Forced to resign: Doctor treated patient who overdosed 'as though he was a nuisance'

A Toronto physician whose actions led to the overdose of a patient he later disparaged in “intemperate and profane language” has agreed to give up his practice permanently and pay $6,000 in hearing costs. Dr. Mory Mayer Gutman, a family doctor who has been subject to previous sanctions by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, admitted to the disciplinary tribunal that he had prescribed the antipsychotic medication Seroquel to a patient without discussing the medication and with no regard to the patient’s history of addiction. According to the tribunal’s decision document, Dr. Gutman had rushed the patient out of his clinic and treated him with indifference, “as though he was a nuisance.” The patient subsequently overdosed on Seroquel and lost consciousness. Read: Doctor found culpable in patient's narcotic addiction ends 50-year career with forced resignation A review of Dr. Gutman’s care and treatment found by a college-appointed expert found he did not maintain adequate records for this patient. According to the discipline document, Dr. Gutman was not aware that Seroquel had a potential risk of misuse and did not realize it might be harmful to a patient with a known history of substance abuse. He should have prescribed smaller doses to prevent an overdose, according to the expert. During the college’s investigation, Dr. Gutman denigrated the patient, who is Black. He also responded with “irrelevant comments” when the college’s investigator encouraged him to consider literature on caring for diverse populations, according to the decision document. Dr. Gutman later apologized to the investigator for his response. A broader review that looked at 15 patient charts revealed that Dr. Gutman “failed to meet the standard of practice and displayed a lack of knowledge, skill and/or judgment in 15 out of 15 charts,” according to the decision document. The expert also found that Dr. Gutman’s clinical practice had the potential to expose his patients to harm or injury.” The findings from this broader review included Dr. Gutman’s frequent omissions in documenting prescribed medications, informed consent, psychotherapy encounters, immunizations and cancer flow sheets to indicate when patients were screened for cancer. Dr. Gutman had also failed to conduct routine colon cancer screening and proactive lung cancer screening for high-risk patients, nor did he complete chronic disease management for his patients, according to the decision document. In April 2021, the college imposed terms on Dr. Gutman’s certificate of registration, requiring him to maintain a log of all prescriptions for antipsychotics and to practice with clinical supervision. Those restrictions remained in place until Dr. Gutman’s voluntary resignation, which was effective Nov. 30. Read: Practice management: Does your staff need diversity training?

Forced to resign: Doctor treated patient who overdosed 'as though he was a nuisance'

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