Physician Practice Improvement Program (PPIP): where do CPSA’s Standards of Practice fit in?

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Use our new self-directed tools to complete a PPIP activity.

CPSA’s Standards of Practice are the minimum standards of behaviour and conduct expected from physicians and physician assistants in Alberta. While most have a general awareness of the standards, we know many in the profession have trouble relating the standards directly to their practice. This is where we can help!

Developed by CPSA’s Physician Practice Improvement Program (PPIP) team, our new Standards of Practice Metrics tools highlight components from several standards and allow physicians to assess their practice at their own pace to ensure alignment with the standards and identify knowledge gaps and opportunities for improvement.

Where should you begin?

We have tools available for both primary care and referral encounters. Start by choosing the one that best reflects your practice, then randomly select 10 records that represent a typical patient in your practice and complete a record review and self-reflection activity. This may take two-to-three hours depending on how involved your records are, but can be done in increments of time if needed. After you complete and submit your activities online, you will receive PDFs of your results by email. Your results are confidential and will not be reviewed by CPSA.

Not only will this process help physicians improve their practice for the benefit of their patients, completing these steps also qualifies as a PPIP quality improvement activity.

What’s next?

Once you complete the record review and self-reflection activities, you will be prompted to create an action plan where you can document how you’ll implement changes and evaluate your success. It is then up to you to implement your action plan and make positive and lasting changes to your practice.

On your next Renewal Information Form (RIF), make sure to report that you have completed a quality improvement activity using the standards of practice within the last 12 months. You do not need to share your action plan or improvement results with CPSA, but please hold on to records of your activity in case you’re asked to verify your work in the future.

Questions? Find out more and access our Standards of Practice Metrics tools on our website, or email PPIP@cpsa.ab.ca with any questions. We’re always happy to lend a hand in your practice improvement journey!