Seattle Pain Centers director denies state’s claims in patients’ deaths
These clinics served some 8,000 opiate pts and over a 5-6 yr period… ” and 18 POSSIBLY DIED from their opiate use. Now there are some 25,000 pts – including 8,000 taking opiates – that are finding it impossible to get healthcare. Another WITCH HUNT ???
Dr. Frank Li, former medical director of a chain of eight Washington pain clinics, denies that he failed to properly oversee opiate use by Medicaid patients, possibly contributing to several deaths. State officials suspended his medical license in July.
The former medical director of a shuttered chain of Washington pain clinics is forcefully denying allegations he failed to properly monitor Medicaid patients’ opiate use, possibly contributing to 18 deaths since 2010.
In a 19-page response to charges by the state Medical Commission, Dr. Frank Li contends he never saw five of the patients himself, treated eight of the 18 only one or two times and shouldn’t be held liable for the acts of providers he supervised at Seattle Pain Centers.
“(T)he providers at Seattle Pain Centers were willing to provide medical care to a very challenging and underserved patient population and we firmly believe the evidence will show that the medical providers complied with the evolving standards and guidelines regarding the management of chronic pain.”
Li has not been charged with a crime.
Li filed the response with the Medical Commission on Oct. 3, nearly three months after Washington regulators suspended his medical license July 14 and effectively shut down the chain of eight clinics with locations from Renton to Spokane. California medical officials also pulled Li’s license. Officials alleged that Li violated state regulations governing treatment of chronic, non-cancer pain.
The Seattle Times obtained a copy of Li’s responseThursday through a public records request.
Li’s response is the first word from the doctor who started with a pain clinic in Seattle and expanded rapidly, serving an estimated 25,000 patients, including about 8,000 prescribed opiate painkillers this year.
His response suggests that state officials deliberately misinterpreted records in an effort to target Li.
“In its zeal to prosecute the case, State exaggerates the clear language appearing on the death certificates provided by the state and ignores the clear language found in the medical records of the patients,” the response states.
Li contends he never treated several patients on which charges are based, including Becky Gene Rae Kruse, 58, of Everett, a grandmother who had fibromyalgia and struggled with chronic pain and addiction.
Kruse, who is listed as “Patient J” in the state’s statement of charges, died April 7, 2013, after an overdose of drugs, including hydromorphone. Six days before her death, Kruse had filled a prescription for 90 4-milligram hydromorphone pills, also known as Dilaudid. It was written by an advanced registered nurse practitioner (ARNP) at Seattle Pain Centers’ Everett site.
In his response, Li said he never treated Patient J, “and Washington law does not support vicarious liability for disciplinary action.”
Kruse’s sister, Nicole Ellis, 44, of Everett, said Li’s response suggests he’s trying to avoid responsibility for the care provided by his clinics.
“It does concern me because the more responsibility you have, the more accountability you have,” she said. “Especially in the medical community, that’s standard practice.”
The closure of Seattle Pain Centers left many former patients without care and the state’s health system struggling to absorb them.
A hearing on Li’s case has been set for April 17-22, officials with the state health department said. A Nov. 8 hearing is scheduled in Washington, D.C., to determine whether Li can keep his federal Drug Enforcement Administration registration, which allows him to prescribe controlled substances, including opiate painkillers.
Filed under: General Problems
Seattle Pain Clinic tried to help people with pain yes they are guilty of caring. Everyone should try to go to court hearings to support him. We have a very crooked country that can not be run with out crooked politicians. This is awful. One doctor who cares about the people and this is what happens to him. I’m writing a letter to the courts and other places. Join me
These hearings by the DEA on determining whether a doctor can keep their DEA certificate are a farce. I went through it. There are 5 categories of which one has to be met to qualify for “against public interest” in determining whether to allow a doctor to keep his/her certificate. They weren’t met in my case, and I’m sure they won’t be met in Dr. Li’s case either. But that doesn’t stop the DEA from declaring that giving the doctor a certificate is “against public interest”.
I invite any and all legislators to go to this hearing to see the illegal means used by the DEA to deny certification to a good physician. If any will be there, I will come to Washington and explain the process to any of them that are interested.
I suggest that anyone reading this post talk to your legislators and make them this offer. Then let me know if they will come, and I’ll go as well.
I would also suggest to anyone who wants these witch hunts stopped that you show up for this hearing. The DEA and DOJ have full run of illegal activity because there is usually no one around to see what they do. If we have people there, and they see that we are becoming active, they will start to think twice about what they are doing, especially if their job is an appointed one.
Receiving adequate pain management is next to impossible today. Narcotics are taken off the table from the start.
Even emergency relief from pain is forbidden. Pain will not be addressed and most certainly not treated with a narcotic
In the ER with a fractured and dislocated thumb, I waited over 2 hours only to have a person grab my thumb and yank on it (trying to help I suppose) It hurt like hell and did not relocate my bones. I know the person has been trained and assumes I’m a drug seeker, so I ask the person politely to stop hurting me and at the very least numb the area affected, “Please, numb this area before touching it again.” I was greeted by an unfeeling person leaving the room with no comment.
