Small-town Texas patients died amid federal, state regulatory inaction

The Dallas Morning News investigation shows how Dr. Tariq Mahmood operated a chain of dangerous small-town Texas hospitals for more than four years until regulators finally started to crack down. Before they acted, repeated warnings about grave risks to patients and potential fraud reached multiple agencies. At least four patients died. 

The project details how federal and state regulators don't track problem hospital operators or hold them accountable. Nor do they look for patterns of care breakdowns inside hospital chains. Top regulators didn't know Dr. Mahmood owned multiple hospitals until The News began asking questions about them earlier this year.