A longtime Berlin doctor has agreed to permanently retire his medical license after state officials raised concerns over his handling of opioid and sedative prescriptions.
Dr. Julian M. Maressa has practiced medicine on the 100 block of West White Horse Pike since 1990. He recently reached a consent agreement with the New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners that effectively ends his ability to work in the state. The agreement was made public on April 25.
“(Maressa) acknowledges that, if proven, the allegations are serious,” it says. The doctor cited personal health reasons and a desire to avoid lengthy litigation as reasons for stepping away.
The consent agreement order follows a March hearing that examined Maressa’s long-term pain- management practices, particularly those for six patients. According to the medical examiners’ board, he allegedly wrote prescriptions for opioids and sedatives without adequately justifying medical necessity or conducting proper examinations.
Prescribing without proper patient evaluation can pose serious risks to patients. Opioids, in particular, are highly addictive. By failing to adequately assess their patients, doctors risk misdiagnosing or providing unnecessary treatments that could expose patients to harmful side effects and can contribute to the broader opioid crisis, where improper prescriptions have fueled addiction and misuse.
In Maressa’s case, the lack of physical exams or justification for prescriptions could have led to patients receiving medications they didn’t need. While he did not admit to any wrongdoing, the board emphasized that Maressa’s alleged behavior – if proven – would constitute “indiscriminate prescribing,” a violation serious enough to warrant license revocation.
The agreement with the medical examiners’ board mandates that Maressa’s retirement be treated as a “permanent revocation,” immediately ending both his license to practice and his registration to prescribe controlled substances. The state board also wants Maressa to explain where his patient records are stored and how former patients may retrieve them.
Patients of Maressa and his former staff seeking medical records or additional information can contact the New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners.
