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Amendments to Standards of Practice and Professional Advisory
CCO Council has approved amendments to a number of standards as reflected in the links below. These amendments came into effect on April 30, 2019.
Amendments to Standards of Practice and Professional Advisory
Amendments to Standard of Practice S-001: Chiropractic Scope of Practice on February 27, 2019 and April 30, 2019 and Professional Advisory on Vaccination and Immunization
CCO Council approved minor amendments that:
- emphasize that members are primary contact, portal-of-entry health professionals who are required to provide chiropractic care within the chiropractic scope of practice;
- acknowledge that patients may present with a variety of co-morbidities and conditions;
- ensure that when patients ask health-related questions that relate to controlled acts that are outside of the chiropractic scope of practice, that members advise the patient that they require the care or would be more appropriately treated by another health professional.
How this Affects Members
Members must recognize that they are primary health care providers and may be the first point of entry for patients into the health care system. Members must always ensure that they are treating and advising within the chiropractic scope of practice, provide care within the chiropractic scope of practice based on the patient’s presenting conditions and/or goals, and refer to another health professional if a condition and/or treatment is beyond the chiropractic scope of practice.
Amendments to these documents further emphasize that CCO recognizes that vaccinations, as mandated in the Province of Ontario, provide a safe and effective means to protect individuals from infectious diseases, vaccination is outside of the chiropractic scope of practice, and members must not express views, or treat or advise patients or prospective patients with respect to vaccination.
Summary of Amendments
CCO Council approved amendments that reference the updated regulation related to the reporting of designated diseases under the Health Protection and Promotion Act, 1990 (HPPA). Amendments also summarize the protocol for making a mandatory report to the local officer of health when forming an opinion that a patient has or may have a disease of public health significance.
How this Affects Members
As primary contact health care providers, members have the duty under the HPPA to report to the local medical officer of health when they form an opinion that a patient has or may have a disease of public health significance. Although these designated diseases are outside the scope of a chiropractic consultation, examination diagnosis or clinical impression and plan of care, the HPPA requires certain regulated health professionals, including chiropractors, to report these designated diseases when they form an opinion that a patient has or may have a designated disease.
Please review the standard of practice for the proper protocol in making a report, the updated list of designated diseases and a link to the public health unit locator.
Summary of Amendments
CCO Council approved amendments that:
- emphasize that Regulation 107/96 under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 authorizes members to perform the controlled act of acupuncture as an adjunctive treatment within the chiropractic scope of practice and in accordance with the standard of practice;
- clarify that performing the act of dry needling is considered as performing the controlled act of acupuncture in accordance with the regulation and standard of practice and requires the same educational, competency and professional requirements;
- clarify that members must represent themselves as chiropractors who are authorized to use acupuncture.
How this Affects Members
Members who use acupuncture within their practice, must ensure that they are using this treatment within the chiropractic scope of practice and based on a chiropractic consultation, examination, diagnosis or clinical impression and plan of care.
As well, members must ensure that they are representing to the public that they are using acupuncture as a chiropractor and not making any misrepresentations, including for billing purposes, that they are a member of the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario.
Using titles such as “acupuncture provider” and “acupuncture clinic” is a variation of “acupuncturist”, contrary to the Traditional Chinese Medicine Act, 2006. It would be more accurate for a member to list acupuncture as an adjunctive therapy that is provided, in the context of providing chiropractic care. CCO advises members to ensure they are not using any restricted titles.
Federation of Health Regulatory Colleges of Ontario Resources – Videos on the Prevention of Sexual Abuse
CCO, like all Ontario regulatory colleges, is a member of the Federation of Health Regulatory Colleges of Ontario (FHRCO). FHRCO is a federation of all health regulatory colleges in Ontario, which develops a forum for inter-professional collaboration, develops training programs, and creates resources for colleges, regulated health professionals and members of the public.
Please visit FHRCO’s website for a variety of resources related to care from your regulated health professional.
Please see the following two links for videos produced by FHRCO on the prevention of sexual abuse, which may be viewed for unstructured Continuing Education hours:
Legislation and Ethics Examination and Record Keeping Workshop
Please note: Due to COVID-19 pandemic, CCO has scheduled an online sitting of the Legislation and Ethics Examination for June 3, 2021. The deadline to apply for this examination is May 14, 2021. Due to the online delivery of the examination, candidates should make themselves available for the entire day. Please complete the application form and submit it to Ms Madeline Cheng, Registration Coordinator to apply for the examination. Please contact Ms Madeline Cheng at mcheng@cco.on.ca or 416-922-6355 ext. 113 for any questions.
More information about the legislation and ethics examination, including study material, can be found at the following link. Information about the June 3, 2021 sitting of the examination can be found at the following link.
Information about the online delivery of the examination can be found in the following document and video.
CCO will be holding a virtual record keeping workshop on June 22, 2021, 8:30 am – 12:00 pm. Please email Rose Bustria at bustria@cco.on.ca if you are interested in attending this virtually.
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