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PA Suspended After Interfering With Care of COVID Patients

— Outspoken anti-masker Scott Miller accused of promoting false cures and more in Washington state

MedpageToday
The sign on the door of Miller Family Pediatrics next to a photo of Scott Miller, MD.

The Washington Medical Commission (WMC) suspended the license for Scott Miller, a physician assistant who ran Miller Family Pediatrics in Washougal, Washington, after more than a dozen COVID-19-related complaints were lodged against him.

The WMC's investigation into these complaints resulted in a statement of charges filed on October 8.

Miller, who has vocally opposed in-school mask mandates, has been accused of improperly interfering with the treatment of his COVID-positive patients. According to the state health department, Miller prescribed a list of supplements and ivermectin, among others drugs, to a 39-year-old patient who had reportedly tested positive for COVID-19.

One of Miller's patients who was unvaccinated had become critically ill with COVID-19 in September and was admitted to the ICU. However, according to the charges, the patient "declined intubation against medical advice and left the hospital against medical advice, but in accordance with [Miller's] advice to pursue treatment with ivermectin." A little over a week after Miller allegedly wrote this patient an ivermectin prescription under the guise of head lice treatment, the patient died. The report did not provide this patient's age.

The WMC also said that Miller treated another unvaccinated patient (age not provided) with ivermectin after she was released from hospital care in July (it is not clear whether or not she had a confirmed COVID-19 case). In addition to the medication, he gave her an oxygen tank for her to self-administer; weeks later, according to the document, this patient too passed away.

Among these accusations, the WMC found that Miller had disrupted the relationship between hospital providers and their patients "by harassing hospital staff and misleading patients about the efficacy of non-FDA-approved treatments and directing them against standard of care treatments."

Miller has also been charged with lying on his state licensing application by not disclosing a previous investigation into his actions by the California Physician Assistant Board, where he was previously licensed. According to a report from the , the board cited Miller for providing medical care and prescribing controlled substances without physician supervision or approval, for writing prescriptions without conducting physical examinations, and for not properly maintaining patient medical records.

Miller -- who relinquished his California PA license before its 2015 renewal and applied instead for a Washington state license in 2013 -- allegedly stated on his application that he had never been the subject of an investigation by any licensing board.

As a result of the WMC's investigation, Miller has also been charged with making "threatening statements about hospitals and physicians who treat COVID-19 patients." The commission's investigator cited a series of screenshots from Miller's Facebook page, describing his comments as "abusive and inappropriate."

The WMC's suspension summary, published on October 12, concluded that the evidence against Miller justified "the determination of immediate danger in this case," leading to the immediate suspension of his license.

Miller has 20 days to respond to his suspension since receiving the notice. As of press time, Miller could not be reached for comment.

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    Kara Grant joined the Enterprise & Investigative Reporting team at 51˶ in February 2021. She covers psychiatry, mental health, and medical education.