OTTAWA, August 23, 2017 — The Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) is hosting its annual meeting, and advising attendees of the cost of membership fees in 2018.
The CMPA, a not-for-profit organization, is the primary provider of medical liability protection for Canadian physicians. In addition to providing assistance to physicians involved in medical-legal issues arising from their practice, the CMPA compensates, on behalf of its members, patients injured as a result of negligent medical care. The CMPA is also committed to promoting safe medical care and makes a significant contribution to improved healthcare safety in Canada.
As part of its annual fee setting process, the CMPA estimates the total amount of fees it must collect from members to meet its financial obligations resulting from care provided in that year. These obligations include compensation to patients injured as a result of negligent medical care, legal representation of members, and operational expenses. Fees are calculated using actuarial methodologies that draw on both historical information and forecasts of future trends.
Recognizing the different cost structures across the country, there are four CMPA fee regions – British Columbia and Alberta; Ontario; Québec; and Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Atlantic provinces and the Territories. These fee regions reflect the CMPA’s commitment to the equitable allocation of protection costs.
The 2018 aggregate fee requirement for each region is as follows:
- In the British Columbia and Alberta region, the aggregate fee requirement is $170 million, which is unchanged from 2017. This results in a 3% decrease on a per member basis.
- While still negative, the funding position in the Ontario region has improved. The 2018 aggregate fee requirement is $351 million, which is $32 million less than that charged in 2017. The decrease on a per member basis is 12%
- Positive investment returns and stable occurrence year costs have contributed to the Québec region further improving its positive funded position. Consequently, the aggregate fee requirement is $56 million, which is $13 million less than in 2017. The per member decrease is just under 23%.
- While protection costs are rising in the Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Atlantic provinces and Territories region, the region remains in a positive position. The 2018 aggregate fee requirement is $56 million which is approximately $5 million higher than the prior year. This produces an 8% increase in per member fees.
While the frequency of legal claims brought against CMPA members across the country has been stable over the past several years, in the past five years, the CMPA has paid, on behalf of its members, approximately $1 billion in compensation to patients.
“The CMPA continues to work collaboratively with governments and others to advance system changes that reduce unnecessary costs,” said Dr. Hartley Stern, CEO at the CMPA. “The most effective means of cost containment is to improve the safety of medical care and the CMPA offers one of Canada’s most comprehensive and respected continuing medical education programs. We support members throughout the continuum of their practice and across different practice settings.”
The CMPA is strongly committed to improving the safety of medical care in Canada and annually provides hundreds of educational presentations to physicians and other healthcare professionals. Working with others, the Association provides evidence-based analysis to assist governments, medical organizations, healthcare bodies, and hospitals reduce the incidence of harm. Its wide repository of risk management information is publicly available on the Association’s website.
The 2018 membership fee schedule will be available to members attending the annual meeting and is posted on the CMPA website at www.cmpa-acpm.ca.
For more information, please contact:
Dima Hanhan
Media Relations
Canadian Medical Protective Association
[email protected]
About the CMPA:
The Canadian Medical Protective Association provides advice, legal assistance and an extensive risk management education program to more than 95,000 physicians. It is the principal provider of medical liability protection in Canada and is governed by an elected council of physicians. As an essential component of the healthcare system, the CMPA is firmly committed to protecting the professional integrity of physicians and promoting safe medical care.
