A former Ohio doctor is under investigation for allegedly prescribing "significantly excessive and potentially fatal" doses of a highly potent drug, fentanyl, to dozens of patients who later died. Dr. William Husel was fired in December, and Mount Carmel Hospital reported at least 27 of the patients were near death and receiving intensive care. Twenty-three caregivers, including 14 nurses, six pharmacists, and three managers were placed on leave. From her doorstep in Columbus, Ohio, Christine Allison has a clear view of Mount Carmel Hospital. "Sometimes I kind of look at it and say, 'I hate you,'" Allison told CBS News correspondent Anna Werner. Werner sat down with five people who said their family members died while under Husel's care. Last July, paramedics took her 44-year-old husband, Troy, there. He'd been in a truck accident and was having trouble breathing. Shortly after he arrived, she claims the attending doctor, Husel, told her: "'Oh no, he's dying. I'm 99.9 percent sure he is brain dead,'" Allison recounted. Have a story of your own? Email tips to CBS News at consumer@cbsnews.com What Allison said she didn't know was that during his care, her husband received what her lawyers in a civil suit describe as "a lethal dose of fentanyl." Some three hours after arriving at Mount Carmel, Troy was dead. "After it was over, we go down in the parking garage. I looked at my daughter and I said, 'What the -- just happened? She's like, 'Mom, I have no clue,'" Allison said. Allison is now suing Husel and Mount Carmel Hospital, alleging the drug was "intentionally prescribed" to "hasten the termination of Troy Allison's life." And she's not alone. Others are also suing, alleging their relatives died after receiving "lethal" doses of fentanyl prescribed by Husel. Lynn Marshall lost his 39-year-old brother, Nick Timmons. "They're like, 'We don't think your brother's going to make it.' And I'm like, 'But what if he did?' And they're like, 'We think he's brain dead,'" Marshall said. Lisa Coleman watched her 80-year-old father Jim Allen pass away. "It's cold. Heartless. It's horrifying," Coleman said. Helen Young lost her husband of 46 years, Sanders. "The doctor [came] and told me, he said, 'Mr. Young's kidneys are gone. His lungs are gone. He's brain dead.' I said, 'How did all that happen at once?' I said, 'How in the world did that happen?'" Young said. Mount Carmel Hospital is investigating. In a taped statement, CEO Ed Lamb apologized and said that during Husel's five years at the hospital, "this doctor ordered significantly excessive and potentially fatal doses of pain medication for at least 27 patients who were near death." But Husel's attorney told CBS News, "We dispute the hospital's characterization and continue to review the patient records" recently provided to them. Attorney Richard Blake said the doctor did not intend to kill anyone nor were these mercy killings. The hospital's apology isn't good enough for Albert Bellisari, whose 69-year-old sister Joanne died at Mount Carmel in 2015 after also allegedly receiving a "lethal" dose of fentanyl. "Isn't anybody watching the ship?" Bellisari said. "What's keeping this from happening? What, don't they have any accountability for their actions? Attorney Gerald Leeseberg represents nine families whose loved ones died, including the five in our interview. "It happened for years and years, and it happened with multiple people who had to have been getting red flags or warnings that the orders that Dr. Husel was making were inappropriate." Leeseberg said. "How does this go on for three years, and nobody notices?" Werner asked. "Well, that's the $64,000 question," Leeseberg said. "We have so many questions, we don't know why he did it," Bellisari said. "You go to the hospital to get well, hopefully walk out, not die." "That man shouldn't be allowed to be in medicine at all," Young said. "He needs to be prosecuted for real, 'cause look what he did to these people." Husel's attorney, as we said, denies there was any intent on the doctor's part to kill anyone. But the Franklin County prosecutor's office said they are investigating. The hospital said in a statement that the way this was finally brought to their attention was that an employee spoke up. But officials have not explained why they did not take action sooner.<doc-sep>Columbus, Ohio -- Investigations are underway into allegations that a doctor working for an Ohio hospital system ordered inappropriately high doses of pain medication to dozens of patients, leading to the deaths of at least 28 people at two hospitals. The Columbus-area Mount Carmel Hospital System has said six other patients under the care of Dr. William Husel received doses of fentanyl that were larger than necessary to provide comfort, but likely weren't the cause of their deaths. The patients who died under Husel's care suffered from various ailments and ranged in age from 39 to 83. The hospital system has acknowledged that Husel wasn't removed from patient care until four weeks after concerns were raised about his prescribing habits. Three patients died during those weeks after receiving excessive fentanyl doses ordered by Husel, Mount Carmel said. The hospital has apologized and has placed six pharmacists and 14 nurses on administrative leave during the investigation. Neither Husel nor his