What to Expect from PHMP

1. Reporting a health condition

• PHMP becomes aware of your health condition. This can occur when you first register with CPSA, renew your practice permit or when you self-report. We may also receive notification from one of your colleagues.
• Our team in PHMP will confidentially contact you for more information and to discuss next steps. Our discussion will focus on your fitness to practise, guided by our mandate to protect Albertans. We will not ask you to share your health or personal information.
• If required, you will be asked to attend a fitness-to-practice assessment with an independent medical examiner (IME) service provider.

2. Fitness-to-practise assessment

• PHMP will provide you with the contact information for several options for accessing an independent medical examiner (IME) who will conduct an assessment. The IME will provide PHMP with a fitness-to-practice report—no personal health information will be included.
• The IME will also provide PHMP with any recommendations for modifications of duties, any proposed restrictions or limitations on your practice and if ongoing health and/or biological monitoring is required.
• PHMP will contact you to discuss the report and any recommendations.
• Any costs associated with the IME and report will be your responsibility.
• It is strongly recommended that medical information and treatment recommendations are forwarded by the IME provider to your treatment provider and/or the Alberta Medical Association’s (AMA) Physician and Family Support Program (PFSP), based on your preference, and only with your consent.

Possible assessment outcomes include:

• • Fit to practise with no restrictions, limitations or monitoring needed. Your PHMP file is closed with no further action required.
  • Fit to practise with restrictions, limitations or monitoring. PHMP will provide you with a list of external service providers to implement ongoing monitoring. Any costs associated with monitoring will be your responsibility. Restrictions or limitations to your practice will be discussed with you directly.
  • Not fit to practise. You will be asked to withdraw from practice until PHMP is advised you can resume practice safely as confirmed by a subsequent IME assessment.

3. Monitoring of your health condition

• If it is determined in the IME report that you require health monitoring, PHMP will provide you with contact information for service providers (independent from CPSA) who provide health, practice and biological monitoring.
  

  

• Upon enrollment with the service provider, you will enter into a monitoring agreement. The service provider will arrange for any required health, practice or biological monitoring.
• The service provider will provide PHMP with reports on compliance with monitoring and your ongoing fitness to practise.
• The length of monitoring will be determined by the service provider, based on practice guidelines for physician health programs.
• Once you have completed your monitoring agreement with the service provider, PHMP will be notified and your file will be closed.
• The cost of ongoing monitoring and other related expenses will be your responsibility.