State restricts Bellingham physician’s license, alleges practice fell below ‘standard of care’

A state medical board has restricted a Bellingham doctor’s license to practice pain management over several listed allegations, pending legal action, according to the Washington State Department of Health.

The Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery put restrictions on Dr. Gregory D. Sharp, a licensed osteopathic physician and surgeon, because his practice allegedly “fell beneath the standard of care regarding standards of management of scheduled medications and the practice of pain management,” according to a press release.

Sharp has a pain management practice on Meridian Street in Bellingham.

A summary of allegations were made against Sharp, including that he allegedly treated multiple patients with high doses of opioids and high-risk combinations of controlled substances and medications, documents from the Department of Health said.

“CDC guidelines, Washington State Department of Health guidelines and the standards of the medical community who practice this specialty are committed to providing patients with a careful and ongoing assessment of risk, including the risk of addiction or misuse of controlled substances used for the treatment of pain,” the release said.

Documents said that one of Sharp’s patients allegedly was at high-risk with documented substance abuse addiction. Sharp allegedly failed to refer patients out for alternative care based on their needs. He also allegedly failed to conduct ample periodic reviews and consultations.

Documents in the case also state Sharp is accused of continuing to prescribe “escalated” amounts and combinations of controlled substances and medications without conducting appropriate risk analyses.

Sharp cannot practice pain management in Washington until the charges are resolved. He has 20 days to request a hearing to contest the charges made, the release said.

This is a developing story and will be updated