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DES MOINES, Iowa —
A recently fired nurse anesthetist is accused of stealing fentanyl from an Iowa hospital and has been charged with prohibited acts, facing up to 10 years in prison.
The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit filed a criminal complaint earlier this month, alleging that 51-year-old David Michael Anderson, of Boone, who was a contract employee providing anesthesia to patients, stole the prescription pain medication from the Manning Regional Healthcare Center while he worked there from Dec. 14 through March 8. He has pleaded not guilty in the case.
Court documents say Anderson falsely documented that the drug was for patient care when in fact he obtained the drugs for his own use. Anderson was contracted through Manning Regional Healthcare Center to provide anesthesia to patients.
Once the hospital learned of the accusations, officials terminated his contract and hired another anesthesiologist from Carroll.
It’s not the first time Anderson has been accused of stealing drugs.
His nursing license was put on probation in 2009 for stealing opioids from hospitals he was working at from 2005 to 2008.
A Manning Regional Healthcare Center spokesperson said Anderson was with a company named Axis Regional Pain Clinic, but the hospital terminated its contract with him once they learned of the complaint. The spokesperson said they are working with the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in the investigation.
There has been no evidence that Anderson’s actions affected any patients.
A similar case happened at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines in October, when a pharmacy technician allegedly stole 252 vials of a powerful painkiller prescribed for patients and replaced it with saline.
More than 700 patients may have been affected, but no charges have been filed.