discipline summaries
The pattern of care you have admitted to is nothing short of appalling, and this Committee could see no evidence that you have developed insight into the nature of this problem. In fact, the past attempts at remediation have appeared to have fallen on deaf ears. You have had the opportunity to retrain in the past. Whatever you learned, however, did not translate effectively into practice. This is quite simply, unacceptable.
Your abuse of the health-care system goes beyond billing for services provided when you were not there, and includes the ordering of unnecessary and totally unjustified tests, ordering inappropriate treatment and unnecessary patient visits. Many of these were ordered by your staff who are not qualified as health-care personnel, and who were clearly and inadequately supervised.
Such behaviour compromises the effective functioning of our health-care system, and seriously undermines the public trust. The Committee has no reason to believe that effective remediation is possible, and has concluded that you need to be separated from the practice of medicine in this province.
DR. CRAITA ARINA ROMANESCU
Practice Location: Bolton Practice Area: Family Medicine
Hearing Information: Agreed Statement of Facts, Admission, Joint Submission on Penalty
On June 16, 2015, the Discipline Committee found that Dr. Romanescu committed an act of professional misconduct, in that she 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. Romanescu admitted to the allegation. In February of 2010, the College received a complaint from a patient who had been unable to obtain her records despite repeated requests when Dr. Romanescu closed her office for an indefinite period. Dr. Romanescu was cautioned by the College regarding the need to adhere to the College’ s policy Practice
Management Considerations for Physicians Who Cease to Practise, Take an Extended Leave of Absence, or Close Their Practice Due to Relocation. In September 2011, Dr. Romanescu signed an undertaking with the College, in which she agreed to abide by the terms of the contract with the Physician Health Program( PHP) she had entered in July 2011, and to remain in the monitoring arrangement with the PHP for five years. In November 2013, Dr. Romanescu was advised by the PHP that she must take a leave of absence from her medical practice for health reasons. She had retained an administrative staff person who was to check messages and respond to patient requests, but this relationship was terminated shortly after Dr. Romanescu’ s leave of absence began and then there was no one to staff the office. Thereafter, a sign was posted on the door of Dr. Romanescu’ s office and a voicemail message was left on the office’ s telephone system advising patients that the office was closed, but the voicemail message was only intermittently in place. In December 2013, Dr. Romanescu’ s lawyer contacted the College to advise that Dr. Romanescu had no administrative staff. Over the following months, Dr. Romanescu and her lawyer attended at her office on several occasions to process patient record requests and the delivery of test results and other mail to patients. The College received nine formal complaints from patients in relation to the sudden closure of Dr. Romanescu’ s office in November 2013. They expressed frustration that Dr. Romanescu had closed her office abruptly, without prior notice, and without having made prior arrangements to address patient requests with respect to obtaining their medical records, prescription renewals and test results should she be unable to work in the future. In addition to the formal complaints, the College received numerous additional contacts from patients who shared similar experiences and expressed frustration at not being able to obtain medical records, prescription renewals and test results.
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Issue 2, 2016 Dialogue 57