Registrar's Report May 2020 Registrar's message
Dear Colleagues,
Stories of resilience capture the hearts and minds of humans. We watch movies and read stories of resilience where the main character faces a journey or challenge that involves one or more ethical decision.
Albertans have been faced with many trials in the last few years. Floods, wildfires, failed crops, economic downturns and now COVID-19. With each challenge, Albertans have responded with a strong resolve to move forward. After the Calgary floods in 2013, great efforts were made to mitigate future floods risks in and around the Calgary region. Some people support these efforts; some do not.
After wildfires burned through forests, homes and businesses, people have returned to rebuild. Some may question rebuilding because there is always risk of future fires.
Farmers who have suffered failed or damaged crops plant again. Some may questions replanting since future weather could once more cause destruction.
Despite economic downturns, Albertans have time and time again banded together to regrow the economy and strengthen communities.
Victor Frankl is credited with saying, “Everything can be taken from us but one thing: the freedom to choose our attitude in any given set of circumstances.”
Alberta will be different during and after COVID-19. Albertans will be different during and after COVID-19. The practice of chiropractic will be different during and after COVID-19.
Floods, fires, failed crops, economic downturns and COVID-19 will be a part of our collective history. As Albertans and Alberta chiropractors move forward after this current crisis, we will work together for the future of the province. Let us unite as chiropractors to support a strong future for all, demonstrating that our profession is resilient to life’s challenges.
Dr. Todd Halowski Registrar
Resources for returning to practice We have developed a resource page to help members prepare themselves and their patients for the transition back to practice. On this page, you will find an action plan, clinic signage, social graphics, a mini communications plan, letter templates and more. We highly recommend you utilize these resources as they will save you time and guide your efforts in rebuilding patient confidence.
Changes to renewal Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, renewal will take place this year from June 15 to September 30. Council is temporarily extending the CC cycle to two years with the understanding that many in-person CC and/or Standard First Aid with CPR-C seminars have been postponed or cancelled. A total of 48 CC credits and your Standard First Aid with CPR-C must be submitted by June 20, 2021.
The exception to this extension is the Trauma-Informed training course, Protecting Patients from Sexual Abuse and Misconduct. Submission of your completion certificate for this course remains due by June 30, 2020.
Please continue to submit your CC credits as you receive them. This will allow you to easily track your CC status in your member profile and help ease the office workload.
As a reminder, we now require you to add the seminar number to your certificate when you submit it. Seminar numbers can be found on our website.
Changes to AGM format Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Council has decided to proceed with a virtual AGM for this year. Details about the virtual AGM will be provided as they become available. Nominations and Council elections will continue as previously planned. Voting for Council elections will be conducted on an online voting platform. For more information about the nominations and election process, please visit our website.
Call for Council nominations Nominations for Council are now being accepted and will remain open until 4 p.m. on June 11, 2020. Serving on Council is an incredibly rewarding experience. It also requires a significant commitment of time and energy.
Any eligible member can run for Council, provided they complete the two-step nominations process outlined on our elections page. We encourage all potential candidates to read the Council Nomination Information Package to gain a full understanding of what Council service entails.
If you are not interested in running for Council but still want to participate, we encourage you to vote from August 1-30. You will receive an email on August 1 directly from SimplyVoting to cast your vote. This email will be sent to the email address on file in your member profile, so please confirm it is up to date before July 25, 2020. Call for resolutions, nominations and awards for the 2020 AGM Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Council has decided to proceed with a virtual AGM for this year. Details about the virtual AGM will be provided as they become available. Nominations and Council elections will continue as previously planned. Voting for Council elections will be conducted on an online voting platform. For more information about the nominations and election process, please visit our website.
Call for resolutions
Call for long-service awards
Call for ACAC awards
COVID-19 resources and ACAC-hosted webinars The ACAC has developed a COVID-19 resource page that is frequently updated with new information. On this page you’ll find all COVID-19 related communications from the ACAC, clinical resources, business resources and general pandemic information. These resources are meant to help you stay current in this rapidly changing environment. If you haven’t had a chance to review the page yet, we encourage you to do so as soon as possible.
Recently, the ACAC also began hosting webinars to help connect with members during this time. While member meetings will be focused on the ACAC's response to COVID-19, we encourage you to sit in on our webinars or view webinar recordings on our website if you’re unable to attend.
Record a relevant physical exam Written by Dr. Chris Anderson, Clinical Advisor and Member of the Continuing Competence Committee
When our practice is busy, it's usually a sign that we are doing something right for our patients. An unintended side effect of focusing on patient care can be a decline in the descriptive nature of our record-keeping. It is unlikely that you will often need your notes to protect you legally, but if you do, it's important that they meet legal standards.
When you submit your files to the ACAC for review every three to five years, you are provided with feedback that helps you understand if your files are meeting a minimum standard. Today we will look more closely at what it means to record a relevant physical exam.
For the exam to be considered relevant to the patients’ complaint, the exam should:
A minimum standard of record keeping for a physical exam should include three things:
Note that a single entry in the chart cannot hold record for more than one of these categories. An example would be if you are performing motion palpation, you need a separate record for the patient's active ROM and a separate entry for restrictions palpated.
This minimum standard must be recorded for every body area treated. If there is any chance that some of the patient's symptoms have a neurological component, reflex and sensory testing should be recorded to meet a minimum standard.
Highlights: Protecting patients from Sexual Abuse and Misconduct (trauma-informed training course) As a requirement of Bill 21, regulated health professionals must complete an annual trauma-informed training course. The "Protecting Patients from Sexual Abuse and Misconduct" course was designed by the Alberta Federation of Regulated Health Professions to fulfill this requirement.
Visit our website for full instructions and to take the course. Once completed, please email a PDF version of your personalized completion certificate to certificates@albertachiro.com. New email for CC submissions If you have earned a certificate of completion from an eligible CC seminar or from a mandatory Standard First Aid with CPR-C/AED training, we strongly encourage you to forward it to the ACAC office now. Fax: 780-425-6583
Certificates are normally processed within 10 business days. CC credits will appear in your profile once processing is complete.
Regarding seminars that are not yet approved: if you have taken or plan to take a seminar between July 1, 2019 – June 20, 2020 that is not currently approved, ensure you or the seminar provider applies for approval no later than May 15, 2020 to be eligible for those credits. A copy of the application for CC Seminar Approval can be downloaded from our website. Diagnostic image viewing AHS will stop providing CDs of diagnostic images. In order to view these images, you will need Netcare access.
If you already have Netcare access, please stop requisitions for CDs and start to use the Netcare portal to view all diagnostic images.
MVA and DTPR: Diagnostic and treatment protocols Now is a good time to brush up on your knowledge in the processing and handling of MVA. In light of COVID-19 and the continuing flu season, please remember vaccination and immunization are not within the chiropractic scope of practice.
The ACAC directs members to refer all patient questions, consultation and education regarding immunization and vaccination to the appropriate public health authorities and/or health professional whose scope of practice includes vaccination.
We continue to screen members’ web and social media for compliance with the Advertising Directive.
Please ensure you are regularly reviewing your website and social media accounts and removing any content in contravention. |