The following are highlights of the March meeting of Council.
Council at a Glance infographic transcript
Policies
Approved — Delegation of Controlled Acts policy
Approved — Alternative Pathways to Registration policy
Rescinded — Methadone Maintenance Treatment policy
Discipline Committee enhancements
Approved:
- adding four to five experienced adjudicators as members of the Discipline Committee;
- changing the name of the “Discipline Committee” to the “Ontario Physicians and Surgeons Discipline Tribunal”
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
How might the CPSO reimagine its processes in order to be more inclusive?
That was the question posed by Dr. Lisa Richardson, Strategic Lead in Indigenous Health, Temerty Faculty of Medicine at a presentation at Council.
“Every week, someone comes to me about a concern about the medical care they have received. Why are [Indigenous people] not comfortable bringing their concerns to the College?”
She urged CPSO to continue to work towards cultural safety and critical consciousness so that Indigenous people become comfortable engaging with CPSO.
The Registrar’s Report
Dr. Nancy Whitmore reported on the following:
Notable Improvements since 2018:
- Contacting complainants
Q1 -2018 — 21 days to contact complainants (16% of cases ended in early resolution)
Q1 -2020 — Two days to contact a complainant (45% of cases ended in early resolution)
2021 Goal — Contact complainant in one business day - Completing Files
Q1 2018 — 344 days
Q4 2020 — 162 days
2021 Goal — 150 days - Reducing Discipline Process timeline
The time from referral to hearing date for discipline cases has dropped from:
Q1 2020 — 849 days
Q4 2020 — 393 days
2021 Goal — 365 days
More 2021 Goals
- Partner with 20 hospitals in the Quality Improvement (QI) program
- Bring 3000 physicians through the Individual stream of QI program
- Assess 735 physicians 70 years of age and older
- Complete 397 continuing improvement projects
- Modernize and redesign our approach to facility oversight
- Complete 290 facility assessments
- Continue efforts that focus on diversity, equity and inclusion
Council Exempts Applicants from MCCQE2
The delays caused by the pandemic has led Council to exempt applicants from the requirement of Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination Part II (MCCQE Part II) provided certain criteria are met.
The examination, one of the requirements for issuance of an independent practice certificate, has been postponed repeatedly as a result of COVID-19. When Council approved the policy, there were no scheduled sittings and it was unclear when applicants will be permitted to challenge the examination.
This is not a permanent exemption of the exam. Council is hopeful that the Medical Council of Canada will develop a plan to accommodate those who will remain in the queue to write the exam.
