Reporting a health condition to CPSA

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What regulated members should know about our changing approach to health monitoring

As announced in September’s issue of The Messenger, CPSA is changing our approach to health monitoring for regulated members, to align with best-practice standards and meet legislative requirements.

Here is what regulated members should know about our new process:

Reporting your health condition

Under our Duty to Report Self standard of practice, your obligation to notify CPSA if you presently have a health condition which could impact your work remains unchanged. While this can be reported on the annual renewal information form (RIF), anyone experiencing a health condition that may impact their fitness to practise must notify CPSA’s Physician Health Monitoring Program (PHMP) as soon as possible. Similarly, members are required to notify CPSA under our Duty to Report a Colleague standard of practice if they have reasonable grounds to believe a fellow member has a health condition which could impact their work. This duty also remains unchanged.

Once we become aware of your circumstances, our PHMP team will confidentially contact you directly for more information and to discuss next steps. Our discussion will focus on your fitness to practise, guided by our mandate to protect patients. We will not ask you to share your health or personal information.

Fitness-to-practise assessment

We will provide you with the contact information for independent medical examiners (IME), who will conduct an assessment and provide PHMP with a fitness-to-practise report. This report will include any recommended practice modifications, limitations or restrictions, and whether ongoing health monitoring is required. The assessment will be sent to your treatment practitioners, legal counsel or the Alberta Medical Association’s Physician Family & Support Program, depending on your choice of action. The IME will not provide CPSA with any details about your health condition.

Monitoring and compliance

Based on the results of your fitness-to-practise assessment, if monitoring is required, PHMP will provide you with contact information for independent, external service providers. You will enter into a monitoring agreement with the service provider you select, who will arrange for any required health or practice monitoring. Your service monitor will report to PHMP on your compliance and fitness to practise for the duration of your monitoring agreement; no details about your health condition will be shared. Once you complete your monitoring agreement with the service provider, PHMP will be notified and your file will be closed.

To ensure alignment with our legal obligations under Bill 46, costs associated with your fitness-to-practise assessment, ongoing monitoring and other related expenses are the responsibility of the regulated member.

PHMP operates separately from CPSA’s complaints process, with the goal of ensuring physicians receive the help they need so patients continue to receive safe, high-quality care.

Questions about PHMP or the changes outlined above? Send us an email at PhysicianHealth@cpsa.ab.ca.