Registrar's Report July 2020 Registrar's message
Dear Colleagues,
For many members, their time away from practice has reminded them of the important care they provide to Albertans. Many patients have also said how grateful they are to see their chiropractor again. As you know, renewal officially launched June 9. I'd like to recognize the more than 250 members who have already completed the renewal process. The pandemic has brought financial challenges for many, which is why we are encouraged to see the steady influx of renewals.
We understand that for many of you, renewal this year may pose financial challenges, which is why the ACAC has introduced measures to support you.
As you are likely aware, a one-time 10 per cent reduction in ACAC dues has been implemented to help ease the financial cost of renewing. The renewal deadline has also been extended to allow for those financially unable to renew just yet. If you have questions or encounter difficulties—give us a call. ACAC staff are here to answer your questions and help you navigate our new process.
We remain in uncertain times. I encourage you to renew early and to continue to be vigilant in your adherence to the ACAC COVID-19 Pandemic Practice Directive. Your commitment to this new practice environment will help ensure we can keep practicing through the pandemic, and into the future.
Regards,
Dr. Todd Halowski Registrar
Renew your registration today 2020/2021 annual membership renewal is now open and can be completed by clicking the orange "Renew your Registration" button in your members' centre. Please do not use the green "Proceed to Pay" button at the bottom of your profile—this will only process payment, not complete your renewal forms.
A webpage has been developed to answer any questions surrounding renewal. This page has a step-by-step guide that clearly outlines all renewal requirements, including:
Failure to complete renewal by September 30, 2020, will result in a $400 late fee. Your practice permit will be suspended or cancelled, and this will result in an additional $300 reactivation fee. Click the image above to watch the ACAC renewal video tutorial.
Not planning to renew? If you do not intend to renew your permit, you must change your status to non-practicing by September 17, 2020. You can do this by requesting a change in status. Doing so will allow you to remain a member in-good-standing and help prevent difficulties you might otherwise encounter in future attempts at licensure in Alberta or elsewhere.
Processing your change in status can take up to 10 business days, so please keep this in mind when you submit your application.
Occupational Health and Safety inspections Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) informed the ACAC that they will be conducting inspections in approximately 120 chiropractic offices. We alerted our members of this activity and shared resources that OHS provided in preparation for their inspections.
Along with chiropractic clinics, OHS is performing inspections of all allied health practitioners—including dental, optometry and physiotherapist businesses.
To prepare for an inspection, ensure you are following all requirements in the ACAC COVID-19 Pandemic Practice Directive and have read through the resources from OHS.
Questions regarding Workplace Hazardous Material Information Sheet (WHMIS) binders are being asked by some inspectors. WHMIS data sheets, also referred to as Safety Data Sheets (SDS), are not required for readily-available household cleaners. With the introduction of new disinfectants as a result of COVID-19, you must obtain (and be able to produce) a copy of the SDS from your supplier. The SDS should be used to train your staff on the associated hazards and how to safely handle products. Training should be followed with an audit of safety practices by the employer.
Workplace hazard assessments are a requirement of employers to evaluate the safety hazards in a workplace, discuss those hazards with their staff and let their staff ask questions.
Bill 30: the Health Statuses Amendment Act Yesterday, the Alberta government introduced Bill 30: the Health Statuses Amendment Act, which proposes an alteration to the membership of professional colleges, complaint review committees and hearing tribunals that regulate and discipline health professionals.
Bill 30 would require those bodies to have 50 per cent public membership—an increase from the current 25 per cent. Public members would still be appointed by the government and existing non-public positions will not be removed.
The goal of this amendment is to create more diversity on the board and make the system more patient-focused. As Health Minister Tyler Shandro said, "Skilled, competent public members are needed to complement the knowledgeable professionals who already sit on these councils. They will build on each other's strengths and experiences to govern the health system in the public interest."
Pre-billing insurance The pandemic has been hard on our communities, with job loss as a serious concern for many patients. However, we urge members to be cautious in how you provide assistance and continue to act in ways that remain above reproach.
Recently, the ACAC has received reports from members about patient requests to bill their insurance under a false pretense. Some patients, aware that they are going to lose their job, or aware that their policy rollover date is going to be occurring soon, have asked chiropractors to pre-bill their insurance policy. This bill then sits on the patient's file as a credit. This way, the patient can utilize “their” insurance and establish a balance to use for future visits.
This billing practice requires chiropractors to submit a false receipt to the patient, or a falsified claim to an insurer for care that wasn't delivered. Any action involving billing anomalies that result in a chiropractor’s receipt of funds under false pretenses is considered fraudulent and constitutes professional misconduct. For further clarification on billing, see Standard of Practice 2.5.
If you are asked by a patient to engage in fraudulent activities, the answer is always "no." There is no ethical way to pre-bill a patient’s insurance for care that is not yet provided. The consequence of unethical billing practices are that you may lose the ability for patients to seek reimbursement from insurers for care you provide. You may also end up under College discipline, which can result in fines and suspension or cancellation of your practice permit.
