Doctor Accused of Stealing Patient Info

Stories of drug addicts fueling their habits through the use of stolen identities are, sadly, nothing new. But a story from ABC7.com reporter Michelle Tuzee puts a seldom (if ever) seen twist on that plotline: Not only was Lisa Barden, the California woman profiled in the segment, an admitted painkiller addict—she also was an obstetrician, and she stands accused of taking advantage of that position by stealing new mothers’ identities in order to obtain prescriptions to Vicodin.

According to court documents cited by the news site, Barden allegedly stole the identities of 15 patients. She is also alleged to have stolen prescription pads from five doctors with whom she worked, and then forged their signatures. Investigators tracked her movements across the Coachella Valley for 14 months, during which time they say she accumulated 30,000 pills, according to ABC7.com. Now, she faces 276 felonies, including identity theft, forgery, burglary and possession of controlled substances.


“She lied. She’s cheated”
A prosecutor interviewed for the story had a less-than-sympathetic take on the suspect: “It's fraud. She's lied. She's cheated,” Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Jeanne Roy is quoted. “I don't excuse criminal behavior for that…I don't think we'd be having the conversation if she didn't have the doctor attached to her name.”

After charges against Barden were announced in February, former colleagues and patients contacted by The Press-Enterprise were reportedly “stunned.” They described her as a “compassionate doctor who seemed to love her job,” according to the newspaper.

The silver lining for Barden: Though she does face possible jail time, the mother of three is now “eight months clean and sober,” the site reports.