Tulsa Doctor's Medical License Revoked

The state medical board has revoked the license of a Tulsa doctor.

Doctor Walter Exon is accused of over-prescribing medicine and poor record keeping.

Exon says the state board has left his 1,100 patients in a terrible bind.

A note on the door of Dr. Exon's practice says he's no longer able to treat patients and encourages them to call the state licensing board, but the state board says the reason he's closed at all is because he's over-prescribing patients.

Exon started his career as a pediatrician but, about 11 years ago, started treating mental illness in kids and adults.

He says he does not advertise himself to be a psychiatrist, but does everything a psychiatrist does, including prescribing medicine for bi-polar, anxiety, depression, and A-D-H-D.

He says his 1,100 patients now have nowhere to go.

"These people are just in limbo," stated Exon.

Board records say a woman complained her daughter was over-medicated, then they examined 13 additional patient charts and found:

• a 16 year old patient receiving nearly three times the FDA max recommendation for Adderall, another patient getting six times the recommended amount, and another whose dosage was increased 400 percent in 48 days;
• a patient receiving four times the FDA max recommendation of Ritalin;
• a patient receiving six times the FDA max recommendation of Zenzedi; and
• a lack of proper paperwork, including no evidence to support the treatment or justification for the dosages.

"These numbers and guidelines are just that, guidelines, and physicians do not have to adhere to those guidelines," declared Exon.

He says he's had no patient injuries or deaths and if he caught a patient abusing medications, he stopped it.

But, board records show several of his patients clearly showed signs of substance abuse, even got arrested over and over, for things like driving drunk, and possession of pills with intent to sell.

He says he feels the board's decision was unfair to him and his patients.

"It is beyond comprehension to A, take the action and B, the lack of consideration given to the welfare of the patients," he said.

The board says they are here to protect the safety of the patients, not the doctors, and they stand by their decision and say patients often have to find new doctors for a variety of reasons.

Exon says he plans to appeal to the state medical board and OK Supreme Court.