Needham nurse practitioner surrenders license for alleged over-prescribing of pain meds
Lisa Plinter, the nurse practitioner for Dr. Joseph Zolot, whom state officials deemed "a threat to the public" for allegedly over-prescribing pain medication, surrendered her nursing license earlier this month, along with the authorization to work as a nurse practitioner, for her role in the allegations against Zolot.
"She entered into a consent agreement March 6 which requires her to give up her [registered nurse] license and her right to work as a nurse practitioner," said Donna Rheaume, spokeswoman for the Department of Public Health.
Zolot's pain management clinic was based out of <small>]></small>'>140 Gould St</a><![CDATA[. The doctor's medical license was suspended in June, with the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine alleging the doctor provided poor care to 30 patients, while noting several patients, who were prescribed drugs such as OxyCodone, Percocet and methadone, died within days after visits.Pliner, who worked in Zolot's office, gave up her right to prescribe medications in June, according to Rheaume, for "allegedly failing to properly assess patients in regards to prescribing medications."Pliner can petition for reinstatement after one year, according to the terms of the consent agreement. And if the petition is granted, she would be under supervised probation.Despite the suspension of Zolot's medical license in June, his practice remained open, with the doctor's lawyer saying he intends to appeal the suspension."Dr. Zolot's expectation is that he will be vindicated and he will be practicing medicine again," said Zolot's lawyer, Howard Cooper, at the time of suspension. "Dr. Zolot believes he exercised his medical judgment in all cases."The Drug Enforcement Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Massachusetts State Police, Needham Police, Boston Police and Norfolk County Anti-Crime Unit executed a search warrant at Zolot's office on May 17, 2007. Although his license was eventually suspended, no charges were filed against Zolot.The doctor was featured in a Needham Times article last April, which described the doctor's unusual pain-relief techniques, such as injections of sarapin, a pitcher plant extract, and hyalagan, liquid cartilage from rooster combs.Zolot graduated in 1974 from medical school in the former Soviet Union with a degree in trauma and orthopedic surgery. He was a surgeon until 1987, when he immigrated to the United States at the age of 38. Since his degree was not recognized in the U.S., Zolot retrained in rehab medicine, focusing on the muscular-skeletal field. Since 1995, Zolot has solely provided outpatient care for people with orthopedic problems. He had practiced in Needham for 4 1/2 years before his license was suspended. Steven Ryan can be reached at sryan@cnc.com.