Vancouver massage therapist suspended for submitting false insurance claims

The BC College of Massage Therapists has issued a 10-day suspension notice to Bethany Niedjalski, a Vancouver-based registered Massage Therapist.

The undertaking and consent agreement relate to a patient’s complaint on August 11, 2021, and two investigations initiated by the Inquiry Committee. Niedjalski admitted to submitting claims to Pacific Blue Cross for massage therapy services that she did not perform and failing to create complete treatment records for some of her patients.

“Between December 1, 2019, to December 15, 2022, Ms. Niedjalski made a number of claims to Pacific Blue Cross for massage therapy services that she did not perform. In other instances, Ms. Niedjalski submitted claims to Pacific Blue Cross before a patient’s appointment time,” the college noted in its ruling.

The college said in its ruling that between December 1, 2019, and December 15, 2022, Niedjalski also failed to create treatment records for at least seven patients and created incomplete treatment records for at least 22 patients.

Additionally, she did not hold professional liability insurance coverage and made a false declaration when renewing her registration with the College. Specifically, Niedjalski answered “Yes” to the question, “I am not aware of any breach by me and my professional or ethical obligations as an RMT, including any breach of the CMTBC Bylaws.” This was false because Ms. Niedjalski did not hold professional liability insurance then.

Niedjalski has agreed to undertake remedial education on ethics and boundaries and random audits of her practice of massage therapy for two years.