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2020 annual renewal: are you ready?
Physician feedback informs latest iteration of MD Snapshot-Practice Checkup
Voting in the CPSA Council election closes next week
Email: your conduit to communication from CPSA
Trained chaperones-an asset to your healthcare team!
Standards of Practice Consultation-what we do
CPSA Regional Tour is coming to High Prairie and High Level Nov. 4!
The evolution of quality improvement in health care
2020 annual renewal: are you ready?
On Nov. 1, watch your inbox for your first renewal notice. You have until Dec. 31 to renew your:
- Practice permit. Includes completing the Renewal Information Form (RIF) and paying annual fees.
- Professional Corporation permit (if applicable). Includes completing the Professional Corporation Information Form (PCIF) and paying annual fees.
If you belong to a Professional Corporation (PC) with multiple shareholders, only the designated physician will see the PC renewal information. Once completed, we will post the PC permit and receipt for ALL shareholders via the physician portal.
How to get ready before Nov. 1:
- Ensure we have the best email to reach you-one that is unique to you and checked regularly. Shared emails are not accepted. Update your email address via the physician portal.
- Consider our Pre-Authorized Payment (PAP) option. Enrol by Nov. 21, 2019.
- See more tips to help you renew on time and avoid a late payment penalty.
Questions? Email annualbilling@cpsa.ab.ca.
Physician feedback informs latest iteration of MD Snapshot-Practice Checkup
2019 report coming soon!
Once per year, MD Snapshot-Practice Checkup is sent to all active physicians in Alberta. Practice Checkup is an educational report that assesses current evidence regarding various risks and supports to physician performance. Your individualized report is designed to stimulate self-reflection.
This year, Practice Checkup will be delivered solely via the Physician Portal. Expect to receive a notification in the next month that your report has been uploaded. We hope you take this opportunity to engage in quality improvement unique to your practice.
Based on feedback from over 1,200 physicians, more than 1,300 comments were analyzed to identify ways that Practice Checkup could be more meaningful and useful to you.
Here are some findings based on the 2018 feedback survey:
| Recommendations | Changes |
|---|---|
| Clarify purpose of the report | The report was edited for consistency and clarity. Limitations of the report are highlighted more clearly. |
| Clarify how to get CME credits | A step-by-step guide outlining how to collect credits is included in the report. |
| Include additional factors | One new factor was added and two previous factors were revised.
|
| Include graphs and images | We incorporated figures into the report to highlight additional context for various risk and protective factors. |
| Consult and follow-up | As illustrated by the changes in the 2018 and 2019 report, your feedback matters and we will continue to engage in quality improvement to allow for iterative changes to the report. |
Have questions? Contact our Research and Evaluation Unit at REVU.Inquiries@cpsa.ab.ca.
Voting in the CPSA Council election closes next week
Cast your vote by Friday, Oct. 18
This year, we have 24 diverse nominees running for four open seats on CPSA Council, each offering a unique set of skills and experience. Review their profiles and vote today!
Why vote in the election?
Physicians in Alberta are entrusted with profession-led regulation, which comes with a responsibility to ensure good governance. This includes electing a Council that is representative of all physicians and will provide strong leadership in guiding the medical profession in the best interest of Albertans.
Who can vote in the election?
To vote in the election, a physician must meet the following criteria as per CPSA’s bylaws:
“A regulated member on the General Register, the Provisional Register or the Limited Practice Register, (whether a physician, surgeon, osteopath or physician assistant), who is in good standing, may vote in an election.
A regulated member of the College shall be in good standing only if:
a) no fees, costs, fines, assessments, levies, or any other sums are owing by the member to the College;
b) the member has a valid and current practice permit that is not currently suspended; and
c) the member is in compliance with all orders or directions made pursuant to the Act.”
Ballots have been emailed to all eligible physicians, and voting will remain open until Friday, Oct. 18 at 4:15 p.m.
If you did not receive your ballot, or if you have any other questions, please contact elections@cpsa.ab.ca.
Email: your conduit to communication from CPSA
Have you checked your inbox lately?
Every year during annual renewal, all physicians are asked to provide CPSA with a current email address. This email address serves a variety of purposes, such as sharing the latest news via Messenger and encouraging physicians to get involved at CPSA through many different opportunities, like our Standards of Practice consultations, or running and voting in the Council Election.
In addition to receiving day-to-day communications from CPSA, this email address also serves a more crucial purpose: it is how we notify physicians that important, confidential notices await review in the Physician Portal. The Physician Portal is a secure way for us to store and share information with physicians. It is also how physicians complete their annual renewal and access important, but sensitive, educational resources, such as procedures for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID).
It is very important that all physicians action any email notifications to log into the Physician Portal. Failing to do so is particularly problematic when it comes to physician complaints. During the complaint process, a physician must respond to a letter of inquiry (the opening of a complaint) and other requests for information during an investigation. Otherwise, there can be significant delays in managing complaints (to the detriment of all concerned) and physicians may find themselves receiving an additional complaint for “non-response” to CPSA.
