REPORTS FROM COUNCIL
of the information available that will assist
in being prepared.
Please see the article on page 23.
Closing a Medical Practice
of practice and/or to re-enter practice after an
absence of two years or more. The policy sets
out the definitions of scope of practice and
change in scope of practice.
The policy retains the key content of the
draft policy that had been circulated for exter-
nal consultation. However, the revised draft
policy and appendices have been enhanced
for clarity.
Council requested a FAQ document be
developed to expand on a few issues in the
policy. This document will be developed
shortly and will be posted on our website.
Please see the article on page 25.
Public Health Emergencies
Council has approved a policy that articulates
the College’s expectations of physicians and
reinforces the profession’s commitment to the
public during public health emergencies.
The Public Health Emergencies policy
clarifies that physicians must be available
to provide physician services, and that this
may include direct medical care to people
in need, taking on administrative support
roles or temporarily expanding the capacity
of one’s practice to offset the increased strain
on physician resources.
The policy addresses the importance of
preparing for public health emergencies by
participating in emergency planning exer-
cises, and proactively informing themselves
14
DIALOGUE ISSUE 1, 2018
Your feedback is needed on draft expectations
for physicians who are permanently closing
their medical practice.
The scope of the draft policy has been
narrowed to physicians who are perma-
nently closing a medical practice. Temporary
absences from a medical practice – for any
reason – will be addressed in the Continuity
of Care policies currently being developed.
The draft policy now states that physicians
must provide ninety days’ notice to patients
prior to a planned practice closure. This is
consistent with expectations currently set
out by other Canadian medical regulatory
authorities. The article is on page 11.
College Releases Interim Opioid
Investigation Update
Council received a second interim update
that included the outcomes in the inves-
tigations of 81 of the 84 physicians who
had been investigated by the College after
it received information from the Narcotic
Monitoring System (NMS) about poten-
tially inappropriate opioid prescribing.
Nearly half of physicians investigated –
36 – have been ordered to take mandated
remediation. This could include an agree-
ment by the doctor to participate in educa-
tion and practise under clinical supervision
and to be reassessed. A further eight have
been ordered to take mandated remediation
and have also received a caution. Please see
page 19 for more information.