The Situation
In March 2016, the College became aware of a clinic advertising Pilates as a specialty covered under extended health insurance. A $2,500 clinic program offered an initial physiotherapist assessment, two follow-up sessions, and unlimited personal training supervised by a physiotherapist. A College investigator visited the clinic and was diagnosed with “postural dysfunction” to be treated with “Pilates as prevention to increase posture” and was told that instructors at a nearby Pilates clinic would handle the exercises.
The investigator gathered 22 patient records and it became clear that treatment delivered by instructors at the Pilates clinic was provided as if the instructors were physiotherapist assistants and consent to include them in treatment was not documented in patient records. The records also showed several billing inconsistencies, using the clinic owner’s name and registration for dates she was not involved in care.
When asked about the irregularities, the clinic owner indicated she “may have misunderstood the information and advice she received from the College Practice Advisor,” and that she ultimately made the decision to end her Pilates program in late 2016. She also stated that a physiotherapist had relayed “assessment and re-assessment subjective and objective findings and a list of detailed goals with respect to these findings” to Pilates instructors via e-mail, telephone, text message and/or video, and that the “majority of patient records contained consent for evaluation and treatment,” and that patients were “aware they were specifically attending” a Pilates clinic.
Regarding billing discrepancies, the PT said her name and registration number were used “accidentally and unintentionally."
The Consequences
After reviewing the facts, the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee decided that the seriousness of the complaint was enough for the PT to meet with the Senior Physiotherapist Advisor every six months over the course of two years and complete a Specified Continuing Education and Remediation Program (SCERP).
The PT must also review the following:
Record Keeping Standard
The Record Keeping Checklist
The College’s Record Keeping Video
Essential Competency Profile for Physiotherapists in Canada
The Working with Physiotherapist Assistants Standard
All costs associated with the SCERP are paid by the physiotherapist.
For free and anonymous advice, contact the College Practice Advisor: practiceadvice@collegept.org | 647-484-8800 | 1-800-583-5885