DEA orders nurse practitioner registration revoked after default and loss of state authority
Oct 18, 2026 edition · GC-2026-0371 · Published 2026-10-18 · Version 1 · Final
DEA’s October14 published administrative order revokes Katherine Curtis’s registration effective November13. It rests on loss of Indiana authority and public-interest findings following default. The case illustrates credential and prescribing controls; it is not a criminal conviction.
What happened
DEA published its decision and order concerning Indiana nurse practitioner Katherine Curtis on October 14. Signed October 5, the order revokes her DEA registration and denies the specified pending renewal, modification and additional Indiana registration applications effective November 13. Curtis did not timely request a hearing or answer the order to show cause; DEA therefore found her in default and treated the factual allegations as admitted under its administrative rules. The decision is an administrative registration action, not a reported criminal conviction.
DEA found that Curtis lacked Indiana authority to handle controlled substances and treated that loss as an independent basis for revocation. It also found repeated controlled-substance prescribing outside legitimate medical purpose and the usual course of practice, including inadequate evaluations and records, unsupported dangerous combinations and excessive dosing. The order discusses Indiana-specific telehealth relationship, in-person opioid examination and INSPECT requirements and explains that the admitted conduct weighed against continued registration. Those state-law findings should not be restated as a newly adopted nationwide telehealth rule.
Scope and timing
- Authority status
- Final
- Applicability
- Operationally relevant
- Audience
- Health systems, Provider networks
- Jurisdiction
- Federal
- Responsible owner
- Compliance
Why it matters
A federal registration does not replace the underlying state authority needed to prescribe. Credential-expiration alerts, clinical documentation review and prompt handling of agency notices are separate controls; default can determine how allegations are treated in an administrative proceeding.
Recommended action
Reconcile prescriber state authority and DEA registrations, review controlled-substance documentation and applicable state telehealth requirements, and route any agency notice to counsel immediately. Use the case as a control test rather than assuming every jurisdiction has Indiana’s requirements. Internal dates below are recommended targets.
Case details
- agencies
- DEA
- entities
- Katherine Curtis, N.P.
- action Type
- Administrative order
- event Date
- 2026-10-14
- alleged Conduct
- Administrative findings following default concerned loss of Indiana controlled-substance authority and prescribing outside legitimate medical purpose and the usual course of professional practice.
- resolution
- Order signed October5 and published October14 revokes the DEA registration and denies specified pending applications effective November13,2026. No criminal conviction is reported by this source.
Operational lessons
- Keep state authority and federal registration status reconciled.
- Review prescribing documentation and state-specific requirements; promptly escalate administrative notices.
Implementation playbook
- Recommended internal target: reconcile state prescribing authority, controlled-substance registrations and DEA credentials for selected prescribers. Compliance · Due 2026-10-23
- Recommended internal target: sample controlled-substance evaluations and state-specific telehealth/monitoring compliance, with counsel escalation for gaps. Clinical Operations · Due 2026-10-30
Sources
- DEA Katherine Curtis decision and order, FR2026-20937Official · DEA · 2026-10-14
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