attorneys have commented about the allegations. CBS affiliate WBNS-TV reports Christine Allison says she is grieving the loss of her husband, Troy Allison. Her attorneys, Craig Tuttle and Gerald Leeseberg, said the 44-year old excavator died within hours of being at Mount Carmel West hospital. Troy and Christine Allison. Troy Allison died after being given a lethal dose of fentanyl at Mount Carmel West hospital, family attorneys say. WBNS Part of his medical record supplied by the attorneys shows that Troy Allison had been given 1,000 micrograms of fentanyl, a lethal dose, the attorneys allege. "There's too much here to concede that this was an accident," Leeseberg told reporters during a news conference at his Columbus law office Thursday. "I want to know what happened. I want answers," Christine Allison said. "I'm still in shock." Timeline shows investigation of alleged pain meds overdosing A review of events so far based on information provided by Mount Carmel Hospital System, details in lawsuits and accounts from patients' family members: Oct. 25: Columbus-based Mount Carmel receives formal report related to care provided by Husel. Nov. 19: Mount Carmel receives second formal report related to Husel's care and broadens an internal investigation. Nov. 21: Mount Carmel receives a third report and prohibits Husel from providing patient care. Dec. 5: Mount Carmel fires Husel, notifies the State Medical Board of Ohio and meets with Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien. Two days later, the hospital notifies the Ohio Boards of Pharmacy & Nursing. Dec. 11: Mount Carmel begins training staff on changes in procedures and on existing and updated policies. Dec. 27: Mount Carmel first contacts families of patients affected by Husel's actions to notify them and apologize. Jan. 14: The first lawsuit is filed over the deaths, against the health system, a pharmacist, a nurse, and Husel, alleging a "grossly excessive" dosage of the powerful painkiller fentanyl was ordered to hasten the death of 79-year-old Janet Kavanaugh in December 2017. The same day, allegations against Husel become public as the hospital system releases a statement revealing the deaths of 27 patients who received doses of pain medication that were potentially fatal. The hospital's President and CEO Ed Lamb apologizes and says they are investigating how it happened. In an internal video released to employees the same day, Lamb said Husel's orders were carried out by employees who "made poor decisions" and ignored existing safeguards. Jan. 16: In the first public comments from a family member, David Austin, of Columbus, says he felt "like somebody kicked me in the chest" when he was told of the alleged circumstances of the death of his wife of 36 years, Bonnie Austin, in September. The same day, Mount Carmel says it identified a 28th patient. Attorneys for Husel issue their first "no comment." Jan. 17: The widow of a man treated by Husel says news of the circumstances of her husband's death left her shocked that such a scenario could happen despite procedural and technological safeguards. Christine Allison, of Columbus, says "the system failed tremendously" in the case of her 44-year-old husband, Troy. Jan. 19: The Ohio Department of Health confirms its investigation of Husel on behalf of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Jan. 24: Mount Carmel acknowledges that Husel kept working for four weeks after concern was raised last fall. It also says it is now investigating whether some patients got excessive doses while they might still have had the opportunity to improve with treatment. The hospital raises the total number of patients receiving excessive doses of pain medication to 34. Jan. 25: State Medical Board suspends Husel's license, says doctor invoked his right against self-incrimination when he met with representatives this week and was questioned. Two additional lawsuits filed, over the deaths of 69-year-old Joanne Bellisari in May 2015 and 80-year-old Jim Allen in May 2018, bringing the total to six lawsuits as of Friday.<doc-sep>Christine Allison and her husband, Troy, were watching television in their Columbus, Ohio, home last July when his breathing became erratic. She dialed paramedics and fetched her husband a paper bag to calm him while they waited. "I'll see you in a minute," she said in those frantic moments when the ambulance arrived. "I'm on my way." About three hours later, Troy Allison would be dead at the age of 44. Troy Allison and his wife, Christine Allison. What happened at Mount Carmel West hospital in that time still baffles Christine Allison. She said her husband, an excavator, had been diagnosed with diabetes after suffering a broken hip from a dump truck accident three years ago — but was not in such declining health that he should have died so suddenly. Christine Allison, 53, would later learn that he received a 1,000 microgram dose of fentanyl, which is used in hospitals to treat severe pain, although typically in much smaller amounts. Troy Allison's death and at least 33 others involving Mount Carmel patients from 2015 to 2018 remain part of a wider internal investigation into Dr. William Husel, who treated them, and why the intensive care doctor allegedly ordered "significantly excessive and potentially fatal" doses of pain medication in 