On August 5, 2020, the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (ICRC) referred a matter involving Mohammad Saeed Khollari to the Discipline Committee for a hearing.
The hearing took place on January 26, 2022. This matter was resolved by way of an Agreed Statement of Facts and a Joint Submission on Penalty.
Finding
The panel of the Discipline Committee issued a decision on the finding on January 26, 2022, on the penalty on January 26, 2022 and on costs on January 26, 2022.
After having considered all of the evidence, the panel found Mohammad Saeed Khollari to have committed the following acts of professional misconduct:
- paragraph 1 (failing to maintain the standards of practice of the profession);
- paragraph 18 (engaging in conduct or performing an act relevant to the practice of the profession that, having regard to all the circumstances, would reasonably be regarded by members as disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional);
- paragraph 26 (failing to keep records in accordance with the standards of practice of the profession);
- paragraph 40 (continuing the treatment of a patient where it is no longer indicated, has ceased to be effective or is unnecessary
Penalty
The panel ordered the following penalty, Mohammad Saeed Khollari will:
- Receive a reprimand at the conclusion of the hearing (delivered on January 26, 2022)
- Serve a suspension for the period of two months, to be served on dates to be fixed by the Registrar. The suspension must be completed by December 31, 2024
- Meet with a practice coach for a maximum of eight occasions within a two-year period
- Not supervise physiotherapy students, physiotherapy assistant students or registrants of the profession who hold a provisional practice certificate of registration during the coaching period. The Registrant will be unable to supervise Residents moving forward until such time that they can meet the Practice Supervisor Eligibility Criteria
While Mohammad Saeed Khollari is serving their suspension they shall not use the title Physiotherapist, PT or any abbreviation thereof nor can their name, PT title and registration number be used for billing purposes.
Further, Mohammad Saeed Khollari’s practice is restricted to the long-term care sector at this time.
The panel also ordered Mohammad Saeed Khollari to pay costs to the College in the amount of $5, 000 to offset some of the costs associated with investigating and prosecuting this case.
As a part of the penalty the Committee also issued a reprimand which read as follows:
Mr. Khollari, being a physiotherapist is not a right, but rather a privilege that comes with responsibilities, one of which is proper recordkeeping. Accurate and thorough recordkeeping allows us to ensure proper billing practices to facilitate continuity of care and to assist and demonstrate the clinical decision-making required to help our clients.
By your own admission and assessment by this panel, your practices in this regard have fallen below the standard and undermine the credibility of the profession. Moreover, the fact you have been sent previously to ICRC for recordkeeping issues and now sit in front of this panel shows a certain disregard for the College standards and your duties as a physiotherapist.
Subpar recordkeeping is a practice that will not be overlooked, nor will it be tolerated as it affects the quality of care that we provide our clients. Please review this as a second chance and try to learn from it. We collectively hope that we don’t see you in front of the Discipline Committee again. Should you appear before a disciplinary panel in the future, this proceeding will weigh heavily on penalty consideration at that time.
You can read the full decision of the Discipline Committee of the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario at: www.canlii.ca