Seattle pain doctor agrees to suspension, restrictions

SEATTLE – A Seattle pain doctor who ran eight pain treatment centers in Washington state has reached an agreement that resolves state administrative charges filed against him.

Under an agreement finalized Wednesday with the Washington Medical Commission, Dr. Frank Li will remain suspended from practicing medicine for at least another year.

The Seattle Times reported that Li, who did not admit wrongdoing, will also face a range of other limitations, including lifetime restrictions on his ability to prescribe.

According to the agreement, Li did not admit to the charges but acknowledged that health regulators would present enough evidence at a full hearing to prevail on the charges.

The commission issued charges against Li in 2016 after investigating deaths of people who had been treated by the clinics between 2010 and 2015.

The agreement details 16 patients who died with acute drug intoxication as a cause or a contributing cause of death. It said medical records of those patients “reveal a pattern of substandard medical care.”