28 of the cases, according to the hospital. Husel's medical license was suspended Friday by the State Medical Board of Ohio, which said the allegations against him were so serious that he was not afforded a hearing prior to the board's vote and can no longer practice medicine in the state. Yet, key questions remain unanswered: Why such high doses, and were they the result of repeated mistakes — or intentionally meant to be deadly? Doctors, pharmacists and lawyers who spoke with NBC News say hospitals such as Mount Carmel, one of the largest health systems in Ohio, have multiple safeguards in place that should prevent patients from being overmedicated to death. There are checks and balances allowing those in the chain of command to trigger an alarm, the medical experts added, so that an error can be avoided or reviewed after the fact, including during emergency situations in which dangerous drugs such as fentanyl are used. "We know that the risk for error goes up in chaotic situations, but hospitals have worked hard to limit these risks and do a very good job protecting safety in fast-paced environments like the emergency room or intensive care unit," said Dr. Daniel Tobin, an associate professor of medicine at Yale University and a leading expert on opioid safety. At least six wrongful death lawsuits have been filed on behalf of deceased patients, including Troy Allison, alleging Husel ordered the doses either negligently or purposefully in order to hasten the end of their lives. All Christine Allison knows is that her husband of 11 years, her best friend and a father of two, was taken from her — and she wants Husel to explain why. "He actually seemed very kind and very compassionate. I trusted him," she said of the doctor. "Now I think he needs to be in prison. The system failed." 'WHY DOES HE NEED PAIN MEDICATION?' Inside Mount Carmel West, a sprawling 37-acre campus in downtown Columbus, the scene was a blur for Christine Allison and one of her daughters. "A lot of the time, I didn't know what was going on," Christine Allison said. Her husband was rushed from the emergency room to intensive care, and she was told he was suffering from multisystem organ failure. Such a condition on its own can be fatal, although in the ICU there is still a chance for survival. "When we got to ICU, they told us, 'No, he's dying,'" she said. She does not believe her husband would have given permission to receive such a high dose of fentanyl because she was told he was unconscious when he arrived at the hospital. And she said no one consulted with her about the need for painkillers. Dr William Husel WCMH Attorneys for the Allison family said they were led to believe Troy Allison was going to be brain dead even if he were successfully resuscitated, although no evidence was given to support that conclusion. "He's unconscious — why does he need pain medication?" Christine Allison asked. In her brief interaction with Husel, she found him to be understanding. But after she was told her husband was dead, no one debriefed her about what happened or any options that could have saved him. She stood in the hallway of the hospital with her daughter, in shock, thinking, "What happens next?" It was five months later, just after Christmas, when a physician administrator from Mount Carmel called Christine Allison to reveal that her husband had been given a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl, and that she may get contacted by detectives investigating his death. She was stunned. She would never have wanted her husband to be given a deadly amount, and in Ohio and every state but six, physician-assisted deaths are illegal. "I would have said, 'Let him go naturally. This is between my husband and God now,'" Christine Allison said. LAYERS OF SAFETY CHECKS Troy Allison wasn't the only patient to get as many as 1,000 micrograms of fentanyl, according to the lawsuits filed against Mount Carmel and Husel. Lawyers say up to 100 micrograms of the synthetic opioid would be normal for a patient, depending on their size and the circumstances. According to three physicians in Ohio, ordering an opioid at most hospitals works this way: The doctor writes the order to the pharmacist, who's usually located elsewhere in the hospital, via an electronic system. (Gone are the days of doctors writing on note pads.) The pharmacist then reviews the order and signs off. That allows a nurse to get the order and retrieve the medication, often through an automated machine that dispenses the amount requested. (Also gone are the days of unassigned vials of medicine lying around.) Then, the nurse administers the drug. Dr. Iahn Gonsenhauser, who oversees quality and patient safety efforts at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, said that at numerous points, someone who believes the medication dosage is too high can raise a red flag. A pharmacist has the ability to check in with a doctor to ensure the amount is what they wanted and to stop it if they believe it to be incorrect. Nurses, too, before administering a drug can refuse or signal to their supervisor that the amount appears to be wrong. Electronic ordering systems are also built-in with notifications that will alert users at the point of order if the medication being requested appears off. In emergency situations, there are overrides