DISCIPLINE SUMMARIES
• Dr. Brown failed to document his rationale for
ordering tests or for prescribing medications despite
normal test results in a number of charts.
• Dr. Brown’s practice of Complementary/Alternative
Medicine was deficient in that he did not always
reach a conventional diagnosis and in his prescrib-
ing of transdermal estrogen therapy.
e College’s expert also opined that Dr. Brown
Th
failed to maintain the standard of practice of the pro-
fession by providing treatment to a family member
in circumstances that were not episodic or emergent,
including by referring her for saliva hormone testing
and allergy blood testing.
Disgraceful, Dishonourable or Unprofessional
Conduct
In the course of the investigation, College inves-
tigators attended at Dr. Brown’s office to notify
him about a patient complaint and obtain relevant
information and records, including a patient chart
and supplement sample. Dr. Brown became angry
and shouted at the investigators, making disparaging
comments and disputing their authority to obtain
the records and sample. Dr. Brown subsequently
provided the requested materials and apologized to
investigators for his conduct.
ORDER
The Discipline Committee ordered: a two-month
suspension; a reprimand, and terms, conditions and
limitations on Dr. Brown’s certificate of registra-
tion. Dr. Brown was also ordered to pay the College
$6,000 for hearing costs.
The terms, conditions and limitations include:
completion of a course in communications and
ethics; obtaining a clinical supervisor for a year; a re-
assessment; cooperation with unannounced inspec-
tions; and consent for the purpose of monitoring
OHIP billings.
For complete details of the Order, please see the
full decision at www.cpso.on.ca. Select Find a Doctor
and enter the doctor’s name.
At the conclusion of the hearing, Dr. Brown waived his
right to an appeal and the Committee administered the
public reprimand.
54
DIALOGUE ISSUE 3, 2019
DR. JASJOT KAUR CHADDA
PRACTICE LOCATION: Toronto
AREA OF PRACTICE: Psychiatry
HEARING INFORMATION: Admission; Agreed Statement of
Facts; Joint Submission on Penalty
On May 24, 2019, the Discipline Committee found
that Dr. Chadda has committed an act of profes-
sional misconduct, in that she has engaged in an act
or omission relevant to the practice of medicine that
would reasonably be regarded by members as dis-
graceful, dishonourable or unprofessional.
Boundary Violations
Dr. Chadda asked several patients to attend a well-
ness retreat that she was organizing in Italy in July
2014. The monetary cost was significant. A College
expert noted that asking patients to comply with
such requests puts patients in a difficult position as
they do not want to risk disapproval or termination
of their therapy. When that request of the physician
involves finances, such as selling a product like the
Italy Retreat in this case, it introduces the possibility
of a conflict of interest for the physician and places
the patient in a bind.
Patient A, in her complaint, expressed that she felt
uncomfortable after the retreat when she was repeat-
edly requested to provide a video testimonial for Dr.
Chadda’s wellness business during her therapeutic
sessions.
Patients C, D and E were long-term patients of Dr.
Chadda. She would have been well acquainted with
their vulnerabilities and should have known that
including them in the Italy Retreat could adversely
affect their psychotherapeutic relationship and care,
even if unintentionally. Selling these patients a prod-
uct outside of the physician-patient relationship was
a clear boundary violation.
Excessive Supplemental Billing
The College’s policy statement on Block Fees and
Uninsured Services is not new. Dr. Chadda should
have been well acquainted with these guidelines as a