Applicant Miguel Antonados withdraws Mississippi license application after Washington telemedicine order draws scrutiny

Miguel Antonados, a physician who practices primarily through telemedicine, withdrew his application for a Mississippi medical license during a show-cause hearing after the State Board of Medical Licensure reviewed an agreed order entered by the Washington Medical Commission.

What the board reviewed: The Washington agreed order, entered in August 2023 and signed by Antonados and counsel, states that Antonados prescribed ivermectin for at least four Washington residents after patient encounters that began through an online questionnaire; the order says those encounters lacked a previously established physician–patient relationship and that real-time audio–visual consultation was not used in those specific cases. The Washington order (stipulated findings, conclusions and agreed order) imposed conditions including requirements for video-based telemedicine for new patients and continuing medical-education requirements.

Applicant’s position: Antonados told the Mississippi board he uses synchronous audio–visual consultation as his primary telemedicine modality, supplements it with secure messaging and lab arrangements, and disputed the Washington commission’s factual account. He told the board his telemedicine vendor (Medici) cut off access to full patient records and said the commission did not see the complete records; he said he was collecting patient affidavits to corroborate that live video interactions took place. Antonados also described beginning his telemedicine work in 2018, continuing hospital-based practice through 2021 and treating patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mississippi telemedicine standard: Board staff introduced Mississippi’s telemedicine rules, which define real-time telemedicine as interactive audio–visual communication and permit store-and-forward (asynchronous) elements only to enhance, not replace, real-time interactions. The rule also requires verification of patient identity, an appropriate history and examination meeting the standard of care, and a plan for follow-up care and medical-record retention.

Outcome at the hearing: After taking evidence and hearing testimony from the applicant and counsel, the applicant withdrew his Mississippi application. The withdrawal was recorded on the transcript and the board closed the matter.

Context: The Washington order is now part of Antonados’ licensing history and other states’ reactions to Washington’s action appeared in his Mississippi licensure file (the applicant provided correspondence showing varied outcomes in other states). The board noted the Washington order and Mississippi telemedicine regulations when conducting its review. Antonados withdrew his application rather than await a licensing decision; that withdrawal leaves in place the Washington commission’s conditions as a recorded action in his licensure history and leaves any federal or interstate consequences for other agencies to resolve.

Sources: Exhibits included the Washington Medical Commission agreed order, the applicant’s licensure file, and Mississippi telemedicine regulations (part 2635, chapter 5).