SHLIFER

Disciplinary Action against Susan J. Shlifer, M.D.

In 2011, the Washington State Department of Health charged that the medical care furnished by Susan Shlifer, M.D. was consistently below the standard of care in that she (a) did not conduct adequate physical examinations, (b) labeled patients with invalid diagnoses, (c) failed to implement evidence-based treatment plans, (d) kept records that were generally insufficient and illegible; (e) prescribed opioids inappropriately, (f) diagnosed fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, vitamin D problems, thyroid problems, and irritable bowel syndrome without adequate supporting evidence, and (g) treated patients with the “Marshall Protocol,” which the Board considered ineffective and potentially dangerous. In 2013, the charges were settled with a consent order (shown below) under which Shlifer acknowledged that the charges were justified and agreed to: Serve a minimum of five …