I received an unknown numbing agent and as it was starting to wear off (another 1.5 hours) the person came back yanking and pulling my thumb back into its proper position. That succeeded. The pain was absolute hell on earth. I know ER’s are busy and apparently filled with nothing but drug addicts. An ER is NOT the place to go in an emergency. There is no place to go.
Nonetheless I suffered then and 4 days afterward in untold pain and treated like just so much human trash.
Can’t the ER post a sign that reads,
We do not treat pain here. If you say or indicate you are in pain, seek narcotics elsewhere. We will not treat pain here because we legally assume you are drug addict with a self inflected whatever it is you’ve done to yourself.
When you may actually need and require a rare dose of compassion, you will get humiliation and hatred from the ER staff. I must admit, It put me in my place as a worthless nothing wasting their time.
Bob
It is time for patient to protest the care they get at these crappy ERs.Signs Telling people will not be treated for pain and instead will look be viewed as addict’s instead in the ER they are standing close to will turn heads of bystanders. No you cannot be arrested if on public land and if you have a few people who have been treated this way and standing with a negitive sign it will bring local press if done a few times. It does not take a Army to protest. Pain clinic who are dumping patients who need opiates should also be protested. Bring a lawn chair if needed but if we want to be heard then when have to have the courage to be seen.
I am not a lawyer and wouldn’t even pretend to know Washington state law in this matter,but I do fear that,as this article states,this very well may be a wichhunt.
Why should Dr. Li be held responsible for each of the trained employees he is trusting to perform their jobs,and alleviate the misery of the patients,and why should doctors be held responsible if one patient out of hundreds,misused their medicine and overdosed.It is the doctors responsibility to diagnose and properly treat the patient,and the patients responsibility to use the medicine as directed.
It is unfortunate cases like this that contributes to Doctor paranoia that causes them to under treat patients in legitimate pain.Is it a car lots fault if someone buys a car,and then gets into a fatal accident?Is it the weapons manufacturers fault,or the gun shops fault,if someone buys a weapon and then uses it to commit deadly crimes.I don’t know if those are good examples,but it seems to me it is the same point.
Doctors have a difficult job without witch hunts and political interference making their lives miserable.These medicines are as safe as any other medicine,if not abused.There are numerous other medications that contribute to deaths also.Should doctors be afraid to prescribe an anti-depressant to someone in need,because someone misused the same med and overdosed.
Those in chronic pain conditions that have been properly diagnosed and verified,need help,and in many cases long term treatment with opioids is the answer,and most doctors are responsible enough to make these decisions.
Gary, it isn’t “one patient out of hundreds”, it’s more like one patient out of thousands, even tens of thousands. The clinics treated 25,000 patients over that 10 year period, of those 8,000 were prescribed opioids. That doesn’t sound like a pill mill to me.
I went to Seattle pain clinic for about 4 years and I am appalled at what happened to him and the patients who were left with no pain management. There was no excess medication being prescribed or too many urine drug tests. During my time there I often talked to other patients about their health and medications while waiting. I have a medical background and have had to take opiates for many years due to a host of accidents which have left me in chronic pain.. Seattle pain clinic did not run a pill mill. If there is anyway I could testify in their defense I would. My primary health doctor retired and I was left without any doctor at all. Since I am on medicaid disability it is impossible to find another one. I went to another pain clinic and put the $250.00 bill plus$110.00 urine testing on a credit card. When I got in they basically would not help me, but insisted that I had an opiate disorder . I am coming off two different medications cold turkey and I am now bedridden and afraid. I told the WA Health Care authority and other agencies about my predicment and how I have not been able to replace my doctor. They were told by me that if I did not get help by the first of the year that I was going to take my life. The woman told me that many patients had already done that and to please call the crisis center. Nobody has helped me at Molina. In my defense I told them that they were the ones who had requested my medical records and given the clinic the authorization to prescribe my prescriptions. It took 2 weeks for their doctors and pharmacy department to ok the authorization as I was supposed to have already done many other treatments and medications first which I had. At this point I feel that the health insurance company (Molina) needs to help patients like me instead of just hoping we do not kill ourselves due to withdrawals and ongoing pain issues. If anyone knows what doctors out there will help people like me please post it here. The ER’s in two cities basically did nothing to help me with pain. And forget going to any Urgent Care clinics for help also. Good luck to anyone out there who is struggling now instead of having a life. Thank you Steve for the web page. I wish I would have found it earlier.
have you tried a teaching hospital’s pain clinic.. they tend to me much more understanding and not necessarily on the DEA’s radar. Also if Molina is a Medicare Advantage/Medicaid program file a grievance with http://www.cms.gov (800-MEDICARE). They are getting monthly premiums for made sure that you get care… generally an entity that collects money and provides to provide a product/service and fails to do what you paid they for is generally considered FRAUD… and if Molina is a federal program .. then it is Federal fraud