Doctor's license suspended

On Tuesday, the Montana Board of Medical Examiners indefinitely suspended the license of a Helena doctor, saying he overprescribed narcotics.

The Medical Board determined Dr. Mark Ibsen acted unprofessionally in his treatment of chronic pain patients and failed to properly document patient medical records, according to the final order.

Ibsen travels monthly to Kalispell to see patients.

“I started prescribing to patients no one else would see,” Ibsen said during a March 22 phone interview. “It started as a trickle and turned into a flood.”

Ibsen came under review in 2013 after one of his employees filed several complaints that he was overprescribing. In 2015, he closed his Helena practice and stopped prescribing opioids.

From there, he said he focused on prescribing medical marijuana.

For the last three years, Ibsen has traveled to places such as Missoula and Kalispell once a month to meet with pain patients who he said otherwise wouldn’t receive the medication they need to function.

Earlier this month, Ibsen met with more than 40 patients at Alternative Wellness Montana of Kalispell, a clinic that helps people obtain medical marijuana cards.

Ibsen said he would appeal his license suspension.

The Medical Board required Ibsen to attend medical continuing education classes if he wanted the suspension of his license to be lifted.

Ibsen said he has been applying unsuccessfully for medical licenses in other states.

“I’m basically looking for asylum, looking for another state or another country to be able to practice medicine,” Ibsen said.

Reporter Katheryn Houghton may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at khoughton@dailyinterlake.com.