We encourage all physicians to make sure the email address we have is current and checked regularly (preferably daily, but at least twice a week). Being on top of communications from CPSA is a requirement, even when a physician is absent from practice for a holiday or professional development. If you need help ensuring your inbox receives our emails, please review our helpful list of quick and easy tips below.
We thank you for your cooperation.
Questions? Contact info@cpsa.ab.ca.
Use these easy tips to keep connected with CPSA:
- Mark common CPSA email addresses (which usually end in “@cpsa.ab.ca”) as safe senders, including info@cpsa.ab.ca, physician.inquiries@cpsa.ab.ca and no-reply@cpsa.ca.
- Make sure CPSA has your most current email address by visiting your Physician Portal.
- Use an email address that only you can access, to avoid the accidental deletion of important emails.
- Check your junk or spam folder regularly for any CPSA emails that may have been incorrectly filtered.
Trained chaperones-an asset to your healthcare team!
One-day chaperone training workshops are now available!
Designed for Medical Office Assistants, LPNs, RNs and PCAs, MacEwan University is offering one-day, interactive workshops to facilitate more positive and successful patient-physician interactions. Participants will learn how to provide chaperone support to patients and physicians, what constitutes a proper versus improper intimate examination and how to observe and document interactions correctly.
Workshop dates are:
- Oct. 18, 2019;
- Feb. 28, 2020; and
- May 29, 2020.
CPSA Regional Tour is coming to High Prairie and High Level Nov. 4!
Let’s discuss health care delivery in your region
Regional Tour is a productive platform for physicians working in High Level, High Prairie and surrounding areas to meet directly with members of CPSA’s leadership team-including CPSA Registrar Dr. Scott McLeod and CPSA Council President Dr. John Bradley-to share experiences and challenges with front-line care in their communities.
With no pre-determined agenda or topics, this dynamic discussion will be driven by physicians and the issues they want to talk about.
We’re here to listen-join us and be heard.
Questions? Please contact Nicole.Bertram@cpsa.ab.ca.
High Prairie luncheon
Date: Monday, Nov. 4
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Location: High Prairie Health Complex
Cost: Free
Please RSVP before Oct. 28
High Level dinner
Date: Monday, Nov. 4
Time: 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Location: Best Western Plus Mirage
Cost: Free
Please RSVP before Oct. 21
Additional meeting times are available. Please click above RSVP links to learn more.
Discipline report
Dr. Mancho Ng found guilty of unprofessional conduct
Edmonton Anesthesiologist Dr. Mancho Ng has been found guilty of unprofessional conduct by a Hearing Tribunal.
Background
Dr. Ng submitted a document to the General Medical Council (GMC) of the United Kingdom purporting to be a Certificate of Professional Conduct issued by the CPSA and dated Aug. 30, 2017. The document was fabricated using a Certificate of Professional Conduct previously issued by CPSA on Aug. 30, 2016. The GMC identified the incongruent documents and provided them to CPSA, who subsequently opened a complaint into Dr. Ng’s conduct. Upon notification of the complaint, Dr. Ng immediately acknowledged both the inappropriateness of his actions and the reputational impact of his dishonesty on the medical profession and CPSA.
The CPSA Hearing Tribunal ordered the following sanctions:
- Ng shall receive a three-month suspension of his practice permit, of which one month shall be served starting on the date acceptable to the Complaints Director, and the remaining two months held in abeyance pending fulfillment of the further terms and conditions imposed by the Hearing Tribunal and Dr. Ng maintaining good conduct for a period of 12 months following the date of the decision of the Hearing Tribunal.
- Ng shall, at his own cost, successfully complete an ethics course as determined by the Complaints Director no later than March 31, 2020.
- Ng shall be responsible for the costs of the investigation and the hearing (totalling $11,025.90), on payment terms acceptable to the Complaints Director or as determined by the Hearing Tribunal. Dr. Ng has paid his costs in full.
- The Complaints Director, on notice to Dr. Ng, may apply to “[a]” Hearing Tribunal to have all or a portion of the remaining period of suspension imposed if Dr. Ng has failed to fulfill the terms and conditions imposed by the Hearing Tribunal.
Commentary
The Hearing Tribunal noted that the conduct engaged in by Dr. Ng represents a serious breach of his ethical obligations as a physician. The CPSA Code of Conduct provides specific expectations for a physician’s accountability. As page two states: “As a physician, I will: (b) Maintain high standards of personal and professional honesty and integrity. (c) Take responsibility for my own behavior and ethical conduct regardless of the circumstances.”
Dr. Ng did not follow either of these two specific expectations. To maintain trust in the medical profession, physicians need to be honest and act with integrity in all aspects of their professional life. This includes the issuance of documentation that others may use as the basis for decision-making (whether clinical, regulatory or otherwise).
Comments for this post are now closed. If you would like to share your feedback on this topic, please email support@cpsa.ca.