Doctor fined $26,000 for altering records

A DUNEDIN doctor has been fined $26,000 and had conditions imposed on his practice for three years after altering medical records for his financial benefit.

The Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal has decided there was professional misconduct on the part of the doctor, who has interim name suppression, following a hearing in July this year.

A decision was released yesterday.

The tribunal found the doctor had, between 2004 and 2010, altered the medical records of 12 patients to say they were still patients at the medical practice where he worked, the name of which is also suppressed, result ing in a financial benefit of $3929 to which he was not entitled.

The charge was laid by the Medical Council of New Zealand’s professional conduct committee.

The tribunal censured the doctor and imposed conditions on his practice for three years.

The conditions are that he not take any management role, complete training in good record keeping and public funding processes, and that he advise future employers of the tribunal’s decision and the conditions.

He was also ordered to pay a contribution of $20,000 towards the total costs incurred by the conduct committee and $6000 towards the costs of the tribunal.

It was noted by the tribunal that the doctor repaid the $3929 in December 2015.