On December 3, 2015, the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee referred a matter involving Graham Jones to the Discipline Committee for a hearing. The hearing was held on December 5, 2016.
Overview of the Allegations
Mr. Jones failed to maintain the Standards of the profession in respect to:
- assessments and reassessments of patients who attended at Clinio Health Centres (“Clinio”)
- treatment plans for patients at Clinio, which recommended general exercise programs and did not qualify as physiotherapy
- billing practices, in which one-on-one supervised general exercise programs at Clinio, recommended by Mr. Jones to his patients, were improperly invoiced as physiotherapy
- supervision of persons who acted in the capacity of physiotherapist assistants to provide care to his patients who attended at Clinio
- record keeping practices at Clinio
- advertising practices which provided incentives to patients who received services at Clinio
Finding
The College withdrew the allegations related to advertising practices at Clinio. Mr. Jones was found guilty of Professional Misconduct in relation to the other allegations and a penalty was ordered.
Penalty
At the conclusion of the hearing the Committee ordered the following penalty:
- a reprimand
- a suspension of 15 months, of which 7 months could be remitted
- practice enhancement activities including the successful complete of an Ethics program
- restrictions related to potential employment as a physiotherapist assistant during the period of suspension
- practice enhancement coaching for a period of no more than three years
- restrictions related supervising physiotherapy students or physiotherapist assistants
- costs payable to the College in the amount of $17,000