Medical Matters: what’s new in Accreditation

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From the province’s four-pillar restructuring, to legislation enabling dual practice in public and private facilities, to direct-to-consumer diagnostic testing, change is happening quickly across Alberta’s healthcare system. These changes are reshaping how care is delivered to patients and to keep pace, CPSA’s Accreditation department is readily evolving and changing in turn.

Since 1968, CPSA has accredited medical facilities in Alberta under its mandate in Schedule 21 of the Health Professions Act (HPA). CPSA accredits a wide range of services, including diagnostic laboratory and imaging, non-hospital surgical facilities, cardiac stress testing, pulmonary function, sleep medicine diagnostics and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Accreditation is supported by a comprehensive standards program and focuses on quality improvement, learning and ultimately, patient and staff safety.

The Accreditation team’s work ensures safe, high-quality care for Albertans receiving prescribed health services that must be performed in an accredited facility or hospital setting, as defined by CPSA Bylaws. As of January 2026, nearly 1,000 facilities have been accredited province-wide.

The Accreditation department is a growing team of 18 professionals who work closely with facility staff, medical directors and contracted assessors. Facilities are accredited every four years, with additional assessments required for new or renovated facilities, new procedures or added service volumes.

Accreditation committee restructuring and standards review

The Medical Facility Accreditation Committee (MFAC) is a statutory committee (meaning it’s a required committee under the HPA), responsible for granting or renewing facility accreditation. MFAC also makes recommendations to CPSA Council regarding the prescribed health services list and accreditation standards. Advisory committees for each facility program area (e.g., diagnostic imaging, laboratory medicine, etc.) provide advice to MFAC regarding decisions related to their specialty. In 2026, to better support MFAC’s decision making, we will transition from advisory committees to an expert panel roster. The new panel model ensures the right expertise is provided at the right time, decisions can be made efficiently, and any real or perceived conflicts of interest are more rigorously addressed.

Over the next six months, CPSA will begin a comprehensive review of all our accreditation standards to improve accessibility, measurability and usability. This work will include enhancements to the training of medical directors, assessors and staff. Should you wish to be involved in our expert panel or join our standards stakeholder consultation, stay tuned for more details in upcoming editions of The Messenger, or email accreditation@cpsa.ab.ca for more information.

Digital transformation and recruitment

Over the next two years, the accreditation process will undergo a move from a paper-based system to an end-to-end digital platform. This will streamline procedures and improve communication with facilities throughout the accreditation process. Additionally, a new “Find an Accredited Facility” search tool will launch on CPSA’s website later this year, making it easier for Albertans and referring physicians to find the facility nearest them.

Lastly, our department is currently recruiting for several key roles, including a new Senior Medical Advisor, Accreditation. Visit CPSA’s website to learn more about this role and other exciting career opportunities—we would love to hear from you.

Dr. Neelam Mahil graduated from medical school and completed her psychiatry residency at the University of Alberta. She worked as a psychiatrist for 20 years in both hospital and community settings. Since 2016, she has worked as a Senior Medical Advisor for CPSA’s Physician Health Monitoring Program and Professional Conduct team, and completed two terms on the Hearing Tribunal and Complaint Review Committees. She joined Accreditation as the Assistant Registrar on Nov. 1, 2025.