Dr. Ralph A. Digiacomo, a Warwick rheumatologist, has surrendered his medical license after state officials learned that he had ordered “gross and excessive quantities” of Vicodin.

According to the voluntary surrender order from the state Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline, Digiacomo, 50, ordered and received 507 bottles of the drug, each with 100 tablets, between March 1, 2005, and Dec. 29, 2006. Vicodin is a combination of hydrocodone, a narcotic pain reliever, and acetaminophen, the main ingredient in Tylenol.

“Preliminary investigation indicated that these medications were not ordered for use in patient care; and that federal regulatory requirements for controlled substance documentation were not met,” the order said.

Dr. Robert S. Crausman, the medical board’s chief administrative officer, said that the board learned that Digiacomo was ordering large quantities of Vicodin when it was contacted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. He declined to comment further.

“We clearly have an active investigation ongoing,” Crausman said, adding that the state attorney general, the U.S. Attorney and the DEA were “all very well aware” of the case.

In addition to surrendering his license, Digiacomo, whose office is 215 Tollgate Rd., agreed to turn in his DEA registration, to notify other states where he holds a license and organizations that he is affiliated with, to facilitate the transfer of his patients to another provider and to pay a $1,000 administrative fee.

In an unrelated action, the medical board reinstated the license of Dr. Philemon T. Marvell, a family doctor who had surrendered his license in 2004 after admitting to having a sexual relationship with a patient in violation of medical ethics and state law.

Marvell has since been in a treatment and monitoring program with the Physicians Health Committee of the Rhode Island Medical Society. He will be on probation for three years and has agreed to extend his treatment and monitoring program for those three years. He also promised to offer a chaperone to female patients during examinations and to pay a $1,000 administrative fee.

Marvell practiced in Newport and in Massachusetts.

ffreyer@projo.com