WA Medical Commission revokes local healthcare provider’s PA license

Having found that Camas-Washougal healthcare provider Scott C. Miller, the owner of Miller Wellness in Camas and the now-shuttered Miller Family Pediatrics practice in Washougal — “represents a grave danger to public health and safety,” the Washington State Medical Commission has permanently revoked Miller’s physician assistant license. “The Commission concludes that (Miller) cannot be rehabilitated, and that permanent revocation is a necessary and appropriate resolution to this case,” the Commission stated in its Oct. 25 order revoking Miller’s license. The Commission, which helps ensure physicians, physician assistants and other state health practitioners provide quality health care, said this week that Miller is no longer eligible to renew or reactivate his physician assistant license. “The Commission uses its judgment to determine appropriate sanctions when conduct falls outside of the sanction schedules,” the Commission stated. “In this case, a lesser option would not be adequate to protect public health and safety because (Miller) does not demonstrate the degree of responsibility or cooperation with Commission-imposed discipline or investigations to suggest rehabilitative measures would be effective or appropriate.” The Commission had originally suspended Miller’s physician assistant license in 2021, after finding the then Washougal-based practitioner had promoted unfounded COVID-19 treatments and verbally harassed medical professionals treating hospitalized COVID patients and that three patients Miller advised go against hospital COVID treatment protocols had later died from COVID complications. “Rather than acting as a go-between for these patients and their families, (Miller) consistently contradicted the diagnoses and treatments of specialists and hospitalists in those fields for those patients,” the Commission stated in its 2022 order suspending Miller’s physician assistant license. “Without examining the patients, and without the training to question the treatment providers, (Miller’s) treatment recommendations are suspect. These actions further undermine his credibility here.” The Commission also noted that Miller had misrepresented himself on his 2013 application for a Washington state physician assistant license after checking “no” to a question asking if he was the subject of an investigation by any licensing board, despite the fact that the board overseeing California’s health practitioners — where Miller worked before moving to Washougal — had alerted him in August 2012, that he was the subject of an investigation in that state for allegedly “providing medical care without supervising physician authorization; writing drug orders for controlled substances without conducting physical examinations and without supervising physician authorization; and failing to document and maintain medical records for patients.” The Commission also noted in 2022, that Miller — who touted ivermectin, a deworming medicine, as a cure for COVID and frequently encouraged patients to forego wearing respirator masks known to prevent the transmission of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus that causes COVID — had “created confusion and discord regarding the safe treatment of COVID-19.” “Despite the CDC and FDA treatment guidance, and the Merck Company recommendations regarding the use of ivermectin, (Miller) chose to prescribe the off-label use of ivermectin to treat COVID-19 patients. He reached this decision through his own research,” the Commission noted in 2022. “He became a proponent of prescribing ivermectin as a frontline treatment for COVID-19, along with vitamins and some steroid medications. In prescribing ivermectin, (Miller) failed to appropriately record the off-label use of the medication, and he did not include the appropriate record-keeping requirements in doing so.” The Commission used a May 2021 Camas School Board meeting, where Miller railed against the school district’s masking requirements and hybrid remote learning practices, as an example of Miller’s failure to “dispense accurate information” about COVID treatments. “(His) statements clearly show that he was holding himself out as a medical professional and not as a private citizen. In that capacity, (Miller’s) duty as a physician assistant required him to dispense accurate information about COVID-19 precautions and management. The duty to provide accurate information in public forums included explaining the medical precautions and management of COVID-19 … the use of masking and social distancing during the pandemic to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” the Commission noted. “It did not include … making statements that using ivermectin was a cure for COVID–19, nor by disparaging the medical community’s attempts to limit the spread of COVID-19 through masking and social distancing.” Additionally, the Commission stated in 2022, that Miller’s “abusive and improper behavior toward other members of the medical community acted to lower the standing of the medical profession in the eyes of the public and acted to disrupt the therapeutic alliance between the treating physicians and nurses for patients.” Medical Commission notes opening of Camas wellness practice The Washington Medical Commission noted in its most recent order that it received a complaint in December 2022, that Miller “may have been providing treatment to patients — while suspended — as part of a newly opened practice called Miller Wellness.” The Commission’s investigator sent a letter to Miller in March 2023, that required Miller to address these allegations. Though Miller acknowledged in April 2023, that he had received the letter, the Commission said Miller never responded to the allegations that he was treating patients while his license was suspended. The Commission filed a statement of charges Aug. 18, 2023, and served Miller with the statement as well as notice of his hearing rights, but said Miller never responded. Miller seems to be operating a “wellness clinic,” called Miller Wellness (millerwellness.net) online and out of a physical building located at 1615 N.E. Sixth Ave., in Camas. The website states that Miller Wellness, seemingly referring to Miller himself, “is an Integrative Health Practitioner/Coach, not a doctor” and that the clinic is not “intended to replace traditional medical care” but, instead, “fill in the gaps and … help (its) clients create personalized practical, sustainable changes to lifestyle and diet to help regain balance and improve their health.” The site offers “wellness memberships” which range in cost from $100 to $350 a year for individuals and families, and include unlimited office appointments, subscriptions to Miller’s “Daily Rant,” and “access to Scott’s ‘Stuff You Really Wanna Know’ Library.” Miller Wellness also offers “urgent wellness” appointments, supplements, lactation consultations and services for children — including “newborn wellness, child wellness exams, learning/academic delays, ADD/ADHD, sensory processing wellness, autism spectrum, sleep challenges (and) allergies.” In its October order revoking Miller’s license, the Medical Commission discussed a minor patient Miller had allegedly been treating since 2019, and had diagnosed with “chronic sleep impairment” and chronic allergic rhinitis. “In a letter to (the patient’s) school … (Miller) indicated that Patient A had ongoing ‘breathing related sleep disturbances’ and indicated it was in Patient A’s best interest to obtain maximal sleep … to be allowed to sleep until waking up ‘naturally,’” the Commission stated in its October 2023 order. Despite a Clark County Superior Court order that the patient’s parents should both have full access to the child’s medical records, Miller — according to the Commission — refused to turn over the records to the requesting parent or to an investigator from the Medical Commission. The Post-Record was unable to contact Miller in time for this newspaper’s print deadlines. A voicemail recording for Miller Wellness said the business’ voicemail inbox was full as of Tuesday, Nov. 21.

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