Crime & Safety

Department of Health Actions: September 28 to October 15, 2012

The following reports are based on documents released by the Rhode Island Department of Health.

 

The Rhode Island Department of Health has announced the following disciplinary actions. For more information, see the attached PDFs, or visit their web site.

  • On Oct. 15, the board suspended the controlled substances license for Thomas Paolino, MD. Paolino’s business address is 4474 Post Road, East Greenwich, and his home address is 36 Stiness Drive, Warwick. According to the board, Paolino had a patient who died in a car accident on July 3, but a toxicology report processed on Oct. 3 revealed that the patient revealed four controlled substances in her blood. The board said that when reviewing Paolino’s records, they were inadequate for her prescriptions, especially given that the woman was also undergoing methadone treatment, which Paolino was allegedly aware of. The board also noted that Paolino had already been ordered to take prescription courses in 2011.
  • On Oct. 12, the board filed an agreement with David M. Steigman, MD. Steigman is 54 and does business at 235 Plain Street, Suite 306, Providence. According to the board’s consent order reached with Steigman, he had hospital privileges at Rhode Island Hospital, but they were suspended for 90 days because of disruptive behavior with a staff member at a meeting in 2011. Steigman served the 90-day suspension, and will remain on probation with the board and the hospital for two years as a result.
  • On Oct. 9, the board suspended the pharmacy licenses of Angelina Chantherun Chea, Roger Normand Croteau and Christopher Rizzo. According to the board, the three attempted to hide misbranded medication during an inspection at Millennium Pharmacy in Smithfield. Additional charges were levied against Rizzo, the head pharmacist, for allegedly distributing altered and mislabeled drugs, accepting controlled substances in return, dispensing drugs without a valid prescription, and failure to notify. The license for Millennium Pharmacy was also suspended, but the suspension was lifted on Oct. 12 after pharmacy officials agreed to an extensive monitoring program.
  • On Oct. 1, the board accepted a consent agreement with Ronald Olsen, a registered nurse previously working for the VNA of Rhode Island. For a previous report about Olsen, click here. According to the complaint, Olsen engaged in improper contact with a patient in June 2012. Per the agreement, Olsen agrees to surrender his nursing license for five years, and any reinstatement after that five-year period would come following a hearing. Olsen was also ordered to have no-contact with the victim.

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