Professional Responsibilities
Documentation
The CRTO Documentation PPG and the CRTO Standards of Practice (Standard 7) outlines the principles and standards of documentation that must be maintained by all RTs in every practice setting. Documentation styles and documentation mediums vary from one organization to the next. RTs may utilize any documentation format that meets both the CRTO’s expectation regarding documentation and their employer’s requirements.
An essential foundational principle for all RT documentation is that every client contact must be documented. “Client contact” includes (but is not limited to):
performing an examination, diagnostic procedure, therapeutic intervention;
providing education to a client and/or their family, caregiver or advocate; and
conferring with other members of the health care team (including the client’s family members) regarding the client’s plan of care (note that this includes even when the client is not present during the conversation).
Professional Liability Insurance (PLI)
The Regulated Health Professions Act requires all practicing regulated health professionals to carry PLI that meets specific criteria. The CRTO Professional Liability Insurance Policy outlines those requirements, as well as the consequences of an RT not being covered by the requisite amount of PLI.
RTs who are “personally insured” by their employer’s PLI plan in the required amounts and coverage are not obliged to obtain additional liability insurance coverage. “Personally insured” means the employer’s insurance policy covers not just the organization, but the RRT as an individual. The policy does not have to list the RT by name but must specify that it covers the “employees” of the organization as “added insureds”.
Additional PLI is available for members of the provincial or national professional associations (i.e., the RTSO, CSRT).
Reporting Requirements
There are a number of instances where an RT is required to report specific information to certain organizations/agencies. Some of these reporting requirements were covered in the section in this document entitled Sharing PHI Outside of the Circle of Care. More information on other reporting requirements can be found in the CRTO’s Reporting Obligations webpage.
When an RT has reasonable grounds, obtained in the course of practicing the profession, to believe that another RT or regulated health professional has sexually abused a patient, the RT must file a report in writing with the Registrar of the College to which the alleged abuser belongs.
More information on the reporting of sexual abuse of patients can be found in the CRTO Abuse Awareness and Prevention PPG.
Reporting to Other Agencies
Depending upon the community practice setting, there may be other mandatory reporting requirement to agencies outside of the CRTO that are governed by different legislation (e.g., Long-Term Care Homes Act). Listed below are just a few addition reporting obligations.
How this Guide Links to the Professional Misconduct Regulation
1. BUSINESS PRACTICES
19. Submitting an account or charge for services that a member knows is false or misleading.
20. Charging a fee that is excessive in relation to the service rendered.
21. Failing to disclose the fee schedule or payment structure prior to delivery of services or failing to provide the patient or patient with sufficient time to refuse the treatment and arrange for alternative services.
22. Failing to itemize an account for fees charged by the member for professional services rendered,
i. if requested to do so by the patient or patient or the person or agency who is to pay, in whole or in part, for the services, or
ii. if the account includes a commercial laboratory fee.
23. Selling any debt owed to the member for professional services; this does not include the use of credit cards to pay for professional services.
i How changing patient expectations will impact your practice. http://practicemanagement.dentalproductsrepoRT.com/aRTicle/how-changing-patient-expectations-will-impact-your-practice?page=0,1 (July, 2018)
ii CRTO Standards of Practice, Standard 1 – Business Practices
iii Ibid.
How this Guide Links to the Advertising Regulation
(1) In this Part, an advertisement with respect to a member’s practice includes an advertisement for gases used for medical purposes, equipment, supplies or services that includes a reference to the member’s name.
(2) An advertisement with respect to a member’s practice must not contain,
(a) anything that is false or misleading;
(b) anything that, because of its nature, cannot be verified;
(c) a claim of expertise in any area of practice, or with respect to any procedure or treatment, unless the advertisement discloses the basis of the expertise;
(d) an endorsement other than an endorsement by an organization that is known to have expertise relevant to the subject-matter of the endorsement;
(e) a testimonial by a patient or patient or former patient or patient or by a friend or relative of a patient or patient or former patient or patient; or
(f) anything that promotes or is likely to promote excessive or unnecessary use of services.
(3) An advertisement must be readily comprehensible to the persons to whom it is directed.
(4) A member must not permit his or her name to be used in an advertisement that contravenes subsection (2) or (3).
(5) A member must not advertise by initiating contact, or causing or allowing any person to initiate contact, with potential patients or patients or their personal representatives either in person or by telephone, in an attempt to solicit business.
(6) Despite subsection (5), a member may advertise by initiating contact with a potential patient or a personal representative of a potential patient if the potential patient does not personally use or consume the gases, equipment, supplies or services that are the subject of the advertisement.
(7) A member must not appear in, or permit the use of his or her name in, an advertisement that implies, or could reasonably be interpreted to imply, that the professional expertise of the member is relevant to the subject-matter of the advertisement if it is not relevant. O. Reg. 596/94, s. 23.
FOOTNOTES
16. RHPA. Health Professions Procedural Code. S. 13(1).