The Cedar Falls doctor has been sanctioned four times by the board of medicine
State officials have issued an emergency order suspending the license of a Cedar Falls doctor to protect the public.
The order marks the fourth time the Iowa Board of Medicine has sanctioned Dr. Ted Bonebrake for alleged substance abuse problems or for violating restrictions on his practice.
Bonebrake, an addiction medicine and family medicine physician who has practiced in the Cedar Falls area, is currently accused by the board of violating an order issued by the Iowa Physician Health Program – a program that helps doctors deal with mental and physical health problems as well as substance abuse . He is also charged with improper handling of medical records.
According to the board, Bonebrake “self-reported to the Iowa Physician Health Program as directed by the board” on November 10, 2022. The board claims he was then under a termination agreement with the program and was prohibited from practicing under his Iowa medical license.
The board alleges that at some unspecified time, the program received information indicating that Bonebrake wrote several prescriptions for narcotics and received money for those prescriptions while he was still under his termination agreement.
The program then canceled its contract with Bonebrake due to what the board called “ongoing, significant non-compliance.” In November 2024, the program referred the matter to the board for consideration.
The undated emergency decision to suspend Bonebrake’s driver’s license was only recently made public. A hearing on the charges was held on December 12, but it is not clear what action, if any, has been taken in the case.
Emergency orders follow previous sanctions
Board records show that in 2001, three years after Bonebrake was licensed to practice medicine and perform surgery in Iowa, he was hospitalized for alcohol detoxification. In August 2003, according to the board, Bonebrake twice tested positive for marijuana use.
In September 2003, the board charged Bonebrake with repeatedly violating the terms of his then-current Physician Health Program agreement by failing to comply with drug screening requirements on six occasions and failing to attend aftercare appointments on at least nine occasions. The board allowed Bonebrake to keep his license, subject to a substance abuse evaluation and a five-year probationary period.
In September 2004, the board claimed it had received information that Bonebrake was drinking alcohol in violation of his license probation. As a result, in 2005 the board issued Bonebrake a warning, fined him $1,000 and suspended his license indefinitely with additional requirements for substance abuse evaluation, treatment and monitoring.
In December 2005, Bonebrake was involved in a serious car accident after consuming alcohol, the board claimed.
In January 2006, the board charged Bonebrake with habitual drunkenness or abuse of drugs or alcohol and violation of a board order. As a result of these allegations, Bonebrake agreed to a suspension of his Iowa medical license.
In May 2013, the board agreed to reinstate Bonebrake’s license on the condition that it be suspended indefinitely.
On November 30, 2022, the board restored Bonebrake’s license to full privileges without restrictions.
This article first appeared in Iowa Capital Dispatch.
