Indiana Doctor Faces Medical Malpractice Suit

by Parr Richey Frandsen Patterson Kruse LLP

Dr. William Hedrick has developed quite a reputation in the Fort Worth community where he practices.Hedrick, a pain doctor, has been repeatedly accused of substandard care, and recently walked out of a hearing regarding his methods mostly unscathed.

In December 2012, the attorney general filed a complaint against Hedrick for his infamous patient malpractice history. The complaint alleged Hedrick, either willfully or negligently, ignored signs of addiction and/or evidence that the controlled pain killing substances were being diverted from their intended patient sources. Seven deceased patients of Hedrick were used as focal example in the complaint. The Indiana Medical Licensing Board ultimately and successfully proved a few charges – failure to properly supervise employees, overuse of a steroid injection, and one count of breach of standard of care – but dismissed Hedrick of three other counts. Hedrick was sentenced to two years probation and mandatory ethics training.

Since the attorney general’s complaint became public last December, four more lawsuits have been filed against Hedrick (five if you count the one filed in November 2012). Of the five suits, one was dismissed for violating the two-year statute of limitations. The other four certainly match similar allegations that were levied by the state against Hedrick.

An overview of the new cases faced by Hedrick:
One patient was repeatedly provided opiates in increasing dosages despite well documented evidence in her chart of a history of alcoholism. The patient died after taking one of these prescriptions with alcohol in her system.

Another patient accused Hedrick of failing to properly monitor injury to her liver because, over a period of five years, Hedrick prescribed her heavy dosages of various narcotic pain medications, which resulted in the patient falling into critical condition based on “acute and severe liver toxicity”.

A suit filed by the widow of one of patient of Hedrick’s for three years alleged Hedrick prescribed dangerous levels of Vicodin, Methadone, and other drugs to the patient. As a result, the suit alleges, the patient developed cirrhosis, hepatitis, liver disease, and congestive heart failure.

The fourth suit comes from a patient who visited Hedrick with a complaint of chronic back pain and has developed a drug addiction due to the excessive prescriptions written by Hedrick and his staff.

There is some skepticism from the Indiana Department of Insurance, where the suits are filed, that all these suits will meet the standard of proof, as malpractice complaints tend to increase once a doctor receives bad publicity for substandard care.

Hedrick is also the founder and president of the Centers for Pain Relief, where locations have dwindled from over a dozen to six.

Here at Parr Richey Frandsen Patterson Kruse, our legal team of Indiana personal injury attorneys is committed to providing insightful, experienced, and compassionate advocacy. If you or a loved one has suffered financially or physically as a result of substandard treatment you may have a claim for compensation. Violation of procedures, negligence, recklessness, and other torts can lead to awards to alleviate your medical costs and provide compensation for your pain and suffering.

If you or a loved one has suffered an injury, please contact our office for a free confidential consultation by calling (888) 532-7766 or contact us online.