Doc monitored for prescribing drugs to wife

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- A doctor who prescribed controlled substances to his wife after he agreed to stop faces two years of close monitoring and two years of probation.

The Providence Journal reports that the state Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline has reinstated the controlled-substances registration of Dr. Arnold Rosenbaum. The board acted after the 71-year-old Lincoln surgeon completed courses in ethics and record-keeping and enrolled in a three-day course in prescribing controlled drugs currently under way.

A consent order signed by Rosenbaum says he has a pattern of prescribing controlled substances to his wife in a way that does not meet standards of acceptable practice.

Dr. James McDonald, the board's chief administrative officer, says American Medical Association ethical rules prohibit doctors from prescribing such drugs to members of the immediate family.
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Information from: The Providence Journal, http://www.providencejournal.com