Update re: College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncturists of Ontario – March 9, 2022
On March 7th, the government informed the Ministry of Health that it intends to remove Schedule 5 from Bill 88 and directed the ministry to work with the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario to offer a Chinese language entry to practice exam for registration with the college.
The ministry has been in contact with the College to discuss this matter and to ensure it has the necessary resources to undertake that work.
As soon as the Legislature agrees to remove Schedule 5 from Bill 88 at standing committee, the profession of traditional Chinese medicine will remain a regulated health profession in Ontario. Also, as a result of this development, no changes will be made to the controlled acts regulation that exempts the performance of acupuncture to the eight named professions (in addition to medicine and traditional Chinese medicine).
Message from the CCO President – March 1, 2022
The news flow in the past few days and weeks, both here in Ontario and abroad, has been overwhelmingly filled with repeated scenes of division and conflict. As health care practitioners, it can be disheartening to be called to attend to a world so seemingly out-of-balance. Yet there are some encouraging developments. Last week, the province further eased public health measures, raising or removing entirely indoor capacity limits. Effective March 1, 2022, proof of vaccination status will no longer be required. Businesses and other settings may choose to continue to require proof of vaccination, however, and masking requirements remain in place for now.
While the coronavirus will obviously still be with us going forward, this is a significant milestone. I want to thank you for your diligence and efforts in successfully contributing to the pandemic response. I also want to call out the work of CCO staff who have demonstrated tremendous resourcefulness and professionalism throughout this challenging period. Although COVID-19 guidance for the health sector and regulated health professionals providing care to patients continues to be in place and has not changed, CCO continues to provide links to updated Ontario Government and Ministry of Health COVID-19 guidance to members and the public at the
following link.
2022 Elections to CCO Council
Nominations for election to CCO Council closed on February 18, 2022. Candidate information continues to be updated on the CCO website at the
following link. All eligible CCO members will receive an electronic ballot on March 14, 2022. Please note that voting closes on March 29, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. The results of the 2022 elections will then be posted on the 2022 Elections to CCO Council webpage.
I am pleased to report that consistent with provisions of the College Performance Measurement Framework (CPMF), candidates for CCO Council have undergone an orientation process while still candidates. In years previous, CCO has developed and put in place a comprehensive onboarding program for newly elected or appointed Council members.
I cannot stress enough the importance of taking the time to read up on candidates and exercise your vote. Direct election is one key component of a self-regulatory organization. Two weeks have been allotted to allow enough time for all eligible members to vote.
New and Amended Standards of Practice, Policies and Guidelines Now in Effect
On February 25, 2022, a suite of new and amended Standards of Practice, Policies and Guidelines previously approved at the November 25, 2021 Council meeting came into effect. These include:
- Amendments to Standard of Practice S-014: Prohibition of a Sexual Relationship with a Patient. Consistent with the spousal exception regulation passed on October 22, 2021 permitting members to provide treatment to their spouses, complying with CCO standards of practice, policies and guidelines, without triggering the sexual abuse provisions under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991.
- Amendments to Policy P-017: Public Screenings.
- Amendments to Policy P-053: Returning to the General Class of Registration.
- Amendments to Policy P-050: Supervision and Direction of Chiropractors in Training and Policy P-058: Policy on Considering Applications for Registration During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
- New Standard of Practice S-023 and New Guideline G-023: Health Care Claims in Advertising, Websites and Social Media outline principles for communicating a health care claim in advertising, on websites and in social media, intended to be read in conjunction with standards of practice and guidelines S-001: Chiropractic Scope of Practice, S-016: Advertising, G-012: Use of Social Media, and G-016: Advertising.
The new standard of practice and guideline relating to health care claims were developed after distributing these draft documents to stakeholders, including members, for feedback. All up-to-date standards of practice, policies and guidelines are posted on the CCO website. I urge you to revisit each of these items to ensure you are familiar and in compliance with them now and going forward.
Peer Assessor Workshop Update
On January 29, 2022, CCO convened a virtual peer assessor workshop—the first opportunity for all peer assessors to meet since January 2020. The workshop provided an excellent forum for peer assessors to share their experiences conducting peer and practice assessments during the COVID-19 era and to obtain feedback. A huge thank you to all who participated and provided this invaluable service throughout the changing and challenging circumstances of the pandemic response. The peer assessors were given an opportunity to thank Dr. Bruce Walton for his significant contributions over many years and to welcome Dr. Katherine Tibor to the role of Director of Professional Practice.
Announcement from the Ministry of Health, re: College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncturists of Ontario (CTCMPAO)
On February 28, 2022, the Ontario Government introduced
Bill 88, Working for Workers Act, 2022, which, if proclaimed, would take steps to wind down the CTCMPAO, and move the profession to a voluntary oversight model. The CTCMPAO will maintain its regulatory functions until such time as the proposed Act comes into force, which is anticipated to be in approximately 18 months. Furthermore, it is anticipated that the Ministry of Health will bring forward regulatory amendments that if passed and proclaimed, would move the controlled act of acupuncture to the public domain.
CCO will review the implications of these changes and will provide further direction as it relates to the performance of acupuncture by chiropractors, as information becomes available.
Please note, at this time there is no change to the regulation of acupuncture and the performance of acupuncture by chiropractors in Ontario. Acupuncture continues to be a controlled act, and chiropractors providing acupuncture must continue to comply with
Standard of Practice S-017: Acupuncture.
2021 College Performance Measurement Framework Submission
The College Performance Measurement Framework (CPMF) was developed by the Ontario Ministry of Health to strengthen the accountability and oversight of Ontario’s health regulatory Colleges and help Colleges improve performance.
On March 31, 2022 CCO will submit its second annual CPMF document, reporting on completed action items arising from our previous CPMF report and building upon areas identified for further development. Among the many completed actions to be highlighted in this year’s report are:
- Orientation sessions for candidates for CCO elections
- Documentation of required competencies for Council and Committee Members
- Regular and ongoing education opportunities for Council and Committee members
- Passing of a policy on posting Council minutes
- Passing of a financial reserve policy
- Review and application of the “Right Touch Regulation” document
- Continued expansion and rebranding of the CCO record-keeping workshop
- Development and posting of risk assessment, decision-making and transparency tools for the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee
- Development of Key Performance Indicators
Several other initiatives related to CPMF goals and measures are underway, including work in the area of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. I look forward to sharing our progress on all these initiatives in future messages.
CCO is committed to continuously improving as an organization and in the delivery of its core functions to ensure that Ontario’s chiropractic patients have access to safe, quality, ethical care and that College registrants are held to the highest professional standards.
It is what motivates me, and all CCO staff, every single day.
Sincerely,
Dr. Dennis Mizel
CCO President
Dr. Bruce Walton, Director of Professional Practice since August 2011 (outgoing)
Dr. Katherine Tibor, Director of Professional Practice since January 2022 (incoming)
Photos from the Virtual Peer Assessor Workshop – January 29, 2022
Thank you to CCO’s 30 peer assessors from across the province for their role in facilitating the implementation of the quality assurance program to over 5,200 members and for helping to ensure the practices of members are safe, ethical and patient-centered!
