Consultation

Ensuring our expectations for medical practice are helpful, reasonable and clear.

Latest consultation

Consultation 028: MAID, Conscientious Objection and Informed Consent

This consultation closed on Jan. 15, 2024.

CPSA members, partner organizations, other healthcare professionals and Albertans were invited to provide feedback from Dec. 12, 2023 to Jan. 15, 2024.

Upcoming consultation

Consultation 029: Dispensing of Schedule 1 and 2 Drugs for a Fee, Relationships with Industry and Sale of Products

About CPSA consultations

In Alberta, we are entrusted with the responsibility of profession-led regulation, which means physicians and physician assistants play an important role in developing CPSA’s Standards of Practice.

We intend to shift to a 5-year review cycle of the standards but update and amend as necessary to ensure they are clear, concise and meet the needs of both the profession and Albertans. Before creating new standards, we give careful consideration to whether a standard of practice is the most appropriate way to address issues or concerns with medical practice.

Before Council votes to approve new or amended standards, CPSA is required under the Health Professions Act (HPA) to formally request feedback. During our consultation period, physicians, physician assistants, Albertans, government and other interested parties (such as Alberta Health, the Alberta Medical Association and other health regulators) are also invited to participate.

Consultation process

Outcomes from past consultations

See all outcomes

Consultation 025: Dec. 11, 2022 to Jan. 11, 2023

  • Female Genital Mutilation
    • Issue May 1, 2023
  • Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID)
    • Reissue March 17, 2023
  • Safe Prescribing for Opioid Use Disorder
    • Reissued Feb. 24, 2023

Consultation 024: Sept. 19 to Oct. 19, 2022

  • Restricted Activities (formerly Supervision of Restricted Activities)
    • Reissue March 31, 2023

Consultation 023: June 6-July 6, 2022

  • Continuing Competence
    • Issue March 31, 2023

Consultation 022: Mar.21-Apr. 22, 2022

  • Medical Services Requiring Accreditation Outside of Hospitals
    • Rescinded Oct. 1, 2022
  • Infection Prevention and Control
    • Reissued Nov. 1, 2022

Consultation 021: Sept. 20-Oct. 20, 2021

  • Virtual Care
    • Reissued Jan. 1, 2022
  • Continuity of Care
    • Reissued March 1, 2022
  • Episodic Care
    • Reissued March 1, 2022

Consultation 020: Feb. 15-March 18, 2021

  • Cannabis for Medical Purposes
    • Reissued July 1, 2021

Consultation 019: Sept. 15-Oct. 15, 2020

  • Closing or Leaving a Medical Practice
    • Reissued Jan. 1, 2021
  • Job Action
    • Reissued Jan. 1, 2021
  • Relocating a Medical Practice
    • Reissued Jan. 1, 2021

Consultation 018: June 15-Aug. 15, 2020

  • Advertising
    • Reissued Jan. 1, 2021
  • Conflict of Interest
    • Reissued Jan. 1, 2021
  • Practising Outside of Established Conventional Medicine (formerly Complementary and Alternative Medicine)
    • Reissued Jan. 1, 2021

Consultation 017: Dec. 2-Jan. 31, 2019

  • Duty to Report a Colleague (incorporating Duty of Treating Physicians or Physicians Working in the Context of a Provincial Health Program to Report a Physician to the College)
    • Oct. 1, 2020
  • Duty to Report Self (formerly Self-Reporting to the College)
    • Reissued Oct. 1, 2020

Consultation 016: March 11-May 10, 2019

  • Code of Ethics
    • Outcome: Reissued July 1, 2019

Consultation 015: Dec. 10-16, 2018

  • Boundary Violations: Sexual
    • Issued April 1, 2019
  • Boundary Violations: Personal (formerly Boundary Violations)
    • Reissued (name change only) April 1, 2019

Consultation 014: Oct. 1-Dec. 1, 2018

  • Safe Prescribing for Opioid Use Disorder
    • Issued April 1, 2019
  • Alberta MMT Standards & Guidelines for Dependence
    • Rescinded April 1, 2019

Consultation 013: Oct. 2-Dec. 2, 2017

  • Responsibility for a Medical Practice (formerly Direction and Control of a Medical Practice)
    • Reissued July 1, 2018
  • Boundary Violations (formerly Sexual Boundary Violations)
    • Reissued July 1, 2018
  •  Practice in Association
    • Rescinded July 1, 2018

