Background

In the process of fulfilling its duties to serve and protect the public interest, the College of Chiropractors of Ontario (CCO), through the Quality Assurance (QA) program, is required to develop, establish and maintain standards of knowledge and skill and programs to promote continuing competence among the members. Over the years, CCO has developed several programs including the mandatory Record Keeping Workshop and the original Peer and Practice Assessment (now known as PPA 1.0). To date, these programs have been well-received by CCO members and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Members have greatly appreciated these opportunities to learn and improve their professional practice habits in a proactive, non-punitive manner.

CCO is proud to say that nearly all members have undergone PPA 1.0. This program will continue, implemented by a team of dedicated and skilled peer assessors, assessing new members entering practice for the first time or returning to practice after an absence or as directed by a discipline decision.

Building on the success of PPA 1.0, the QA Committee has been working hard over the past few years developing a new and revised version of the peer and practice assessment, now known as “PPA 2.0”.

PEER AND PRACTICE 2.0… What’s new?

 Similar to PPA 1.0, this new assessment will:

• Be mandatory for all members registered in the general class
• Involve an in-person interaction with a trained CCO Peer Assessor
• Be another opportunity to improve your compliance with CCO regulations, standards of practice, policies and guidelines
• Be confidential to the CCO QA program
• Be a valuable continuing education opportunity

Building on successful elements of PPA 1.0, this assessment process will involve:

• A more in-depth, conversational review of a selection of patient files to better ensure that members are maintaining an accurate patient health record, reflective of the patient encounter and “story”.
• A review and conversation related to scenarios commonly encountered in clinical practice that show implementation of regulations, standards of practice, policies and guidelines in real life situations.
• A more complete review of the member’s professional portfolio to insure that all components, especially the Self-Assessment Plan of Action, are being addressed by the member.

PPA 2.0 Implementation

Each year a number of CCO members in the general class of registration will be selected to undergo PPA 2.0. Upon receiving the letter from CCO outlining the steps to be taken in this process, materials will be submitted to CCO, processed and sent to the assigned peer assessor. The assessor will take it from there: contacting the member to set up a convenient time to meet and conduct the assessment. Once the assessment is complete, CCO staff, under the direction of the QA committee, will review the report and provide members with a disposition, which will include recommendations for improvements if appropriate.

What You Can Do Now…

1. Familiarize yourself with all the materials related to PPA 2.0.
2. Volunteer to undergo PPA 2.0 now to get a head start on making improvements in your professional practice.
3. Wait until you receive the request to participate in PPA 2.0, then follow the instructions to comply with the request.
4. Of course, continue to practise as a member of a self-regulated profession, implementing and adhering to all CCO regulations, standards of practices, policies and guidelines
5. Finally, if you have any questions, please contact Dr. Katherine Tibor, Director of Professional Practice at 416-922-6355, ext. 130 or at ktibor@cco.on.ca. 

Peer and Practice Assessment 2.0 Material

The following PPA 2.0 forms can be downloaded as fillable PDF forms:

• Pre-Visit Questionnaire
• Member and Assessor Identification
• Peer and Practice Assessment 2.0 Report
• Peer and Practice Assessment 2.0 Workbook 
• Feedback Form