Mount Carmel Health System, the second-largest health care system in central Ohio, began an internal inquiry earlier this year and discovered one of its doctors had over-prescribing potent doses of painkillers leading to over 25 deaths; shortly after a criminal investigation was launched, reported NBC News.
William Husel, the Ohio doctor at the center of the case, surrendered to Columbus police and was charged Wednesday with 25 counts of murder for ordering excessive doses of the opioid fentanyl for patients between 2015 to 2018.
Court documents show Husel prescribed at least 500 micrograms of fentanyl (100 micrograms of the synthetic opioid is normal for a patient) for at least 25 patients, levels that are considered deadly. “At the 500-microgram level there would be no legitimate medical purpose,” said Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien, according to the Columbus Dispatch. “The only purpose would be to hasten their deaths.”
Many of the deaths were people who were older and already had severe health issues, but a motive behind why Husel overprescribed dangerous amounts of fentanyl remains a mystery, officials said. – READ MORE