TURN THAT GRIN UPSIDE DOWN WANT TO MEET GIRLS? STOP SMILING {page 17}
ROCKET MAN IT’S A DREAM COME TRUE FOR GLEE STAR {page 13}
CALGARY
Tuesday, May 31, 2011 www.metronews.ca News worth sharing.
Billing for dead patients gets doctor suspended
Royal. Visit
Investigation came after a third party complained about physician’s borrowing money from patients
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, seen here in a Feb. 25 photo during a visit to the St Andrews Museum in Scotland. ANDREW MILLIGAN/POOL/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE
Stampede city gets regal treat The royal newlyweds will be in Calgary this summer during their tour of Canada — their first international tour since their marriage. According to details provided yesterday, the couple plan to hit the Stampede city July 6–8, in their only stop in the western provinces. See story, page 4.
A Calgary doctor suspended for submitting bills to treat dead people says he was a bad bookkeeper. “That all happened at a time when I was under a great deal of stress,” said Dr. John van Olm, 60, in an interview. “I had just lost my mother and it was a difficult time for me, and my judgment was definitely off base. “There was no consideration that there was any kind of fraudulent behaviour.” The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta, in a news release issued yesterday, announced it had suspended van Olm for a year and a half for unbecoming conduct, effective May 5. However, he may resume his practice after three months, on Aug. 4, provided he takes a course
on proper bookkeeping, submits to random audits and pays the costs of his hearing, which total more than $99,000. “If he meets some criteria after that three months, he will be allowed to return to work,” said Kelly Eby, spokeswoman for the college. In a case that spans five years, van Olm was cited for a number of improper actions, including charging the government for treating patients who were dead. Van Olm said he was doing rounds in lodges and nursing homes, which meant he saw a lot of patients in a day. Some he would see for a few minutes, some he would see for an hour. But rather than do his books daily, he did them at the end of the week and made mistakes working from memory. THE CANADIAN PRESS
Doctor’s tale Patients. The college also penalized Dr. John van Olm for submitting claims that he was seeing a high number of patients. Stress. On 12 occasions he claimed to have seen 149 patients or more on a single shift. He said, again, it was the stress of his family life. Mother. In addition to caring for his ailing mother, he said he was raising two teenage children alone, all while balancing care for patients on 12-hour shifts. Training. Van Olm, born in Holland, trained in Winnipeg and was a practising doctor in Calgary for more than 30 years. He said he hopes to turn the page in August.