Meet your 2020 Council candidates The ACAC is pleased to present the 2020 Council election candidates: Drs. Kirsten Baxter, Helen Cox, Jason Hollingsworth and Bronwen Stevens-Samuel. You can read their answers to the member-submitted questions by clicking any of their photos below. Candidate videos will be available the week of July 20, 2020. Learn more about Council elections and serving on Council.
Changes to Professional Liability Insurance and Professional Liability Protection requirements Professional Liability Insurance (PLI), sometimes called Professional Liability Protection (PLP), is a requirement of registration and renewal for health professionals under the Health Professions Act (HPA). The HPA (131(1)) provides that “the Council of the college may make regulations (iv) for carrying PLI to govern the minimum coverage and type of insurance required to carried.”
Continuously maintaining PLI/PLP is also a critical protection for the public. Any lapse in PLI/PLP, regardless of circumstance, poses a significant risk to any patient treated while the policy was not in effect.
Currently, the CCPA is the only PLI/PLP provider that immediately and directly communicates to the ACAC when there is a change or lapse in policy coverage. All other providers declare coverage status annually at the time of registration or renewal. If changes are made throughout the year, the member is responsible for immediately communicating that to the ACAC. While the majority of members uphold their ethical and fiduciary responsibilities in notifying the ACAC, there have been instances where this has not happened.
The lack of direct, immediate communication between the ACAC and other providers creates a public protection risk, in that members could lapse their PLI/PLP due to a missed payment or cancel their policy and the ACAC would maintain that the member is entitled to practice due to not being aware of the lack of PLI/PLP.
To mitigate public risk and uphold our mandate of public protection, members are now required to have and maintain PLI/PLP with providers that communicate directly and immediately with the ACAC regarding changes or lapses in policy coverage. This communication requirement from PLI/PLP providers to the ACAC is critically important, as members who cannot demonstrate active liability coverage are not eligible to hold a practice permit and should not be seeing patients. ACAC legal counsel indicated that this would be an appropriate requirement by the College to fulfill its mandate of public protection.
Effective January 2021, all ACAC members are required to carry PLP with providers that communicate directly with the ACAC about the status of the PLP.
The Administrative Policy 2.10, revised July 1, 2020, and effective January 1, 2021, requires the following for all ACAC members: Every chiropractor is required to have and maintain professional liability insurance (PLI) or professional liability protection (PLP) to be on the General Register of the ACAC. Proof of such PLI or PLP is required (i) to register, (ii) to renew and reinstate a practice permit, and (iii) throughout the entirety of their active practice.
The ACAC may also communicate directly with the PLI or PLP provider to indicate any change in the chiropractor’s registration or practice permit status with the ACAC. For members impacted by this change, the ACAC will communicate with you directly to explain next steps.
If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Todd Halowski.
Best practices for recording a treatment plan Written by Dr. Julian Lim, Clinical Advisor
As we progress through our careers as chiropractors, aspects of life and practice change. Sometimes what we learn in school gets modified or becomes a little lax as we get busier in practice. Every three to five years we are required to submit our files to the ACAC for review. This review can be seen as an opportunity to identify which areas of our charting are done well and which areas can use improvement.
Treatment notes need to be clear so that any colleague or patient is able to read them and easily follow the progression of thought and arrival at a treatment plan.
A treatment plan must include these three components:
Although not necessary, it can be beneficial to include a re-evaluation period. The duration of care timeline in step three can give us a warning that if the patient isn’t responding to care as we had expected, it’s a good time to further evaluate their symptoms and see if other modalities, imaging studies, referrals or change in treatment need to be considered. Basic example (meets ACAC requirements):
Although this meets requirements, it lacks helpful details.
Better example:
This example shows greater detail and is much clearer to understand for any other colleagues (in our office or otherwise). If we’re busier in practice, we may inadvertently forget little details. In such cases, we can refer back to our notes for clarification. The treatment plan should always be established after an examination and diagnosis has been identified, and prior to beginning treatment.
Learn more about record-keeping and charting requirements.
Enroll in free online course bundle for CC credits We are pleased to present "Alberta Chiropractic Support Program 63764," provided by the CMCC for free to ACAC members. This eight-course online program was developed by CMCC Continuing Education, in collaboration with the ACAC and is available until December 31, 2020. Credits earned from this course can be applied towards your 2019-2021 CC requirements.
Discipline reporting
Recent legislative changes Administrative Policies:
Bylaws:
Please ensure you take the time to review the policies listed above, as it is your professional obligation to be aware of ACAC policies and to adhere to these requirements in your practice. The updated documents can be found on the ACAC website.
Highlights: Return to Practice feedback survey We want to hear how implementation of the Return to Practice plan is going in your clinic. Please submit your feedback to us using this survey. 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. 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, 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. |