Ontario Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists Discipline Tribunal

The member, a speech-language pathologist, admitted to professional misconduct for inappropriately accessing the personal health information of patients not under her care at the Ottawa Hospital.

The Discipline Committee accepted an Agreed Statement of Facts and found the member committed professional misconduct by contravening the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 and hospital policy.

The Committee accepted a Joint Submission on Penalty, ordering a reprimand, a $1,000 fine, and publication of the decision with the member's name.

The member, a speech-language pathologist, faced allegations of professional misconduct for failing to maintain appropriate client records and for using an unregistered name in her practice.

Following a motor vehicle accident, the member's employer discovered that many client records were missing, incomplete, or kept at her home.

The member admitted to the allegations in an Agreed Statement of Facts.

The Discipline Committee found that the member committed professional misconduct.

The Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand, a one-month suspension, the completion of a 1,000-word paper on record-keeping, and $500 in costs.

The member pleaded guilty to professional misconduct after initiating magazine subscriptions in the name of a complainant whose previous complaint against the member had been dismissed.

The Discipline Committee found the member guilty.

During the penalty phase, the panel denied a request for standing from the complainant's counsel.

The panel also rejected a joint submission on penalty that proposed withholding the member's name from the public register, finding that publication was necessary for general deterrence and public accountability.

The member was reprimanded, ordered to pay $1,500 in costs, and her name was published.