Physician with 'great bedside manner' sentenced to four years in prison

An Alberta physician who perpetrated what the prosecutor described as the largest billing fraud by a doctor in the province’s history has been sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to pay back close to $830,000. Dr. Yifei Shi, who practised family medicine in Edmonton, was escorted out of the courtroom by sheriffs on November 17 while family members and former patients looked on. She had been charged in April 2021 with one count each of fraud over $5.000 and theft over $5,000. She pleaded guilty to the fraud charge, according to a CBC News report. While her online registration listing with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta shows no discipline action or upcoming hearings, a letter from the college’s lawyer entered as an exhibit during the sentencing stated that a criminal conviction would likely lead to the college seeking permanent revocation of Dr. Shi’s licence. Even if she convinced the college’s hearing panel to let her keep licence, she will likely “be subject to a lengthy period of suspension,” the letter added. A communications spokesperson with the CPSA explained in an email to the Medical Post that, in general, a complaint is opened when a physician is involved in a criminal matter. "Following the criminal proceedings, the matter would then be investigated and managed in accordance with our usual complaints process under the Health Professions Act," the email stated. While the presiding judge accepted the prosecutor's submission that Dr. Shi's crime was the largest doctor billing fraud ever committed in Alberta, there was a civil suited filed in April 2022 by Alberta Health Services alleging Edmonton-based Dr. Vincenzo Visconti had inappropriately billed the province to the tune of $4,938,046.63. Read: $5 million in fraudulent billing: Alberta Health wants doctor to pay it all back According to an agreed statement of facts entered into court, in 2016 Dr. Shi billed Alberta Health $827,077 for psychiatric counselling and treatment that she never provided. These fraudulent invoices accounted for almost 60% of the $1,388,862 that she sent the province that year. "She would bill for psychiatric counselling on almost every patient she saw," the court document states. "She did not provide psychiatric treatment to her patients in the amounts that she claimed to Alberta Health." Court of King's Bench Justice Paul Belzil agreed that Dr. Shi had shown remorse by continuing to practise medicine after she was charged, even though all the money claimed through her billings–a total of $582,000–were held in escrow by Alberta Health. "In the face of criminal charges, she continued to work, knowing that money would be held," her lawyer, Kent Teskey, told the court. "She's been serving her patients. They appreciate the fact that she continued to practise." But Crown prosecutor Megan Rosborough, who had asked for a five-year prison sentence, portrayed Dr. Shi as a person motivated by greed. She pointed out that at the time she committed fraud, she had a happy family and a dream job with a high earning potential. Read: Licence stripped from doctor who falsely logged mental instability in patient's medical file after she ended their affair "She committed fraud on a daily basis, often multiple times a day, over the course of a year–the only reason she did it was greed,” said Rosborough. "We trust doctors with our lives. We should be able to trust them with our money." Victim impact statements presented in court showed a varying range of emotions among Dr. Shi’s patients. One talked about how she “made me feel safe, care for. When I received the news she is pleading guilty and closing her practice, I cried. I am beyond saddened to lose her." Another patient–who described Dr. Shi as “a kind, compassionate doctor with great beside manner”–said she felt “great concern and anxiety” over what had been written in her chart and billed in her name. Other patients said they felt betrayed by Dr. Shi. One wrote that felt “completely violated and vulnerable” while another asked “how does a doctor intentionally hurt someone?” Read: Alberta physicians learn where their college fees go

Physician with 'great bedside manner' sentenced to four years in prison

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