DISCIPLINE SUMMARIES
3. r. Wassermann pay costs to the College in the amount
D
of $3,650 within 60 days of the date of this Order.
At the conclusion of the hearing, Dr. Wassermann waived
his right to an appeal and the Committee administered the
public reprimand.
Dr. Howard Wu
Practice Location: Markham
Practice Area: Family Medicine
Hearing Information: Agreed Statement of Facts and
Admission, Joint Submission on Penalty
On April 29, 2013, the Discipline Committee found
that Dr. Howard Wu committed acts of professional
misconduct, in that he failed to maintain the standard
of practice of the profession, and he engaged in an act
or omission relevant to the practice of medicine that,
having regard to all the circumstances, would reasonably
be regarded by members as disgraceful, dishonourable
or unprofessional. The Committee also found that Dr.
Wu is incompetent, in that his care of patients displayed
a lack of knowledge, skill or judgment of a nature or to
an extent that demonstrates that he is unfit to continue
to practise or that his practice should be restricted
Dr. Wu is a family physician practising in Markham.
As a result of five investigations into his practice, the
Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (ICRC)
referred allegations to the Discipline Committee by
Notice of Hearing dated July 6, 2011, and September 5,
2012. On July 27, 2011, Dr. Wu signed an undertaking
not to prescribe narcotics or other controlled substances
(restricted substances), subject to the engagement of a
College-approved clinical supervisor.
• ailed to maintain the standard of practice in his famf
ily practice in relation to five charts, as detailed in the
report of a medical assessor.
• ailed to maintain the standard of practice and enf
gaged in disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional
conduct with respect to his delegation of controlled
acts in relation to three charts as detailed in the report
of a medical assessor.
• ngaged in disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional
e
conduct by breaching his undertaking as follows:
a) y issuing a prescription for Testosterone on Aub
gust 10, 2011, before engaging a clinical supervisor acceptable to the College;
b) etween June 2012 until October/November
b
2012, by failing to ensure his clinical supervisor
co-signed patient charts to indicate he approved
of the prescription for each and every restricted
substance prescription issued by Dr. Wu;
c) y failing to ensure the charts co-signed by his
b
clinical supervisor for two patients on December
4, 2012, accurately reflected the prescriptions issued to the patients; and
d) y failing to include required information in his
b
log pertaining to prescriptions for restricted substances in relation to five patients.
Reasons for Penalty
Counsel for the College and counsel for the member
made a joint submission as to an appropriate penalty
and costs order. The Committee accepted the jointly
proposed penalty as appropriate in this case.
Dr. Wu admitted that he:
The Committee was dismayed to learn of the long list
of significant inadequacies in Dr. Wu’s pain practice,
as outlined in the expert report of Dr. Z, including
incomplete charting, lack of the use of interdisciplinary
pain protocols, and overprescribing. Dr. Wu admitted
that he failed to maintain the standard of the profession