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Frank Lewis

PDT Staff Writer

A doctor the Ohio State Medical Board says was leaving blank prescriptions for others to fill out has seen his license summarily suspended.

Adam P. Hall, D.O., 39, of Powell, Ohio, whose office is located at 407 South Third St., Ironton, is accused of violating Sections 4731.22(B)(5), 4731.22(B)(10), 4731.22 (B)(15), and 4731.22(B)(20), of the Ohio Revised Code.

“That means he cannot practice,” Joan Wehrle, of the State Medical Board said. “It was hand-delivered to him today. But he does have a right to a hearing.”

According to the particulars of the Notice of Summary Suspension, around March of this year as a part of an investigation concerning Hall’s treatment and prescribing activities, several determinations were made. Among the charges is that his office manager observed Kevin Bowers, a convicted felon and former physician whose certificate to practice medicine and surgery in Ohio was suspended, independently examining patients and issuing prescriptions by using a signature stamp with Hall’s name and/or by filling our blank prescription slips Hall had pre-signed.

Additionally, the investigation determined that Hall worked only three to four days each month, and that he would routinely stamp and/or pre-sign blank prescription slips for office staff to subsequently complete at a later date in order to provide patients with drugs, including controlled substances, prior to his return the following month.

The Medical Board said further evidence showed that Hall was outside the United States from Sept. 15, 2008 through Sept. 24, 2008, when he traveled to Rome and from March 28, 2012 through April 1, 2012, when he traveled to Zurich, but the office’s medical records for patients numbered 1 through 9 for the purpose of the investigation, showed he had done examinations and evaluations during those dates.

The report says Hall entered into a Step II Consent Agreement with the State Medical Board in March of 2007, that he would obey all federal, state, and local laws, and all rules governing the practice of osteopathic medicine in Ohio. Paragraph 2 reads, “You will submit quarterly declarations under penalty of board disciplinary action and/or criminal prosecution, stating whether you had been in compliance with all conditions of the agreement. On or about March 14, 2012, the board released you from the terms of probation. You submitted quarterly Declarations of Compliance to the board falsely declaring that you had been in full compliance with the probationary terms imposed upon you by the board for the Declarations applicable to the time periods of Sept. 15, 2008, through Sept. 24, 2008, and March 28, 2012, through April 1, 2012. In fact, you were not in full compliance during those time periods, as described in paragraph (1) above.”

The Summary goes on to say his acts constitute that of a felony, and that he made a false, fraudulent, deceptive, or misleading statements in the solicitation of or advertising for patients in relation to the practice of medicine and surgery.

A roll call vote was taken by the board, resulting in seven “aye” votes and three abstentions.

“He has 30 days to request a hearing,” Wehrle said. “And, if he does so, then we’ll schedule an administrative hearing. A hearing would be held - the doctor gives his side of the story. The state presents their evidence for why we took the Summary Suspension, and then, following the conclusion of the hearing, the hearing examiner prepares a report and recommendation for consideration by the Medical Board at a future board meeting. And that decision will be held in public session, during one of our regular monthly board meetings, but it would be several months down the road. But he (Hall) cannot practice in the interim.”

Frank Lewis may be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 252, or at flewis@civitasmedia.com. For breaking news, follow Frank on Twitter @FrankLewisPDT.