Doctor on Probation in Patient Abuse Case Surrenders License

A Beverly Hills doctor who is a former chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV and AIDS has surrendered his license to practice medicine in California, effective this week.

Dr. R. Scott Hitt, 45, returned his license to the Medical Board of California, which had suspended it for 60 days in February because of allegations that Hitt sexually molested two patients at his medical office. The board also had placed him on seven years’ probation.

His attorney, Patric Hooper, said Hitt surrendered his license because he feared his illness would not allow him to fulfill the terms and conditions of his probation.

“Scott had a reoccurrence of his cancer, and for that reason had to surrender his license,” Hooper said.

Hitt’s suspension stemmed from a 2002 accusation. Hitt acknowledged he “crossed a boundary” with one patient in July 2000 and touched another patient’s genitals in August of that year, according to the formal accusation filed by the medical board.

His probation required that he enroll in an ethics course; have a chaperon present while consulting, examining and treating patients; and complete a professional boundaries program.

“The fact that someone goes through proceedings, gets probation and then surrenders, that’s rare,” said Deputy Atty. Gen. John E. Rittmayer, who prosecuted the case against Hitt. “But it’s fairly frequent that a doctor will surrender in the course of the proceedings.”

Hitt practiced internal medicine and was a partner at Pacific Oaks Medical Group until his resignation in 2000, when he checked into a rehabilitation and recovery program.

Since then, he has been serving as chief executive of the American Academy of HIV Medicine, an independent organization of HIV specialists.

A spokesperson for the academy would not comment on whether Hitt, who founded the organization, would retain his position.

In 1995, he became the first openly gay person to head a presidential advisory committee. During his tenure, the 30-member AIDS panel issued eight recommendations that President Clinton immediately put into effect, including convening a White House conference on AIDS.

Talking about the molestation accusation in an interview two years ago, Hitt said personal struggles with health problems had impaired his judgment. He said that he had been diagnosed with colon cancer and that the odds of recovery were then slim. In 2002, his cancer was in remission.

Two months ago, Hitt was arrested in Los Angeles on suspicion of illegally possessing a controlled substance.