State suspends Seattle pain doctor, alleges substandard care
SEATTLE – The Washington State Medical Commission said Friday it suspended a Seattle doctor who runs eight pain treatment centers in the state, accusing him of “consistent violations of the standard of care.”
The panel said Dr. Frank Li, 48, provided substandard medical care that exposed chronic pain patients to risk of harm for addiction or overdose in violation of state laws. Li is the medical director and owner of Seattle Pain Center, with locations in Seattle, Renton, Everett, Tacoma, Olympia, Poulsbo, Vancouver and at Spokane Valley’s 1414 N. Vercler Road.
In administrative charges filed Wednesday, the commission said it investigated 18 deaths of people who had been treated by the clinic between 2010 and 2015, and that medical records “reveal an egregious pattern of substandard medical care and disregard by (Li) and SPC providers for patient health and safety.”
Li has 20 days to respond to the charges.
The commission alleges Li, who was licensed to practice as a physician and surgeon, failed to properly monitor and evaluate patients to determine whether opiates were needed, failed to consider patients’ other risk factors and didn’t investigate patient deaths.
It also accuses the doctor of seeking out Medicaid patients to maximize billing for excessive or unnecessary tests or visits and hiring newly licensed providers with little training or experience in pain management.
The commission investigated the deaths of 18 patients who received opioid treatment at one of Li’s facilities and died within days or weeks after filling prescriptions for opioid medication prescribed by a clinic provider. Death certificates showed that 16 patients had acute drug intoxication listed as a cause or likely contributing cause of death; two others had serious health conditions that the pain treatment center disregarded, according to the charges.
The state Department of Health says clinic patients should contact their health insurance company and primary care provider to minimize disruptions in their care.