Oregon physician who spread COVID-19 misinformation gets license revoked

A physician from Oregon had his medical license revoked and was fined $10,000 for spreading COVID-19 misinformation and refusing to wear a mask in his medical practice.

Six details:

1. Steven Arthur LaTulippe, MD, had his license revoked for "unprofessional conduct, repeated negligence in the practice of medicine and gross negligence in the practice of medicine," according to the Oregon Medical Board. The board suspended his license in December and officially revoked it Sept. 2.
   
   
2. An investigation by the board found that Mr. LaTulippe engaged in 22 instances of negligence in the practice of medicine, five instances of gross negligence in the practice of medicine and eight instances of unprofessional or dishonest conduct.
   
   
3. At Mr. LaTulippe's family practice at South View Medical Arts in Dallas, Ore., he asked his receptionist to screen patients based on their facial expressions instead of asking them if they have been in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 or someone who displayed symptoms, according to the board.
   
   
4. Mr. LaTulippe and his wife, who ran the clinic with him, allegedly didn't wear masks from March 2020 to December 2020. According to the board, he also told older adults and children that wearing a mask was very dangerous for them because it causes or contributes to multiple serious health conditions, such as strokes, carbon dioxide poisoning and collapsed lungs.The CDC has advocated wearing masks to combat COVID-19 and said mask-wearing doesn't increase carbon dioxide levels.
   
   
5. Patients were not required to wear masks unless they were coughing or ill, the investigation determined. Patients who entered the clinic wearing a mask were asked to remove their masks, the board said.
   
   
6. Investigators asked Dr. LaTulippe if he planned to follow COVID-19 protocols, to which he said, "No," according to the board.
   
   "In a choice between losing his medical license versus wearing a mask in his clinic and requiring his patients and staff to wear a mask in his clinic, he will, 'choose to sacrifice my medical license with no hesitation,'" the board said.