Regulation of Health Professionals in Ontario January 12, 2010 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Anne Coghlan, RN, MScN Executive Director & CEO

Regulation of Health Professionals in Ontario

January 12, 2010

Self-Governing Health Professions

Audiology & Speech

Language Pathology

Kinesiology * Opticianry Chiropody Massage Therapy Optometry Chiropractic Medical Laboratory Technology Pharmacy Dental Hygiene Medical Radiation Technology Physiotherapy Dental Technology Medicine Psychology Dentistry Midwifery Psychotherapy * Denturism Naturopathy * Respiratory Therapy Dietetics Nursing Traditional Chinese Medicine * Homeopathy * Occupational Therapy

The Regulated Health Professions Act 1991 (RHPA)

Umbrella legislation for all health professions Health Professions Procedural Code – applies

equally to all regulated health professions

Profession-specific Acts – describe the scope of

practice and any controlled acts authorized to a profession

13 “controlled” acts – soon to be 14

• Administered by the Ministry of Health and Long

Term Care (MOHLTC)

Purpose of Health Professional Regulation

The RHPA and health profession Acts provide a common framework for Ontario’s regulated health professions, incorporating a number of underlying principles, including:

As a primary principle, advancing the public interest Protecting the public from harm and unqualified,

incompetent or unfit providers

Promoting high quality health care services and

accountability of health care professionals

Providing patients/clients access to health care

professionals of their choice

Purpose of Health Regulation cont’d

Achieving equality and consistency by requiring all

regulated health professions to adhere to the same purposes, objects, duties, procedures and public interest principles

Treating individual patients/clients and health

professionals in an equitable manner

Providing flexibility in roles of individual professions

and room for evolution of professions through broad scopes of practice provisions

Scope of Practice

A general statement in the health profession Act describing in broad terms what the profession does and the methods it uses.

Controlled Acts

14 controlled activities that may put the public at

substantial risk

Authorized to be performed by certain regulated

health professions in the course of providing health care services

• 14th controlled act (psychotherapy) added in June

2007, but not yet in force

Controlled Acts

• Communicating diagnosis
• Procedures on tissue below the

dermis

• Setting a fracture or a dislocation
• Moving joints of the spine beyond

usual range

• Injection/inhalation
• Inserting an instrument, hand or

finger

• Applying/ordering a form of

energy

• Prescribing, dispensing, selling or

compounding a drug

• Vision care
• Hearing care
• Dental care
• Managing labour
• Allergy testing
• Psychotherapy

Regulatory Changes to Support Inter-Professional Practice

New Objects Added as of June 2007:

To promote and enhance relations between the

College and its members, other health profession colleges, key stakeholders and the public

To promote inter-professional collaboration with

• ther health profession colleges

To develop, establish, and maintain standards and

programs to promote the ability of members to respond to changes in practice environments, advances in technology and other emerging issues