An Edmonton pharmacist has been suspended for one year and fined $30,000 after a disciplinary hearing found his actions had harmed the integrity of the profession.
In a news release Thursday, the Alberta College of Pharmacy said a hearing tribunal found Si Huu Nguyen guilty of unprofessional conduct in his responsibilities as a pharmacist and as the licensee of the V-Can Pharmacy.
The business, at 10767 97th St., closed in December 2018.
A third-party insurer had accused Nguyen of submitting hundreds of claims, worth more than $100,000 in total, that couldn’t be supported with inventory purchase records, the college said in its news release.
The insurer also claimed Nguyen also failed to cooperate with a claims audit.
The hearing tribunal found that while Nguyen operated the V-Can Pharmacy, more than 750 claims filed between January 2014 and January 2016 could not be supported with documentation.
The tribunal also found Nguyen created false patient dispensing records and failed to store patient files properly.
“Creating false records harms the integrity of the profession and is detrimental to the best interests of the public,” the tribunal said in its findings.
“Mr. Nguyen’s conduct constitutes clear contraventions of the (Health Professions) Act. An insurer must be able to rely on the accuracy and truthfulness of the information that is submitted by a pharmacist.”
The hearing tribunal ordered the following penalties:
- a reprimand.
- a 12-month suspension of Nguyen’s practice permit.
- Nguyen may not to be an owner, proprietor, or licensee of a pharmacy for five years.
- payment of all costs of the investigation and hearing (approximately $56,000).
- Nguyen must provide a copy of the tribunal’s written decision to the licensee of any pharmacy where he works as a pharmacist for five years.
- Nguyen must successfully complete the college’s ethics and jurisprudence exam before reinstatement as a pharmacist.
The tribunal called Nguyen’s actions harmful and detrimental to the profession. It has sent a copy of its decisions in the case to the Minister of Justice and Solicitor General.