Consultation 012: Oct. 12-Dec. 12, 2016

  • Job Action
    • Reissued April 2017
  • Prescribing: Administration (formerly Prescribing)
    • Reissued (name change only) April 1, 2017
  • Prescribing: Drugs with Potential for Misuse or Diversion
    • Issued April 1, 2017
  • Supervision of Restricted Activities
    • Reissued April 1, 2017

Consultation 011: April 6-June 7, 2016

  • Collaboration in Patient Care, Completing Discharge Summaries, and Continuous Professional Development
    • Rescinded Sept. 2016
  • Referral Consultation (formerly the Referral Consultation process)
    • Reissued Jan. 1, 2017
  • Transfer of Care
    • Reissued Oct. 1 2016

Consultation 010: Jan. 7-March 7, 2016

  • Medical Assistance in Dying
    • Issued June 2016
  • Conscientious Objection (formerly Moral or Religious Beliefs Affecting Medical Care)
    • Reissued June 2016
  • Informed Consent
    • Reissued June 2016
  • Assessing the Mental Capacity of a Patient
    • Rescinded June 2016

Consultation 009: July 14-Sept. 11, 2015

  • Patient Record Content
    • Reissued Jan. 2016
  • Patient Record Retention
    • Reissued Jan. 2016
  • Prescribing
    • Reissued March 2016

Consultation 008: Mar 23-May 21, 2015

  • Advertising (formerly Advertising by Regulated Members)
    • Reissued Oct. 2015
  • Conflict of Interest (formerly Conflict of Interest Involving Financial or Personal Gain by Physicians)
    • Reissued Oct. 2015
  • Human Health Research (formerly Health Human Research Ethics Review)
    • Reissued Oct. 2015

Consultation 007: Nov. 25, 2014-Jan. 23, 2015

  • Continuity of Care (formerly After-Hours Access to Care and Preventing Follow-Up Care Failures)
    • Reissued June 11, 2015
  • Episodic Care
    • Reissued June 11, 2015
  • Establishing the Physician-Patient Relationship (formerly Establishing… in Office-Based Settings)
    • Reissued June 11, 2015

Consultation 006: Nov. 26, 2013-Jan. 24, 2014

  • Marihuana for Medical Purposes
    • Issued April 3, 2014
  • Telemedicine
    • Reissued June 5, 2014
  • CPSA Code of Conduct
    • Reissued June 5, 2014

Consultation 005: Sept. 15-Nov. 15, 2013

  • Charging for Uninsured Professional Services
    • Reissued Sept. 9, 2014
  • Relocating a Medical Practice
    • Issued Jan. 9, 2014
  • Duty of Treating Physicians and Physicians Working in the Context of a Physician Health Program to Report a Physician to the College
    • Issued Jan. 9, 2014
  • Terminating the Physician-Patient Relationship in Office-Settings
    • Reissued Jan. 9, 2014
  • Closing or Leaving a Medical Practice
    • Reissued Jan. 9, 2014
  • Alberta Methadone Maintenance Treatment Standards & Guidelines for Dependence
    • Reissued Jan. 3, 2014

Consultation 004: Nov. 15-May 15, 2012

  • Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) Program Rules
    • Issued Sept. 1, 2012
  • Health Human Research Ethics Review
    • Issued Sept. 1, 2012

Consultation 003: Sept. 15-Nov. 15, 2011

  • Physician Health Monitoring Program Rules
    • Issued Dec. 2, 2011
  • Assessment and Competency Enhancement Program Rules
    • Issued Dec. 2, 2011

Consultation 002: March 15-May 15, 2011

  • Advertising by Regulated Members
    • Reissued July 1, 2011
  • Patient Records
    • Reissued July 1, 2011
  • Episodic Care
    • Issued July 1, 2011
  • Physician Prescribing Practices Program Rules and Terms of Reference
    • Issued Sept. 9, 2011

Consultation 001: Spring 2010

    • Self-Reporting to the College
      • Reissued Sept. 1, 2012
    • Duty to Report a Colleague
      • Reissued Sept. 1, 2012
    • Physician Achievement Review (PAR) Program Rules
      • Reissued March 15, 2010

Questions about the consultation process?

Phone: 780-969-4987
Toll-free: 1-800-561-3899 ext. 4987 (in Canada)

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