REPORTS FROM COUNCIL
Physicians to pay greater share
of their discipline hearing costs
P
An overview of the
discussions and
decisions made at
the February Council
meeting.
hysicians who have com-
mitted an act of profes-
sional misconduct or are
found to be incompetent
will pay for a greater proportion of
the costs of their discipline hearings
than they currently bear.
Following a recommendation
from the College’s Finance Com-
mittee, Council voted to raise
the tariff rate – the daily cost of
conducting a hearing - from $5,500
per day to $10,180 per day.
In the past year, as part of an
overall effort to address rising costs
within the College (which are
ultimately passed along as increases
in membership fees to the College’s
members), the Finance Commit-
tee recommended that a greater
portion of the College’s fixed costs
associated with running a disci-
pline hearing be recovered from the
member who is the subject of the
hearing. Accordingly, the Finance
Committee asked Council that a
higher tariff rate be set, one that
reflected a greater total of the esti-
mated cost of a day of hearing time.
Although the increase may seem
significant, $10,180 per day repre-
sents a conservative estimate of the
College’s actual costs of conducting
a day of hearing, and a fraction of
the actual investigative and legal
costs and expenses incurred in
conducting an investigation and
preparing for a hearing.
Reporting a Change of
Scope, Re-entering Practice
A policy was approved that articu-
lates the College’s expectations of
physicians who wish to change their
scope of practice or who wish to
re-enter practice after an extended
absence.
The policy – Ensuring Compe-
tence: Changing Scope of Practice
and/or Re-entering Practice –
states that physicians must report
an intention to change their scope
ISSUE 1, 2018 DIALOGUE
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