Tribunal disqualifies a former dentist from applying for registration for five years

29 Dec 2020

A former dentist convicted of fraud has been reprimanded by a tribunal and disqualified from applying for registration for five years.

In December 2016, Dr Priya Bishop was convicted in the District Court of fraud and attempted fraud and sentenced to six years imprisonment. She was released on parole in June 2019.

Dr Bishop was paid approximately $169,480 by a health insurer after making 1,915 claims for dental procedures between June and December 2011 that she had not  provided.

The fraudulent conduct involved Dr Bishop maintaining false, misleading and inaccurate medical records, recording procedures or tests that had not been performed, and obtaining and signing consent forms for procedures and tests that did not occur.

The Dental Board of Australia referred Dr Bishop to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (the Tribunal) in December 2019 for engaging in professional misconduct.

At the hearing, both parties had reached agreement on the facts, findings and determinations sought from the Tribunal.

The Tribunal found that Dr Bishop engaged in professional misconduct and ordered that she be:

• Reprimanded; and
• disqualified from applying for registration as a registered health practitioner for five years.

Dr Bishop surrendered her registration in January 2017 and remains unregistered.

The Tribunal’s decision appears on the AustLII website.