The New Mexico Attorney General's office is reportedly investigating 36 deaths that may be tied to a single physician, according to KRQE News.
Investigators discovered six of those patients had died from overdoses and had received prescriptions from psychiatrist Edwin Hall, MD, within 30 days of their deaths. The deaths prompted the New Mexico Medical Board to initiate an investigation into Dr. Hall.
Medical board officials found Dr. Hall to be a "high-risk prescriber" and determined he did not properly screen, evaluate or monitor patients to whom he prescribed medications. He was also found to have been allowing a second physician without a valid medical license to practice out of his office, the report states.
Dr. Hall voluntarily surrendered his medical license earlier this year and closed his office. However, the attorney general reportedly began investigating the physician after uncovering at least 30 additional patients who died while under Dr. Hall's care, KRQE News reports. The patients' causes of death are still being determined.
A representative from the attorney general's office said they could not comment on the case while it is ongoing, but said they issued a search warrant last week to obtain all of Dr. Hall's patient records.
No criminal charges have been filed against Dr. Hall, who did not return KRQE News' requests for comment.
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