Safe, quality patient care in medical clinics
When Albertans visit a medical clinic, they expect high-quality care in a safe space.
CPSA offers guidance to medical clinics on infection prevention, practice improvement, Standards of Practice and more, all aimed at supporting them in delivering safe, quality care to patients.
CPSA creates standards, guidelines and resources for medical clinics to help protect both patients and clinic staff from the risk of infection. We oversee both Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) and Medical Device Reprocessing (MDR) in medical clinics.
Physician responsibility in medical clinics
Physicians are responsible for the direction and function of their medical clinic practices. As part of our commitment to providing continuing competence programs for physicians, we may also recommend that physicians and/or their staff participate in additional training if our assessors find that a clinic’s IPAC or MDR practices need to improve.
Want to learn more? Review CPSA’s Responsibility for a Medical Practice Standard of Practice.
Opening, building or renovating a medical clinic
Opening and managing a medical clinic is complex.
To help, we have prepared a high-level guide to help you get started on the journey to opening the doors of your medical clinic in Alberta, taking into account some of the elements you’ll need to keep in mind as you work towards welcoming your first patient and beyond.
This resource is a useful reference for medical clinics in Alberta that don’t require accreditation and is intended for clinic owners, managers and staff, as well as construction and design teams.
How we support medical clinics and their patients
Medical clinic assessments
CPSA assessors regularly perform on-site clinic reviews to make sure clinics meet best practices in IPAC and MDR. We also work closely with our partners at Alberta Health Services to investigate and resolve IPAC-related public concerns.
Competence assessment rules for physicians
Under our competence program, we identify and work with physicians who may require an assessment, practice changes or improvements through further education.
When a physician undergoes a competence assessment, there are rules that must be followed by both the physician and CPSA.
IPAC Committee
CPSA works with a multi-disciplinary team of provincial IPAC experts and practising physicians to develop our IPAC and MDR standards, review our assessors’ notes from clinic visits and determine whether a clinic receives a CPSA certificate for medical device reprocessing or if the physicians in charge need more training and resources to help them meet our expectations. They direct and advise us on preventing the transmission of infectious disease in medical clinics.
Does your clinic offer personal services?
Did you know medical clinics must notify Alberta Health Services (AHS) prior to offering any new or existing personal services to their patients?
Medical clinic registration
When you join CPSA’s Medical Clinic Registry, you will stay up-to-date on guidance and resources so your clinic can respond to the evolving needs of Albertans.
Your clinic should register with CPSA if at least 1 CPSA-registered physician practises in the location, and:
- Your clinic is not owned or operated by a provincial or federal authority, OR
- Your clinic is applying to CPSA as a sponsor of internationally trained physicians, OR
- Your clinic shares space and resources with a CPSA-accredited facility.
- Do you work in a diagnostic or surgical facility? See our information about facility accreditation.
Once registered, medical clinics will receive confirmation from CPSA.
Join CPSA’s Medical Clinic Registry >
Not sure if you are registered? Use the search tool to search for your clinic by name and/or address. Already registered? Update us on changes to your clinic’s contact information, services or status (such as closing or moving).
Questions or feedback? We'd love to hear from you.
Phone: 780-423-4764
Toll-free: 1-800-561-3899 (in Canada)
Fax: 780-428-2712