Whew. I'd say, run as fast and as far away from this guy as possible! A three month suspension for his problems isn't, in my opinion, fair to his patients. Addiction, fraud and theft identity aren't qualities that make him worthy of putting anyone's health in his hands. Maybe he should use his "skills" another way. Like teaching via computer, so he doesn't have to come in contact with anyone! What a creep.

I remember that story. Too bad. Such a waste!

Well, yes, it's a terrible waste of an educated, talented doctor, who's turned into a thief and addict. The lawyer's nonsense that his addiction developed as a result of pain related surgery is laughable. He's a doctor who should have helped his own patients avoid that very same trap. Rather, he took the step of dulling his senses willingly, and lost the ability to control it from that point on. Now, it's his time to take responsibility and spare us the explanations we don't need to hear.

Heggen, MD receives the standard, baby-being-bad swat on the tush, that is routinely deemed appropriate in the bizarre world of lab coat lunacy.

Why? Because as high as we foolishly hold doctors in esteem, we hold MDs to the lowest level of discipline extant. Truck Drivers & Contractors; Realtors, Pilots & Taxi Drivers, Nurses, Security Officers & Dispatchers, to name a few, are required to hold their behavior to considerably higher levels of professionalism, in order to keep THEIR licenses.

The ugly reality is that NO segment of professionals in our society generate more crime; create more unnecessary suffering & death; deal more drugs nor steal more money, than the errant physician population.

And now Heggen, MD will have his name scribed onto the wall of shame known as the Nat'l Practitioner Data Bank, along with 250,000 OTHER doctors, who couldn't seem to maintain equal decorum of a Boy Scout on a camp-out.

(see "America's Dumbest Doctors" for a reality check. It just might save your life)

Sad story. I was a patient of Dr Heggan. Despite what this article implies, he is a wonderful, talented doctor, and I would go back to him. He has what a lot of doctors lack, kindness, compassion, humor...the list goes on. Sure what he did was wrong, but who are we to judge? Im sure in his profession he could have been hardened and judged his patients, but i am certain he did not. We all should do the same for him now. Addiction is a terrible path, not often understood by people who have not experienced it. He is getting help, he will be monitored, he should be allowed to work as a physician again!

Jeez so harsh! Dr Heggan is only human! Humans make mistakes. Becoming addicted to pain meds after a surgery happens a lot. Dr Heggan treated me for years and he helped me tremendously by listening being extremely thorough and doing something MOST Dr's today don't do .......treating me like a PERSON not just another number! He actually cares about his patients and thats RARE!He deserves a 2nd chance just like anyone else! If he practices medicine again I would be his patient in a heartbeat!