Former Ridgway Doctor Loran David Sherwood Banned From Profession After Prescribing Opioids Without License

(CBS4) - Loran David Sherwood reached an agreement with federal prosecutors this month to pay a $21,000 penalty and never apply for a medical license in Colorado or any other state, the United State Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado announced.

Sherwood practiced family medicine in Colorado from June of 1996, when his state medical license was first issued, until it expired April 30, 2017.

According to documents from the Colorado Medical Board, Sherwood wrote more than 900 prescriptions between July and November of 2017 -- all after Sherwood had allowed his license to lapse.

The state board cited the case of a particular patient identified only as 'D.B' who was referred to Sherwood following nerve surgery on an elbow.

"You provided substandard practice by prescribing unusually high doses of opioids and benzodiazepines," wrote Paula E. Martinez, Program Director for the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies which oversees the state medical board, "and by escalating the dosage faster than what is common practice. Your approach to chronic pain management for D.B. led to hyperalgesia from excessive opioids."

In total, Sherwood wrote prescriptions for nine months without a valid medical license, according to both the state medical board and the federal prosecutors.

The state board temporarily suspended Sherwood's license in February of 2018. It wrote a letter of admonition in August of 2018. Then in October, Sherwood's license was revoked. 

Sherwood most recently practiced out of the Dave Sherwood Family Medicine clinic in Ridgway, Colorado. That office was established in 2012. It closed its doors in February of 2018, according to the Ouray County Plaindealer.

While Sherwood did not return the Plaindealer's attempts to contact him, he did leave a message on his practice's voicemail message:

"After practicing medicine for 28 years and having the great honor of caring for Ouray County and the surrounding area for the last 22 years, I regret to inform you I will no longer practice medicine. As many already know, events of the last couple of years and especially the last six months have taken their toll on me mentally, physically and emotionally. I want my patients to know I'm the one who failed here – not (them). I've loved medicine so much (and) loved caring for you all so much that I've allowed it to destroy me emotionally, physically and financially. ... I believe the practice of medicine is no longer about patient care, but has become about quotas and numbers," he said. "I tried to fight the system, but I failed. I am sorry. It has been a great honor to be your doctor."

Sherwood's wife, Donna Sherwood, was manager of the Ridgway Pharmacy, was also licensed by the state in 1996, and was found by the state medical board in 2018 to have dispensed the more than 900 prescriptions her husband issued without a license the year before. The state medical board initiated disciplinary action against Donna Sherwood in May of 2018, suspended her pharmaceutical license in July, and revoked it in November.

The Montrose Mirror reported that the couple operated their businesses out of the same building.

The USAG's Office stated in a press release that Laron David Sherwood will be liable for a total of $40,000 if he fails to make payments on the $21,000 penalty. That total comes from invalid claims for payment that were submitted to Medicare while Sherwood was writing prescriptions without a license.

"Ensuring that only licensed medical professionals issue prescriptions for controlled substances is critical to protect patients," said Acting U.S. Attorney Matt Kirsch.  "It also helps reduce the illegal supply of opioids and other prescription drugs available for abuse."