Dr. Biagio Innantuono, a general surgeon in Bracebridge, has had his licence suspended until February 2025 for inappropriately directing a hospital female ultrasound technologist to perform exams on his genital area.
Dr. Innantuono was disciplined by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario for an incident that took place in January 2022, in which he “took advantage of his position at a hospital to arrange for a female ultrasound technician (Ms. X) to perform an intimate procedure on him in an inappropriate manner. At his request, Ms. X carried out a testicular exam. Ignoring her directions on appropriate draping and physical contact, Dr. Iannantuono effectively forced her to view and touch his penis several times. Ms. X felt intimidated and was unable to stop his inappropriate behaviour. The incident left her shaken and upset at the time, and it had long-term harmful impacts on her,” reads the overview and findings of the College’s Discipline Tribunal.
Not the first time
The 2022 incident was not the first time Dr. Innantuono was disciplined for similar behaviour.
In 2009, the College found that Dr. Innantuono in an incident in 2008 engaged in “disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional conduct” in a case involving an office nurse who would conduct post-operative examinations on patients following surgery. “Dr. Iannantuono spoke to Ms. X about her scrotal examinations and offered to assist her in learning proper examination techniques by doing a scrotal examination on him. Ms. X rejected the idea and was clearly uncomfortable with it. Dr. Iannantuono told Ms. X that no one needed to know about the incident. Previous to this incident, Ms. Y, another nurse employed by Dr. Iannantuono prior to Ms. X, had performed a practice scrotal examination on Dr. Iannantuono,” according to the College.
The College suspended his certificate of registration for one month and he was ordered to pay costs to the College in the amount of $3,650.
MAHC appointed him Interim Chief of Staff in 2017
Despite the incident in 2008, in 2017 Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare appointed Dr. Innantuono as interim Chief of Staff while they searched for someone to fill the Chief of Staff position on a permanent basis. The appointment was controversial, but at the time the Chair of the MAHC Board, Evely Brown, said the Board stood by its decision.
Brown called the 2008 incident a serious breach, she talked about the merits of rehabilitation and a fresh start and noted that the incident had taken place almost 10 years prior to the appointment. She also said that following Dr. Iannantuono’s reprimand by the College, there were no further orders made such as monitoring, further accreditation, or professional upgrades required.
“Dr. Iannantuono himself certainly was remorseful and totally misguided and along with the one-month suspension the college indicated that their decision met the goals of the protection of the public and patients and maintaining public confidence in the medical association,” said Brown at the time. She also said that each year physicians are required to renew their accreditation in order to have privileges in the hospital. “And when they do that, they are peer-reviewed and if there is anyone among them that they feel is incompetent or lacking in moral judgment or in any way detrimental, that comes out and they then may not have privilege in this hospital. So if we review the last eight, nine years, Dr. Iannantuono has gone through that each and every year with absolutely no comment, no resistance or no negativeness around his practice as a surgeon or as a fellow doctor among his colleagues who have privilege.”
2022 incident leads to an 18-month licence suspension
The College’s Discipline Tribunal noted that the 2022 incident was the second that had been brought to the College’s attention and handed down an 18-month suspension and ordered that he undergo:
• individualized instruction in professionalism and ethics;
• therapy with a mental health professional approved by the College;
• continuous observation by an approved practice monitor who must enter into a prescribed undertaking to the College and will submit monthly logs in a prescribed form of the member’s encounters with patients;
• a prescribed posting and other notifications to ensure that all his patients know about the practice monitor requirement; and
• monitoring of the member’s compliance with the order.
He was also ordered to pay $6,000 in costs to the College.
On March 25, 2022, Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare notified the College that Dr. Iannantuono had resigned from his hospital privileges as of March 21, 2022.
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Hugh Jan says
Why was he not criminally charged? Why was the public subjected to this risk? Because he is a doctor?
Frank Faxe says
I thought they had made him “Chief of Stiff.”
Josh Jones says
He didn’t get a ‘Stiff’ penalty. The prosecution service should have had the balls to give him a bigger ‘length’ of term.
Kim Goebel says
He should have been criminally charged! She deserves compensation too! This is so unacceptable and he is getting a slap on the wrist by the college and the hospital!! He should be charged, fired AND lose his license permanently.
Michael Nordquist says
Why was he made Chief of Surgery by Bracebridge Administration knowing he already had a history of this? Also the comments supporting him made by 2 individuals is also disgusting.
This was not reported to the police and was just tried to be covered up by the Administration. He should have been charged and placed on the sex offenders list and considering this is his second time that we know of , should have lost his license indefinitely
Ken Johnson says
Sentance not stiff enough, he should be struck off permanently, and disgraced in the medical profession.
I assume he has preyed on patients too, he should be on a sex offenders register, and neighbors of where he lives informed.
Kick him out.
Based Matty says
This is why I never “trust the experts” LOL
Alot of them are straight creeps.