FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Attorney General Greg Zoeller’s office recently filed a formal complaint against Dr. William Hedrick of the Centers for Pain Relief in Northern Indiana

On Dec. 6, the Medical Licensing Board voted to suspend Hedrick’s license to practice medicine until a formal complaint could be filed by the Attorney General’s Office. Zoeller’s office filed the complaint last week which is set for a hearing on Thursday, Jan. 24.

“Red flags were raised about Dr. Hedrick’s prescribing practices after evidence revealed a preference for narcotics and unusually high pill counts often associated with diversion,” said Gabrielle Owens, Deputy Director of the Attorney General’s Licensing Enforcement and Homeowner Protection Unit. “Currently, he is suspended from practicing medicine, but the Medical Licensing Board at its next hearing will determine what, if any, disciplinary action will be taken.”

According to the complaint, Hedrick’s unsafe pain therapies and dangerous drug mixing practices pose a substantial risk to the safety of his patients.

Since January, the Attorney General’s Office has filed numerous licensing actions against physicians for overprescribing with several cases involving deaths. The growing number of overprescribing incidents has resulted in the creation of the Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force recently launched by Zoeller. The group is made up of state legislators, law enforcement, health officials, pharmacists, state and local agencies and education providers. Members will focus on education, treatment and recovery, prescription drug monitoring, prescription disposal and take-back and enforcement. The full task force will publish a report of its findings and recommendations.

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