IT HAPPENS EVERYWHERE

February 22, 2012 (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) — Two cardiologists from Montreal are facing a disciplinary hearing after having been accused of taking bribes from patients to jump the queue for publicly funded healthcare services [1].

After a 14-month investigation into the matter, the Quebec College of Physicians has announced that it has gathered enough evidence to bring Dr Mark Jeffery Eisenberg and Dr Andre Pasternac before its disciplinary committee. A date for the hearing has not yet been announced.

Eisenberg is a tenured professor of medicine at McGill University and a cardiologist at the Jewish General Hospital, and Pasternac practices at the Westmount Square Medical Centre, all in Montreal.

The college started the investigation after the Montreal Gazette ran articles reporting that patients regularly gave cash to doctors for preferential treatment. The newspaper says: "Patients confessed to slipping $100 bills under the pillow before going into the operating room and making up to $10 000 in under-the-table payments at doctors' offices. . . . Some complained of surgeons demanding nearly $1000 for 'administrative fees' while simultaneously billing the health insurance board." It says that doctors and patients called the practice "an open secret."

College president Dr Charles Bernard said: "As long as we continue hearing rumors that this is current, we will not close the file. . . . There are lots of allegations, and we will continue to look at this very closely."

In an interview with the Gazette, Pasternac claimed that a patient who is a convicted murderer and whom he describes as "extremely demanding" gave him "a significant check" and then demanded cardiology treatments, including an angioplasty, which Pasternac had refused to do because they were not medically necessary. Pasternac said the patient then sent a threatening email saying "I gave you money. You owe me." Pasternac added that he had never solicited or accepted bribes in his entire career. He said that he didn't return the money, fearing reprisals, and that his biggest regret was having accepted the man as his patient.

Eisenberg could not be reached for comment.