Annual renewal reminder: health reporting and professional responsibility

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Annual renewal season is underway! As part of the renewal process, regulated members are required to answer many questions on their renewal information form (RIF), including one that is health related:

“Do you presently have a physical, cognitive, or mental and/or emotional condition that is negatively impacting your work, or is reasonably likely to negatively impact your work in the future?”

This question is an important one, as it helps CPSA ensure physicians are fit to practise safely and that patients remain protected, fulfilling our mandate under the Health Professions Act.

Answering “yes”

If you answer “yes” to the health question, CPSA’s Health & Practice Conditions Monitoring (HPCM) team will contact you to discuss next steps.

At no point will you be required to provide CPSA with personal details about your health. HPCM uses a confidential, standardized and collaborative process to assess any fitness-to-practise concerns and works with you to ensure fairness and transparency. This allows CPSA to support both safe medical practice and physician well-being.

Learn more about the program and our processes on our website.

Your ongoing duty to report

Outside of annual renewal, regulated members have an ongoing responsibility to inform CPSA if they:

• Have a health condition that is negatively impacting their medical practice.
• Have a condition that could reasonably be expected to affect their practice in the future.
• Have reason to believe a colleague may have a condition that could impact patient care.

These expectations are outlined in CPSA’s Standards of Practice:

• Duty to Report Self
• Duty to Report a Colleague

Support and resources

Confidential support, advice, counselling and professional guidance are available to help you navigate this process. Contact these organizations as needed:

• The Alberta Medical Association’s Physician and Family Support Program
• The Canadian Medical Protective Association

Questions about reporting a health condition to HPCM? Email us at physician.health@cpsa.ab.ca. And don’t forget to complete your RIF and submit your annual renewal by Dec. 31!