DISCIPLINE SUMMARIES
tive agreement dealing with government funding for
physician services and changes to the physician fee
schedule, among other issues ("tPSA"). The tPSA
was endorsed by the OMA's Board, including by Dr.
Walley. The OMA promoted the agreement in the
weeks leading up to a General Meeting, which took
place on August 14, 2016. In the lead-up to the gen-
eral meeting, the OMA Board promoted the agree-
ment as providing "stability" and "predictability.”
On August 14, 2016, the OMA membership voted
to reject the tPSA.
On July 29, 2016, Dr. Goodwin posted a letter
to "Virginia" signed by "Santa" on a physician-only
forum which requires registration and a password to
access and which is accessible to the approximately
13,000 OMA members who practise general or fam-
ily medicine. Dr. Goodwin also emailed the letter
to approximately 20 colleagues in the Executive of
the SGFP and copied it to an editor at the Medical
Post. In addition, Dr. Goodwin forwarded the letter
directly to Dr. Walley's personal email address.
The letter signed by "Santa" was written by Dr.
Goodwin. It read, in part:
Dear Virginia
Thank you for writing me with your existential ques-
tion.....So yes, Virginia, you can have STABILITY…
if you just bend a little further forward and get those
hands firmly on the ground. You can also have PRE-
DICTABILITY, but you'll have to keep letting that
nice Eric have his way with you. And yes, Virginia, it
is ok to vote yes. But it's also ok to vote no.
Yours in perpetuity
Santa
Dr. Goodwin's certificate of registration with the
College expired on May 31, 2018. Dr. Goodwin has
advised the College that he does not intend to renew
his certificate of registration.
ORDER
The Committee ordered: a one-month suspension
of Dr. Goodwin’s certificate of registration; a rep-
rimand; and payment to the College for costs of
$10,180. The College also ordered Dr. Goodwin to
successfully complete the PROBE course in ethics
and professionalism.
For complete details, please see the full decision at
www.cpso.on.ca. Select Find a Doctor and enter the
doctor’s name.
At the conclusion of the hearing, Dr. Goodwin waived
his right to an appeal and the Committee administered
the public reprimand.
DR. PAUL MAXWELL IRWIN
PRACTICE LOCATION: Cornwall
AREA OF PRACTICE: General Surgery
HEARING INFORMATION: Admission; Agreed Statement of
Facts; Joint Submission on Penalty
On May 30, 2018, the Discipline Committee found
that Dr. Irwin committed acts of professional mis-
conduct, in that he failed to maintain the standard of
practice of the profession in his surgical practice. The
Committee also found that Dr. Irwin was incompe-
tent. The findings related to three investigations com-
pleted by the College.
The College commenced the first investigation
based on information it received from the Cornwall
Community Hospital in 2015, based on a review by
the hospital which resulted in a recommendation
from the hospital’s Medical Advisory Committee
that Dr. Irwin undergo a residency-type retraining
program at a Canadian university centre.
The College’s expert opined that Dr. Irwin’s care of
his patients fell below the standard of practice of the
profession in 12 out of 36 charts reviewed and found
“substantial deficits” in Dr. Irwin’s knowledge and
judgment. In particular, the College’s expert noted
the following issues:
• Incomplete medical records, including missing
operative reports, missing discharge summaries or
combined admission notes and discharge summaries;
• U
nacceptable use of slang or colloquial terms in the
medical record;
• Low threshold of operation;
• M
ultiple instances of incidental appendectomies
and oophorectomies, which in one case led to an
appendiceal stump leak that was significant in the
death of a patient;
ISSUE 4, 2018 DIALOGUE
61