B.C. massage therapist disciplined for submitting 97 false insurance claims

FILE: A massage table is seen in an undated image from Shutterstock.

A registered massage therapist in B.C. has been disciplined for submitting dozens of false insurance claims, according to the professional regulator.

Vicky Bhardwaj, who is from Kelowna, entered into a consent agreement with the College of Complimentary Health Professionals of B.C., admitting to the misconduct and accepting the consequence, including a three-month suspension.

An investigation into the alleged misconduct began in 2022, following a complaint from a patient, according to the agreement. However, the fraudulent billing had been discovered by the insurance provider before the complaint was made.

“Ms. Bhardwaj admitted to submitting to an insurance provider 97 fraudulent massage therapy claims for treatments related to 10 patients that were not provided as claimed by Ms. Bhardwaj,” the agreement said.

“The insurance provider completed an investigation of Ms. Bhardwaj’s claims and concluded that the claims were false and that Ms. Bhardwaj had engaged in deliberate misconduct.”

The college’s code of ethics required Bhardwaj to report findings the insurance company’s investigation, but the agreement said that did not happen.

Once the college began its investigation, Bhardwaj did not admit to the full extent of the misconduct, according to the agreement. She “falsely denied” some of the allegations, including that she submitted claims for treatments that happened when she was out of the country, the document said.

“Ms. Bhardwaj’s misconduct represents a fundamental breach of trust between a health-care professional and the public. Fraudulent billing is unethical and can lead to the misuse of public or private resources intended for patient care,” the agreement said.

“This conduct has the potential to harm both individual patients and the reputation of the profession as a whole.”

In addition to the suspension, Bhardwaj agreed to co-operate with random audits of her practise for one year, to complete courses on ethics, and to pay $350 to the college as compensation for some of its investigative costs.