Eye doctor’s licence revoked
Andrew Taylor will appeal decision …
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario has ordered the medical licence of a doctor at Lasik Provision Inc be revoked.
On April 24, the College ruled that Dr. Andrew Winston Taylor, formerly the head ophthalmologist at the Niagara Health System, had engaged in “disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional conduct,” by “billing patients for medical procedures that were not performed and instructing others to create, alter or otherwise manipulate medical records related to such procedures.”
Taylor has appealed the decision of the College in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. Although the College has revoked his medical licence, a College spokeswoman said the court proceedings effectively act as a stay on the College’s ruling to strip Taylor of his licence.
In its April decision, the college found that Taylor attempted to cover up his misconduct by telling his staff to “falsely report that a safe had been stolen which contained the charts of patients who had been refunded,” for the overfilling.
“The committee had no doubt that Dr. Taylor’s misconduct was premeditated,” the College decision reads. “Ultimately, all dishonest billing is a betrayal of the honesty and integrity expected of the physician in the patient-physician relationship. The public must be confident not only in the clinical skills of a practitioner, but in the honesty of a practitioner to bill correctly for services rendered.”
In August, Taylor resigned his post as the head of ophthalmology at the NHS after the College found that he had overbilled his patients at his Niagara Falls Lasik Provision clinic in 2002 and 2003.
The College says Taylor did two types of laser eye procedures at Lasik Provision. One called Planoscan and the other more expensive procedure called Zyopitx. Taylor started doing Zyoptix in 2002 and the college says 120 patients were billed for the procedure even though they received the less expensive Planoscan procedure.
“The Committee did not believe Dr. Taylor’s testimony that he told every patient, including the more than 120 patients who were charged for the wrong procedure, that they received a different and cheaper procedure than that initially recommended by the optometrist and paid for,” the College report says. “The Committee found it utterly inconceivable that this number of patients would have left the laser clinic without asking for their refund, or follow up sometime afterwards, if Dr. Taylor, or any other member of the clinical team, had so informed them; or, if the optometrist had discussed with them the price difference between the Zyoptix and Planoscan procedures.”
The College also says that patient files were changed under Taylor’s direction to make it appear they received the more expensive procedure. He also told his staff to “blank-fire” the laser machine to create the impression the more expensive procedure was done.
Patients eventually received refunds in 2003, the College says, after rumours of a police investigation into the overbilling spread through the clinic.
Those refunds were sent with a letter — which the College says is untrue — that claimed the overbilling was found in a “routine fiscal audit.”
Taylor, who is still practicing in Niagara Falls, declined to be interviewed for this story. However, in an email statement he said he is “obviously disappointed” by the College’s decision and intends to continue with his appeal.
“I have apologized for this issue that occurred under the management of a different corporation, Lasik MD that occurred 15 years ago, and have worked to rectify it. I am proud of my work as an ophthalmologist, helping thousands of patients,” the statement says. “I believe that I should be allowed to continue practising and that this decision by the CPSO is harsh and overly punitive.”