The Washington state Board of Nursing has suspended the licenses of a nurse at a family medicine clinic in Thurston County due to prescribing concerns and allegations his patient care fell below standard practice between 2018 and 2024.
Percy Lynchard III first received his credential to practice as a registered nurse (RN) in November 2008 and received his credential to practice as an advanced registered nurse practitioner (ARNP) in October 2017, according to the state Board of Nursing.
He began working as an independent contractor with Heritage Family Medicine in Olympia in June 2018, according to the clinic’s Facebook page.
The state Board of Nursing reports that Heritage Family Medicine registered as a direct health care practice in November 2020.
According to information posted on Heritage Family Medicine’s website, Lynchard received his RN degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and worked at Providence St. Peter’s Hospital in Olympia for over six years before he obtained his ARNP through Gonzaga University.
While Lynchard is still listed as a provider through Heritage Family Medicine, the state Board of Nursing has suspended both his RN and ARNP licenses, prohibiting him from practicing medicine pending further legal action.
The state Board of Nursing filed an initial statement of charges against Lynchard on Aug. 3, 2023, and filed an amended statement of charges on June 17, 2024.
The allegations stem from records of Lychard’s treatment of 28 different patients at Heritage Family Medicine between 2018 and 2024, according to charging documents filed with the Washington state Department of Health.
Lynchard is accused of failing to document whether a prescription monitoring program was reviewed before he prescribed controlled substances to 14 patients; failing to use written agreements for treatment of 10 patients; and frequently co-prescribing opioids with drugs that could cause potential harmful interactions without documenting those interactions or how to minimize those interactions.
He is also accused of failing to offer alternatives to opioids for six patients with chronic pain; failing to taper or discontinue controlled substance prescriptions for five patients with clear “red flags” and/or evidence for misuse; failing to consult with a pain management specialist when warranted; failing to refer patients to specialists when he indicated he would do so; and failing to prescribe or confirm patients’ access to naloxone when patients were prescribed high doses of opioids.
Additionally, Lynchard is accused of failing to properly diagnose at least nine patients he was treating for ADHD and routinely prescribing Adderall, which is a controlled substance with a high potential for misuse, improperly.
The charges also include allegations Lynchard provided frequent corticosteroid joint injections to nine different patients without properly diagnosing their underlying pain or offering alternative treatments. In addition, he is accused of improperly prescribing five or more prescriptions to at least five patients, with several patients reportedly taking 15 to 20 prescriptions per day under Lynchard’s care.
The state Board of Nursing issued a summary action order on June 21 finding that the allegations, supported by evidence and findings of fact, present “an immediate danger to the public health and safety” and warranting the suspension of Lynchard’s licenses.
Lynchard has 20 days from June 21 to contest the suspension and respond to the charges.
The legal documents on this case can be seen online by clicking the link on provider credential search on the state Department of Health’s website at https://doh.wa.gov/. Copies can be requested by calling 360-236-4700.
The state Department of Health encourages anyone who believes a health care provider acted unprofessionally is encouraged to call this number and report their complaint.
