reports from council
practitioners plan for and participate in their inspection-assessments .
Bill 87 – The Protecting Patients ’ Act Council considered Bill 87 , The Protecting Patients Act . The Bill is an important piece of legislation that proposes sweeping changes to the Regulated Health Professions Act , the legislation that provides health colleges with the authority to regulate health professions in the public interest . The Bill contains amendments to strengthen the legislative provisions relating to sexual abuse and transparency as well as changes to enhance the complaints , investigation and discipline processes . Council voiced general support for the intent and the overall objectives contained in Bill 87 , noting that several legislative proposals advanced by the College to strengthen the provisions to protect patients from sexual abuse are incorporated in the Bill . Council , however , has identified some substantive issues , as well as a number of other issues which could be addressed through “ housekeeping ” amendments as the Bill moves through the legislative process . The College will make a request for changes in its submission to the government . The College ’ s recommendations are designed to ensure that the amendments contained in the Bill will achieve the desired outcome and avoid unintended negative consequences . The College will participate in the government ’ s consultation process as the Bill moves through the legislative process . We have several articles about Bill 87 starting on page 9 .
Uninsured Services draft consultation Council is inviting feedback on a draft policy that addresses issues around uninsured services and block fees . The draft policy – entitled Uninsured
Services : Billing and Block Fees – is not intended to tell physicians how much to bill , but rather , it sets out general principles of professionalism and relevant legislative obligations . The draft policy retains the central principles of the current Block Fees and Uninsured Services policy . However , changes have been made to enhance clarity and flow , strengthen existing expectations , and address issues not covered by the current policy . The importance of clear communication around fees is particularly emphasized . These proposed changes are a result of a review of public polling , research and feedback from a preliminary consultation . Moreover , decisions of the Inquiries , Complaints , and Reports Committee were reviewed to identify frequent or persistent problems . Please see the article about the draft policy on page 21 .
Practice Ready Assessment program Council approved registration changes that will help support a Practice Ready Assessment ( PRA ) program for family medicine with a small number of eligible candidates . The PRA program is designed to identify international medical graduate candidates who are deemed ready to enter practice in Ontario based on meeting qualification requirements and successfully completing a 12- week clinical assessment . The PRA program is under development by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and Touchstone Institute with extensive involvement by the College to ensure that it aligns with national standards and our registration requirements .
Following successful completion of the clinical assessment , the College will issue a restricted certificate of registration to practise medicine under supervision for 24 months , enabling the candidate to achieve certification by the College of Family Physicians of Canada with successful completion of the examination . Should the candidate not be
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Dialogue Issue 1 , 2017