in place for nurses to access the drugs even if the medication amount may be questionable, Gonsenhauser said, but that should usually send an immediate notification to the pharmacy team, which can later review what happened. Dr. Ted Parran, who specializes in addiction treatment at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center in Cleveland, said medications at hospitals are counted to make sure they're not being abused and in the event regulators want to perform an audit. He said hospitals have made significant strides in the past 20 years to avoid medical errors and patient harm. "Errors can happen," Parran added, "but systematic or repetitive ones shouldn't." Neil MacKinnon, dean of the University of Cincinnati James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, said pharmacists routinely push back at doctors, especially in hospitals, when a medication request doesn't appear right. "Physicians are very pleased when they get a call alerting them about it," he said. "They say, 'You saved my butt.'" Lawyers for the families of patients who died at Mount Carmel say they are still trying to determine how Husel may have ordered the potentially deadly doses of painkillers, and where any breakdowns may have occurred amid the layers of protocol. Husel may have been charming and persuasive enough to get his medication orders fulfilled, and colleagues working late nights with him may not have felt they could overrule him, said Gerry Leeseberg, an attorney for Christine Allison and other families.<doc-sep>
The Ohio hospital where a doctor is accused of ordering fatal doses of fentanyl to near-death patients said Thursday that three patients died even after the hospital was initially notified about the physician. In addition, officials at the Mount Carmel Health System in Columbus said it had found seven more cases in which patients of Dr. William Husel were given "excessive doses of pain medication," bringing the total number of people affected to 34. The latest revelations come as the hospital conducts an investigation into how 27 patients treated by Husel in the intensive care unit were apparently given high doses of painkillers before they died, and how he was able to order those doses without being stopped. The hospital said last week that Husel was fired and that it had removed 20 employees from patient care pending further review. "These events are heartbreaking. We continue to investigate and learn more about these patients' cases," the health system's president and CEO, Ed Lamb, said in a statement through the hospital. "As we learn more, we will share our findings with each affected family. We are committed to being open and honest about what happened and what we are doing to ensure it never happens again." The related patient deaths occurred from 2015 to 2018, officials said. The hospital received a formal report related to Husel on Oct. 25 of last year, but "based on what we learned about that report, we should have begun a more expedited process to investigate and consider immediate removal of Dr. Husel from patient care at that time," it added. Husel, 43, was removed on Nov. 21, but the hospital said it is aware of three deaths occurring while he was still working. The majority of the patients died at Mount Carmel's primary care hospital known as Mount Carmel West in Columbus, although at least one case occurred at Mount Carmel St. Ann's hospital in Westerville. In the newest cases that were reviewed involving patients of Husel's, the hospital system said that in six of them, the patients received "excessive doses that went beyond providing comfort but were likely not the cause of their deaths." In the seventh case, however, "one of the patients received an excessive and potentially fatal dose," the hospital said. Dr William Husel WCMH At least four lawsuits have been filed against Husel and the hospital for wrongful death and negligence. In one suit, the family of Janet Kavanaugh, 79, said she had received a "lethal dose" of fentanyl — 1,000 micrograms — through her IV. She was pronounced dead 18 minutes later. Gerry Leeseberg, a lawyer who filed the suit for Kavanaugh's estate, said she had not consented to being given the high dose of fentanyl, nor was he aware that she had ever previously been given that drug for pain relief. Patients who were treated by Husel were taken to the hospital's ICU for a variety of reasons, including respiratory problems or an infection and gallstones, according to the lawsuits. Some of the families said their loved ones were not terminally ill and that they would have questioned the use of medication as part of any end-of-life treatment. "We're concerned some of these families were misled into granting a do-not-resuscitate order," Leeseberg said Thursday. The Franklin County Prosecutor's Office said it is investigating allegations in the cases along with the Columbus police's homicide unit, but no formal charges have been made. NBC News has been unable to reach Husel for comment and it's unclear if he has an attorney. Phone numbers linked to him weren't accepting calls. The hospital said it is continuing to investigate whether Husel ordered excessive doses of medication when other options were available and if families who requested that lifesaving measures not be taken were properly informed by staff.