Sing Man

Pursuant to Section 36(1) of the Health Professions Act, the Inquiry Committee has reached a Consent Agreement with Sing Man Tam (the “Registrant”), effective October 8, 2020, where the Registrant consented to:

  1. To not act as pharmacy manager until he successfully completes the College’s Jurisprudence Exam.

The Inquiry Committee considered the terms of the Consent Agreement necessary to protect the public.

May 27, 2019
(October 8, 2020 - Limits and Conditions Updated)

  1. Nature of Action: The Inquiry Committee of the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia (the “College”) conducted an investigation into the practice of Sing Man Tam (the “Registrant”), pursuant to section 33(4) of the Health Professions Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 183. The Inquiry Committee and the Registrant have agreed to resolve all matters arising from the investigation by way of a Consent Agreement under section 36(1) of the Health Professions Act.

  2. Effective date: May 27, 2019

  3. Name of registrant: Sing Man Tam​

  4. Admissions and Acknowledgements:

    On October 13, 2015, the College received correspondence from the BC Ministry of Health regarding potential pharmacy practice concerns at the Pharmacy, arising from a PharmaCare Audit of the Pharmacy that covered the time period between September 1, 2012 and August 31, 2014 (the “Audit Period”).  Further to the College’s investigation of those practice concerns, the Registrant acknowledged

    1. prescriptions were missing date or quantity to dispense,

    2. prescriptions were filled under the incorrect prescriber,
       

    3. a prescription was dispensed for the wrong dose,

    4. prescriptions were written by the prescriber as daily witness ingestion but were processed under the Drug Identification Number (“DIN”) for methadone given without direct interaction
       

    5. a prescription was written by the physician for daily witness ingestion but was processed under the DIN for delivery of methadone, without authorization,

    6. medication reviews were submitted to PharmaNet that did not have any supporting documentation,

    7. prescriptions for Hepatitis C medications were not submitted to PharmaNet on the day of claimed dispense,
       

    8. prescriptions were written by the physician as daily dispense, but were filled and submitted to PharmaNet as a 7 days’ supply, with no documentation of a prescriber’s authorization to do so,

    9. a prescription was filled as a verbal authorization with incomplete documentation,

    10. a methadone prescription was billed on a day marked as “missed” on the ingestion logs,

    11. a prescription adaptation was conducted without adequate documentation,

    12. a methadone prescription did not have a part fill accountability log, and

    13. a methadone prescription was provided as delivery without prescriber authorization.

  5. Disposition:

    The Registrant entered into a Consent Agreement with the College’s Inquiry Committee, wherein the Registrant consented to the following terms:

    1. having a Letter of Reprimand placed permanently on his registration record;

    2. payment of a fine in the amount of $10,000;
       

    3. an undertaking to:

       

      1. not repeat the conduct to which this matter relates,
         
      2. thoroughly review and read legislation, standards and policies relevant to the conduct to which this matter relates, and thereafter submit a Declaration of Understanding regarding the legislation, standards and policies reviewed and read,
         
      3. complete the BC Pharmacy Manager Training Course as well as coursework relating to opioid agonist therapy,
         
      4. successfully complete the College’s Jurisprudence Exam,
         
      5. at all times prior to completing the BC Pharmacy Manager Training Course and successfully completing the College’s Jurisprudence Exam only provide the services of a pharmacist when a least one other full pharmacist registrant is present with him in the pharmacy, and
         
      6. at all times after delivering the Declaration of Understanding, completing the BC Pharmacy Manager Training Course and coursework relating to methadone maintenance treatment, and successfully completing the College’s Jurisprudence Exam, be knowledgeable of and abide by all legislation and policy governing the practice of pharmacy.

  6. Rationale:

    The Inquiry Committee considered that in this case, the cumulative weight of the practice deficiencies demonstrated inadequate diligence and oversight in the Registrant’s practice, noting that many of the substantiated practice deficiencies were substantive, and not simply administrative. Accurate record keeping and documentation are fundamental to providing safe pharmaceutical care. Therefore, the Committee considered the Registrant’s conduct to be serious, and that the Registrant required both remediation and deterrence in order to come into compliance. The Inquiry Committee considered the terms of the Consent Agreement necessary to protect the public, as well as send a clear message of deterrence to the profession.

Last Name: 
Tam
Date of Dispositions: 
Wednesday, October 28, 2020