DISCIPLINE SUMMARIES
For the information of the profession, the OATC Involuntary Discharge Policy and the Terms of Reference for
the OATC Best Practice Committee are attached to this
decision [on the website]. It is hoped that College members will find these informative, and that they may be
of assistance in other areas of practice. The issue of the
involuntary discharge from medical practice of difficult
and non-compliant patients is not confined to MMT.
The particulars of this case are concerning, and the
exposure of the complainant to potential harm cannot
be excused. There is, however, no evidence before this
Committee that Dr. Varenbut’s failure to maintain the
standard of care in this case was anything but an isolated episode in the context of Dr. Varenbut’s otherwise
impressive contributions to addiction medicine. This is
a single patient case and there is no prior discipline history. The Committee considers this to be a mitigating
factor with respect to penalty.
Order
The Committee ordered and directed that:
1. r. Varenbut appear before the panel to be reprimanded.
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2. r. Varenbut pay to the College costs in the amount
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of $14,600 within 60 days of the date of this Order.
At the conclusion of the hearing, Dr. Varenbut waived his
right to an appeal and the Committee administered the
public reprimand.
DR. SAMUEL JOSEF WASSERMANN
Practice Location: Brampton
Practice Area: General Practice
Hearing Information: Agreed Statement of Facts and
Admission, Joint Submission on Penalty
On January 11, 2013, the Discipline Committee found
that Dr. Samuel Wassermann committed acts of professional misconduct, in that he failed to maintain the
standard of practice of the profession, and in that he has
engaged in conduct or an act or omission relevant to the
practice of medicine that, having regard to all the circumstances, would reasonably be regarded by members
as disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional.
Dr. Wassermann admitted to the allegations.
Dr. Wassermann temporarily closed his practice around
December 18, 2009. Between November 2008 and
March 2011, 17 patients made repeated requests for
their medical records. Dr. Wassermann failed to respond
in a timely manner. In
June 2011, Dr. WasFull decisions are available online
sermann transferred his
at www.cpso.on.ca.
medical records to a
Select Doctor Search and enter
medical records storage
the doctor’s name.
service, Record Storage
and Retrieval Services
(RSRS). By March 21, 2012, after contact by a College
investigator, Dr. Wassermann arranged for 16 of the
patients to receive their records. Shortly before the hearing, Dr. Wassermann advised one of the patients that
their records were missing.
Based on a review of patient charts and interview with
Dr. Wassermann, an independent expert retained by the
College opined that Dr. Wassermann failed to maintain
the standard of practice in his care and treatment of
23 patients and exposed these patients to risk of harm,
including:
a) nadequate medical record keeping, including absence
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of a Cumulative Patient Profile, medical history and
family history, and failure to record examinations, vital
signs, patient complaints and treatment plan;
b) rescription of benzodiazepines, Viagra, anti-depresP
sants and antibiotics without adequate documentation of a rationale for same;
c) ailure to adequately follow up on an elevated diaF
stolic blood pressure reading;
d) ailure to comment on elevated lipid results and
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conduct a Framingham risk assessment;
e) ail