Medical board suspends license of former PACHA chairman

The Medical Board of California last week suspended for 60 days the medical license of Los Angeles-based physician R. Scott Hitt, the former chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV and AIDS under President Clinton, the Los Angeles Times reports. Hitt, who is openly gay, was accused by the board in 2002 of sexually molesting two of his male patients in 2000. Hitt admitted to touching the genitals of one patient and "crossing a boundary" with the second, but claimed his judgment was affected by his battle with colon cancer, which is now in remission. The medical board charged Hitt with grossly negligent behavior, incompetent medical care, and committing dishonest and corrupt acts. In addition to the license suspension, effective April 7 through June 5, Hitt also was placed on seven years of probation during which time a second caregiver must be present when he consults, examines, or treats patients. Hitt resigned in 2000 from the Pacific Oaks Medical Group in Beverly Hills, Calif., one of the nation's largest providers of care for HIV and AIDS patients, where the incidents occurred. Hitt's attorney says Hitt is "ready to comply and put the matter behind him," according to the Times.