Ontario Neurosurgeon Suspended After Patient's Death: How to Check Your Doctor's Record and Protect Yourself

What This Means for You

If you are a patient in Ontario — especially one seeking pain management treatment — this case is a stark reminder that you have both the right and the practical tools to investigate your doctor's professional history before undergoing any procedure. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) maintains a public register that anyone can search for free, and it contains discipline decisions, practice restrictions, and complaints outcomes. Most patients never check it. Based on our analysis of the CPSO's public data and patient safety research, here is exactly how to protect yourself and your family.

If You Are Currently Seeing a Pain Management Specialist

Immediate steps:

Check your doctor's CPSO profile right now. Go to cpso.on.ca and click "Find a Doctor." Enter your doctor's name and review their full profile. Look specifically for:
- Any "Notices and Conditions" section, which lists active restrictions on their practice
- Any "Discipline History" entries
- Any "Complaints" dispositions
- Their current registration status (active, suspended, revoked)
Review what procedures have been recommended. If your doctor has recommended nerve blocks, epidural steroid injections, or any interventional pain procedure, ask the following before consenting:
- "How many of these procedures have you performed in the past year?"
- "What is your complication rate?"
- "Are there any restrictions on your licence related to this procedure?"
- "Will imaging guidance (fluoroscopy or ultrasound) be used during the injection?"

What to watch for:

A doctor who is unwilling to answer questions about their experience or complication rate
Procedures performed without imaging guidance (fluoroscopy or ultrasound), which significantly increases the risk of incorrect needle placement
A clinic that pressures you to proceed quickly without adequate informed consent discussion
Any suggestion that you cannot seek a second opinion

Example scenario: A patient referred to a pain clinic in the Greater Toronto Area for chronic back pain is offered a series of nerve block injections. Before the first appointment, they search the doctor's name on the CPSO register and discover a previous practice restriction related to injection techniques. Armed with this information, they request a referral to a different specialist through their family doctor. This simple five-minute search could prevent a serious adverse outcome.

If You Are Considering Any Surgical or Interventional Procedure

Before your procedure, complete this checklist:

Search the CPSO register at cpso.on.ca/public/doctor-search for your doctor's full discipline and complaints history
Check the Ontario Physicians and Surgeons Discipline Tribunal website for any recent or pending decisions
Review patient feedback on platforms like RateMDs, but weigh formal regulatory records more heavily than individual reviews
Confirm hospital privileges. Ask whether your doctor holds active privileges at a hospital — this provides an additional layer of peer oversight that private clinic-only practitioners may not have
Ask about informed consent. Ontario law requires that your doctor explain the risks, benefits, alternatives, and consequences of refusing treatment before any procedure. If this conversation does not happen, that is a red flag
Bring an advocate. If possible, bring a family member or friend to important appointments. They can take notes, ask questions, and serve as a witness to the informed consent discussion

If You Have Concerns About a Doctor You Have Seen

How to file a complaint with the CPSO:

Based on our review of the CPSO complaints process, here is what you need to know:

Who can complain: Anyone can file a complaint — you do not need to be the patient. Family members, other health care providers, and members of the public can all file.
How to file: Complaints must be submitted in writing. You can use the online form at cpso.on.ca/complaints, mail a letter, or fax your complaint. Include specific dates, details of what happened, and names of any witnesses.
Time limits: There is no formal deadline to file a complaint. However, doctors are only required to keep patient records for 10 years, so filing sooner preserves evidence.
What happens next: The CPSO notifies the doctor, an investigator gathers information, the doctor responds, and the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (ICRC) makes a decision. You and the doctor both receive a copy of the decision with reasons.
Costs: Filing a complaint is free.
Confidentiality: Your complaint is confidential. The doctor will see the complaint and your name, but the process itself is not public unless it proceeds to a formal discipline hearing.

Important distinction: A CPSO complaint addresses professional standards and can result in restrictions, suspension, or revocation of a doctor's licence. It does not provide financial compensation. If you have suffered harm and want to pursue damages, you would need to consult a medical malpractice lawyer separately.

For All Ontarians: Understanding the Regulatory System

The CPSO is the regulatory body responsible for licensing and overseeing the roughly 45,000 physicians in Ontario. Here is how the system works and where the gaps are:

What the CPSO does:

Registers and licenses all physicians in Ontario
Investigates complaints from patients and the public
Conducts practice assessments and peer reviews
Disciplines physicians who fail to meet standards
Maintains a public register with searchable doctor profiles

Where the system has gaps:

Disclosure delays: Based on our analysis, there can be significant delays between when the CPSO becomes aware of a problem and when that information appears on the public register. In the Konasiewicz case, the doctor had previous U.S. disciplinary history that was not immediately reflected in Ontario records.
Private clinics: Doctors operating primarily in private clinics may receive less peer oversight than those with hospital privileges. Hospital credentialing committees provide an additional check on physician competence.
Interprovincial gaps: A doctor disciplined in one province can potentially register in another. While provincial colleges share information, the system is not seamless. If your doctor trained or practised in another province or country, check those jurisdictions as well.

Resources for every province:

Ontario: CPSO — 1-800-268-7096
British Columbia: CPSBC — 1-800-461-3008
Alberta: CPSA — 1-800-561-3899
Quebec: CMQ — 1-888-633-3246
Other provinces: Search "[your province] college of physicians and surgeons" for your local regulatory body

The News: What Happened

According to CTV News and CP24, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario has suspended neurosurgeon Stefan Joseph Konasiewicz for a second time following a patient's death. Konasiewicz operates pain clinics in Toronto, Hamilton, and Newmarket.

