ISAIAH Washington – whose role on the doc opera “Grey’s Anatomy” is hanging by a surgical stitch – hired a crisis PR firm over the weekend.

LA publicists Allen Mayer and Kelly Mullens specialize in problem clients and have, in the past, repped singer R. Kelly, Tommy Lee and Paula Poundstone.

Washington, who plays the intense Dr. Burke on the hit series, is in trouble for allegedly using a slur to refer to his gay co-star, T. R. Knight.

ABC, the network that airs the show, says it is considering disciplinary action – up to and including firing, according to a report on TVGuide.com – against Washington for the incident.