Dr. Karim Lalani is registered with the College of Dental Surgeons of BC as a general dentist.
Following an investigation by CDSBC, the Inquiry Committee directed that a citation (notice of hearing) be issued against Dr. Lalani. A discipline hearing in Vancouver had been scheduled for March 12 to 29, 2018. The discipline hearing was cancelled when Dr. Lalani made admissions and proposed a resolution under s.37.1 of the Health Professions Act.
Admissions
Dr. Lalani has admitted to professional misconduct with respect to a number of patients in that:
- He provided treatment that was unnecessary and/or inappropriate and/or not supported by a diagnosis.
- He provided treatment that fell below the College’s expected standard.
- He failed to provide patients with all reasonable treatment options, including comprehensive estimates of the proposed treatment plans.
- He failed to maintain adequate records in accordance with the College’s expected standard for recordkeeping.
- He submitted insurance claims for treatment when such treatment was unnecessary, not indicated, and/or where the documented treatment did not meet the criteria for payment.
Resolution
A panel of the Inquiry Committee received and considered Dr. Lalani’s proposal and orders that:
- Dr. Lalani is reprimanded.
- Dr. Lalani is suspended for a period of six months (April 1 to September 30, 2018), during which time he is prohibited from receiving payment in any practice he may own, and will not be involved in any aspect of patient care.
- Dr. Lalani pay a fine of $25,000.
- Dr. Lalani pay $5,000 towards the costs of the investigation.
- Dr. Lalani complete an education program at his own expense to enhance his recordkeeping, informed consent protocols, billing practices, prosthodontic treatment, periodontal diagnosis and treatment planning and periodontal treatment, which includes:
- Successful completion of a professional problem-based ethics course
- Completion of CDSBC’s Dental Recordkeeping and More Tough Topics courses
- A mentorship with a CDSBC-approved periodontal and prosthodontic specialist, to include 10 days of mentoring
- Dr. Lalani will enter into a two-year period of monitoring following successful completion of the educational component of the agreement, including patient chart reviews.
This is a summary of the consent order approved by the Inquiry Committee on February 27, 2018. Full details are available in the consent order (PDF), which attaches the consent order proposal, and the educational and mentoring agreements.