Doctor wrote bogus COVID vaccine exemptions for patients, Washington officials say
A Washington doctor has been barred from issuing COVID-19 vaccination exemptions after she administered misleading exemptions to patients, according to court documents.
Anna Elperin, an osteopathic physician and surgeon in Ellensburg, Washington, had her license restricted and the Washington State Department of Health is conducting an investigation into the doctor.
“Elperin allegedly signed COVID-19 vaccine exemption waivers for patients without charting or specifying a medical condition to justify the exemption,” the health department stated in a release about its decision to restrict Elperin’s license. “Elperin cannot issue COVID-19 vaccine exemption waivers until charges are resolved. She has 20 days to request a hearing to contest the charges.”
The scrutiny from the health department followed an undercover investigation of Elperin’s medical practices by TV station King5, which reported sending four journalists to receive COVID-19 vaccination and mask exemptions from Elperin, who owns Awake Health, without any prior patient relationship or justification for the exemptions.
“Elperin issued mask and vaccine exemptions to four undercover KING5 journalists throughout the fall, without asking if they had a qualifying medical condition that precludes them from getting the vaccine, in exchange for a cash fee,” KING5 reported in its investigation.
According to court records, it wasn’t just undercover journalists receiving vaccine exemptions — it was also healthcare workers, educators and university staff. Documents state that Elperin reported “immunization not carried out, unspecified patient decision” for multiple patients and signed medical vaccine exemptions stating that the patient had a “medical exemption” without specifying any reason.
Elperin stated in her practice the medical conditions could not be disclosed due to patient privacy protections, according to court records.
“[Elperin] mislead the patient’s employers and the public by signing a document stating that the patients were exempt due to a medical condition that was not disclosable because it was protected healthcare information when, in fact, not medical condition was identified by [Elperin],” the documents stated.
According to the Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery through the Department of Health, the evidence indicated an “immediate threat to the public health and safety” if Elperin had an unrestricted credential. Therefore, the board said it prohibited Elperin from issuing any COVID-19 vaccination exemptions until the legal disciplinary process was resolved.
Patients who received vaccination exemptions included individuals employed with Kittitas Valley Healthcare, Mount Vernon School District and Central Washington University, according to court documents, which say patients who received falsified exemptions were between the ages of 28 and 55.
It wasn’t free, either, KING5 reported, as Elperin charged patients $150-$200 for exemption forms.
KING5 also noted that at least 25 public employees had received vaccine exemptions from Elperin, and hundreds of patients drove hours away from other cities for her exemptions, based on information from former employees.
The state health department reviewed at least a dozen complaints against Elperin since July 2020, most related to COVID-19 concerns. According to agency records, 10 out of the 12 were dismissed, KING5 wrote.
“Medical Freedom from experimental vaccines is still a Constitutional right of every American,” Elperin told KING5 in a statement regarding the investigation.
According to the CDC, getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is safe and helps protect people from getting sick or severely ill with COVID-19 and can also help protect the people around them.
Elperin’s license will be restricted until further legal action is taken, the state health department said.
According to the Federation of State Medical Boards, state medical boards have seen a 67% increase in complaints related to medical officials spreading false or misleading information about COVID-19.
“We are encouraged by the number of boards that have already taken action to combat COVID-19 disinformation by disciplining physicians who engage in that behavior and by reminding all physicians that their words and actions matter, and they should think twice before spreading disinformation that may harm patients,” Humayun J. Chaudhry, president of the federation, said in a release.
This story was originally published December 30, 2021 at 3:04 PM with the headline "Doctor wrote bogus COVID vaccine exemptions for patients, Washington officials say."