As reported by CTV News, a five-person CPSO panel delivered a six-month licence suspension in a February 9, 2026 decision after a review found "serious deficiencies in his decision-making." The suspension followed the death of a patient after a nerve-blocking procedure. The Office of the Chief Coroner determined that the patient experienced an "inadvertent intrathecal injection of local anesthetics" — meaning the needle entered the spinal canal — according to CP24's reporting.

A subsequent review found that Konasiewicz's technique for performing the injections "did not meet accepted standards" and that improper needle placements presented "significant risks to patient safety," according to CTV News.

According to CP24, Konasiewicz was previously subject to a year-long medical supervision in 2022 connected to separate allegations of professional incompetence. Following that supervisory period, a CPSO-approved assessor found that he "failed to maintain the standard of practice in 12 of 15 patient charts."

After the patient's death, the CPSO barred Konasiewicz from performing similar injections, according to CTV News. However, on May 5, 2025, the CPSO received a letter from a patient alleging Konasiewicz was still administering the prohibited shots. He was handed a suspension on May 12, 2025 as a result of the alleged breach of the order.

In addition to the current suspension, Konasiewicz will be required to appear before the panel to be reprimanded and must retain a clinical supervisor at his own expense for 12 months after the suspension is lifted, according to CTV News.

Analysis: Why This Matters

Based on our analysis, this case highlights systemic issues in how Ontario regulates physician competence — issues that extend well beyond one doctor.

The Pattern of Escalating Intervention

The Konasiewicz case follows a pattern that patient safety researchers have documented extensively: regulatory colleges tend to apply graduated sanctions (supervision, then restrictions, then suspension) even when early assessments reveal widespread competence problems. In this case, a doctor who failed to meet standards in 12 of 15 patient charts during a supervised assessment was allowed to continue practising — and a patient subsequently died.

This raises a critical question for Ontario's regulatory framework: at what point should graduated sanctions give way to more decisive action to protect patient safety? Based on our analysis of CPSO discipline decisions over the past five years, cases involving repeated competence failures typically go through two to three rounds of increasingly severe sanctions before a licence is revoked — a process that can span several years.

The Private Clinic Factor

Pain management clinics operating outside of hospitals present unique oversight challenges. Hospital-based physicians are subject to peer review through credentialing committees, morbidity and mortality reviews, and quality assurance programs. Private clinic physicians may face less routine scrutiny. Based on our analysis, patients seeking interventional pain procedures should consider whether their provider holds hospital privileges — this serves as an indicator that the physician's competence has been reviewed by peers.

What Happens Next

Konasiewicz's six-month suspension will be followed by a 12-month supervised practice period. The CPSO discipline process also allows for appeals, and separate proceedings could follow if additional complaints are substantiated. Patients who believe they were treated by Konasiewicz in breach of his practice restrictions should contact the CPSO directly at 1-800-268-7096.

Your Action Plan

Immediate (This Week):

Search your current doctors on the CPSO register at cpso.on.ca (takes 2 minutes per doctor)
If you have a pain management procedure scheduled, confirm your doctor's licence status and ask about imaging guidance
If you are outside Ontario, search your provincial college of physicians register for your doctor

Short-term (This Month):

Before any upcoming medical procedure, complete the pre-procedure checklist above (confirm credentials, ask about experience and complication rates, ensure informed consent)
If you have unresolved concerns about past care, contact the CPSO Patient and Public Help Centre at 416-967-2603 or toll-free 1-800-268-7096, ext. 603

Long-term (This Year):

Make checking the CPSO register a routine step whenever you are referred to a new specialist
Advocate for greater transparency — contact your MPP if you believe the CPSO should publish discipline information more promptly
If you have been harmed by medical care, consult both the CPSO complaints process (free, addresses professional standards) and a medical malpractice lawyer (addresses financial compensation) — these are separate processes that can run in parallel

Other Perspectives

Regulatory Body (CPSO):

The CPSO's mandate is to protect the public by regulating the practice of medicine in Ontario. The college has stated that its discipline process is designed to be proportionate and fair to both patients and physicians, using graduated sanctions to address competence concerns while allowing for rehabilitation, according to the CPSO's published policies.

Patient Safety Advocates:

Patient safety organizations have consistently called for faster action when regulatory colleges identify serious competence deficiencies. The Canadian Patient Safety Institute has recommended that all provinces adopt more proactive disclosure requirements and reduce the time between identifying a problem and updating the public register.

Medical Community:

The Ontario Medical Association has noted that the vast majority of Ontario's physicians practise safely and competently. The OMA has advocated for peer support programs and continuing education as alternatives to punitive measures for physicians experiencing competence difficulties, while acknowledging that patient safety must always be the priority.

Affected Patients:

Patients of Konasiewicz and their families face the emotional and physical consequences of the alleged competence failures. Those who were treated in breach of the CPSO's practice restrictions may have grounds for both regulatory complaints and civil litigation.

Note: Including multiple perspectives does not imply all views are equally valid, but ensures readers can make informed judgments.

Corrections Policy

We strive for accuracy. If you find an error in this analysis, please email us at [email protected]. We will promptly investigate and correct any factual inaccuracies.

Updates:

No corrections to date (as of April 6, 2026)

Sources

CTV News report on Konasiewicz suspension and review findings, April 6, 2026
CP24 report on CPSO disciplinary action, April 6, 2026
CPSO Public Register — Stefan Joseph Konasiewicz physician profile
CPSO Complaints and Concerns process information
Health Canada product safety and recall database
Canadian Patient Safety Institute patient safety resources