Lawrenceville Doctor's License Temporarily Suspended

The State Medical Board of Examiners has temporarily suspended a Lawrenceville doctor’s license after he improperly prescribed drugs to patients, according to a press release issued by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General (OAG).

Dr. Mark M. O’Connell, 58, entered into an agreement with the medical board in which he admitted prescribing controlled dangerous substances, including pain killers, without having the proper registration to do so, the release stated. O’Connell made the admission following a June inspection of his office by the OAG Division of Consumer Affairs’ Enforcement Bureau.

O’Connell, who practiced at Advanced Urgent Care in Lawrenceville, also admitted telling his staff to call in prescriptions to patients’ pharmacies using another doctor’s name and Drug Enforcement Administration certification, according to the release. The prescribed quantities exceeded allowable limits, according to the OAG.

During the inspection, investigators also found expired and unlabeled medications in O’Connell’s office, and his employees said the drugs had been kept in an unlocked cabinet and were not securely controlled, according to the release.

“The findings revealed by our investigation showed a clear, imminent risk to patients seeing Dr. O’Connell. This temporary suspension protects the public, which is always our primary concern,” Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa said in the press release.

O'Connell's license will remain suspended pending the filing of an administrative complaint.

O’Connell has been the subject of a past board disciplinary order following allegations of substance abuse and misconduct. In response to those allegations, the State Medical Board of Examiners restricted O’Connell’s license in February 2011, according to the press release. The restrictions only allowed him to practice medicine in a hospital or institutional setting, or in a setting pre-approved by the Board. O’Connell sought but did not receive the board’s permission to practice at the Lawrenceville location.