director of Ball Memorial's anesthesiology division tested Dr. Ramos for drugs, the samples were allegedly positive for marijuana, morphine, Meperidine, Hydromorphine and Fentanyl, according to the report. Dr. Ramos had treated two patients earlier that day.
Dr. Ramos took a leave of absence from Ball Memorial on Oct. 5 and entered an addiction treatment program, according to the report. In a telephone interview with the DEA, he allegedly admitted to stealing the drugs, according to the report.
The investigation is ongoing.
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