Member Support Program FAQ
What is the Member Support Program?
- The Member Support Program is an extension of the support the CMPA has been providing to its members for over 100 years.
- The program was created to further enhance its assistance to members, including those who have a pattern of recurring or increasing frequency of medico-legal events.
- By providing personalized support and educational advice, the program aims to help CMPA members recognize and address the factors that may be contributing to their medico-legal risk.
Why was the Member Support Program developed?
- Building on our role as a mutual defence organization, the CMPA developed the Member Support Program to benefit all CMPA members and improve the safety of medical care.
- The Member Support Program team works with members and helps them proactively reduce their risk of future medico-legal events. Members who have participated in the program are grateful for the opportunity to ease stress and improve their practice.
How does mutuality fit with the Member Support Program?
- Mutuality is a core principle of the CMPA. As part of a “mutual,” the CMPA and its members collectively share the costs, risks, and benefits associated with membership. The CMPA provides medical liability protection to members, and in turn, members are required to meet certain reasonable expectations.
- These expectations include practising in a manner that aligns with the ethics and general expectations of the profession and supports the values of the Association (or mutual) as a whole.
- As part of their mutuality obligations, members participating in the program are expected to take an active role to improve the quality of their care and help prevent future medico-legal events.
How does the program work?
We recognize that each member and practice is unique. We seek to work with members to discuss and truly understand the circumstances and factors that have contributed to their medico-legal experience.
There are four steps to the program:
- Identification: The CMPA reviews medico-legal case histories to identify members who may benefit from proactive support and assistance. Our physician advisors also help identify members who may have underlying issues in their practice that contribute to an increased level of medico-legal risk.
- Assessment: The Member Support Program team’s assessment includes reviewing up to the last 10 years of each member’s medico-legal history with the CMPA and obtaining the member’s perspective regarding their practice and past medico-legal events.
- Development of an action plan: Following our review, we work with each member to develop an individualized education and support plan to address the factors that may be contributing to their medico-legal risk.
- Ongoing support: The Member Support Program team provides follow-up and support to help each member take an active role to decrease the likelihood of future medico-legal events.
Are there additional membership fees for members referred to the program?
No. The Member Support Program is intended to benefit all members, and its assessment and support services are included as part of CMPA membership.
If additional education is recommended, will the CMPA pay for the course?
No. The costs associated with any recommended educational programs will be at each member’s expense, and are set by the organization offering the program in question. The CMPA offers accredited learning activities at no additional cost to its members.
What is involved in the reassessment?
The Member Support Program team reviews the medico-legal history of each member participating in the program on a regular basis. This assessment considers the following information:
- Completion of any educational programs
- Any medico-legal developments since the previous assessment
- Member input regarding insights gained or practice changes since the previous assessment
Members will be informed of the outcome of their reassessment, including any recommendations regarding further educational direction and need for ongoing support.
What happens if members continue to have medico-legal difficulties?
- As long as members actively engage with the program and demonstrate a commitment to improve their practice, they will continue to be eligible to receive guidance, advice and assistance from the CMPA.
- Ongoing medico-legal difficulties may result in the Member Support Program team recommending additional education and support. In all cases, the team will communicate with the member to better understand the member’s specific circumstances and to help identify potential barriers to implementing practice changes.
Are there any consequences for members who refuse to participate?
- While the CMPA believes that the majority of members will want to take an active role to improve their practice and minimize their medico-legal risk, we anticipate that a small number of members may choose to not actively participate in the program.
- For members who choose to not take any action to reduce their medico-legal risk, it may be a factor that is considered when the member requests future medico-legal assistance
- Ultimately, the Member Support Program is intended to offer personalized support and educational advice to help members reduce the risk of future medico-legal events – reducing stress and returning confidence and satisfaction to practice.
Will member data or assessments be shared outside of the CMPA?
- The CMPA understands the importance of privacy and the protection of personal health information. The Member Support Program team will not share any information regarding members participating in the program with individuals or parties outside the CMPA, including CMPA legal counsel.
- Our privacy policy governs personal information collected by the CMPA from or about individuals. For more information about the privacy of information at the CMPA, please contact the Privacy Officer at [email protected].
Who can members contact to learn more about the Member Support Program?
You can contact the Member Support Program team with any questions or concerns at [email protected].
