The Consumer Complaints Blog

There has been a lot of controversy lately regarding government waste in the eHealth Scandal. According the the CBC, over 1 billion dollars was wasted through shady tactics and backdoor deals. But at Penciltrick we’ve uncovered a different kind of flagrant waste of public funds being performed not by consultants but by the very people we entrust to work the system and take care of our family’s health.

The next time you’re waiting 5+ hours in the emergency room you can comfort yourself with the knowledge that the patients in front of you are using your tax dollars to pay for larger breasts, flatter stomachs and tighter asses. Really, is it any wonder our hospitals are so understaffed and in such poor shape?

During our observation of an ongoing hearing of a Toronto physician at The Collage of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario we were absolutely flabbergasted to hear the testimony of Doctor John Craig Fielding admitting that he charges OHIP for consultations regarding liposuction. That’s right. Not life saving procedures or even reconstructive surgeries but removing blubber from some fat ass. I for one am absolutely disgusted that I work every day and pay my taxes just so plastic surgeons like Dr. Fielding can take my hard earned money to suck fat out of someone’s abdomen, flanks and thighs.

In the hearing and under oath Dr. Fielding was asked if he charged the Ontario Health Insurance Plan for examining a patient for a liposuction procedure. After evading the question for a while he was asked to call his administrator and confirm how the patient was charged. His reply was:

“The initial consultation on January 26th was billed to the Ministry of Health.“

(cue scratching record sound)

OHIP Insurance Fraud With No Consequences

Hold on a minute. So a patient goes in and says she has fat legs and wants lipostuction. Dr. Fielding examines her and then conveniently uses our tax dollars to cover the consultation and pay for his cottage? How is that not clear and blatant insurance fraud? This is a man who teaches other doctors and works at St. Joseph Hospital . What exactly are these young doctors learning from this man? How to cheat OHIP? How to perform surgeries that are purely for cosmetic reasons using the public purse?

On their own site the Ontario government clearly states:

The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care pays for a wide range of services, however, it does not pay for services that are not medically necessary, such as cosmetic surgery.

What else are these plastic surgeons billing to OHIP? How many of them are doing this every single day in this province?

So what was the result of this admission on November 3, 2009? Absolutely nothing! Dr. Fielding is not being investigated. (why should he when he is the lead witness for the very college that is supposed to be policing him). He has not been charged with defrauding our government and the public that is supporting him. He is still working at St. Joseph Hospital. Apparently they’re okay with having this “doctor” teaching their interns and ripping us all off by charging OHIP and lining his own pockets. Wouldn’t it be nice if your own insurance company was so agreeable if you stole your own car stereo and then claimed it from your plan?

Think About It The Next Time You Or Someone You Know Is In The Hospital

So this is all well and good but what does this mean for Ontario? It’s simple. It means that if you have to take an ambulance in this province it’s going to cost you a minimum of $45. But if you need to consult with Dr. John Craig Fielding of St. Joseph Hospital to palpate your gluteal fat, you won’t have to pay a penny. The rest of us dumb slobs working a job in Ontario will take care of it for you.

There are probably millions if not tens of millions of dollars and more being wasted on these unapproved cosmetic procedures by plastic surgeons with absolutely no consequences. The politicians don’t seem to care. The media don’t seem to give a crap and apparently St. Joseph Hospital and The College Of Physicians and Surgeons are happy to pay people like Dr. Fielding for services rendered and won’t do anything about it.

I had the misfortune of watching my mother in the hospital recently and pleading with the nurses and doctors to try and get her a new mattress because the one she was on was basically garbage and causing her more harm than good. They didn’t have any available.

How many of these consultations are being charged to OHIP by Plastic Surgeons and other medical professionals? How many breasts have the people of Ontario paid for? How many vaccines, beds and nurses could we have paid for if this money wasn’t being stolen from us? I don’t know. All that I can do is report what we’ve found. I can only hope that a politician or prominent reporter is willing to take it from here and actually make a difference to our healthcare system.

While we’re busy paying for unnecessary, irrelevant and expensive cosmetic procedures, our friends down south are actually acting more sensibly then us for a change and proposing a 5% “Botax” on cosmetic surgery.

The beauty of all this? If someone investigated and got back all this money, not only would it not cost the taxpayers and government anymore money, we would actually take back what was rightfully ours and start putting our healthcare system on a path of better efficiency and accountability. Never mind the money that was already stolen. How about stopping this theft moving forward as a start. That would make a huge difference to our budget immediately. Any takers?

And both the College and St. Joseph Hospital should be ashamed and embarrassed that they are allowing this man who has admitted to illegally charging OHIP for cosmetic procedures under oath to continually defraud the public.