The license of a Beatrice doctor was suspended Jan. 28 pending a hearing on alleged improper prescribing of controlled substances.

The order by Attorney General Jon Bruning said the continued practice of Dr. Hai Hung Tran, a family practitioner with offices at 909 Court St. in Beatrice, “would constitute an imminent danger to public health and safety.”

A closed-door hearing has been scheduled for April 3, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Summaries of licensure actions are made public around the middle of each month.

According to the suspension order, in October and November of 2008, Tran prescribed the painkiller hydrocodone to a patient who did not indicate she was in pain and with whom he did not have a doctor-patient relationship.

The order lists five other patients who received a total of 192 prescriptions for controlled substances. They include 55 for OxyContin, 53 for hydrocodone, 27 for oxycodone, 21 for alprazolam, 15 for phentamine, nine for Adderall, eight for lorazapam, and four for Lunesta.

The order said an inspection of Tran’s office did not turn up a log for controlled substances stored on premises, but that he routinely kept on hand Demerol, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, dihydrocodine and codeine.

According to the department licensure Web site, Tran received his medical degree in 1970 from the Medical School of Saigon and has been licensed to practice in Nebraska since 1987. There is no record of previous actions taken against his license.

Reach reporter Mark Andersen at 473-7238 or mandersen@journalstar.com.