OTTAWA, July 8, 2024—As an essential component of the Canadian healthcare system, the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) is proud to share its 2023 annual report, which illustrates the Association’s notable achievements over the past year.
The annual report demonstrates how in 2023 the CMPA continued to support Canadian doctors with medico-legal matters, improve patient safety through learning and research, and compensate patients proven to have been harmed by negligent medical care (fault in Québec).
“Our promise to be here for our physician members while continuing to play an important role in empowering better healthcare.” said Dr. Lisa Calder, CMPA’s CEO. “We know healthcare is becoming more complex and the challenges facing members are growing. That’s why in 2023, we continued to focus on what we do best, protecting the professional integrity of physicians and advancing the safety of medical care.”
The CMPA’s key achievements over the past year include:
- Responding to over 29,000 requests for assistance (20,592 requests for advice and 8,538 new medico-legal cases) and engaging with Canadian physicians over 49,000 times on the phone and online, providing expert and compassionate guidance on medico-legal issues.
- Delivering the CMPA Patient Safety Primer workshop to over 1,550 resident physicians and sharing our Good Practices resources over 227,000 times, helping members enhance patient safety.
- Publishing peer-reviewed research and shared medico-legal data and insights to support patient safety, including new Know Your Risk reports that present medico-legal data by clinical specialty to help identify areas of risk and enhance safe medical care.
- Paid close to $308 million, on behalf of our members, in compensation to patients proven harmed as a result of negligent medical care (fault in Quebec).
- Actioning Equity Diversity and Inclusion principles laid out in our 2022-2025 EDI Strategy by hiring the CMPA’s first EDI Strategic Lead, participating in restorative justice approaches, and continuing to embed inclusivity into our operations and governance practices, and in our services to members.
- Supporting physician wellness by initiating a successful peer support pilot program that will provide enhanced support to members experiencing significant emotional distress from a medico-legal event.
- Advocating on behalf of members to shape policy on key issues – such as healthcare human resources, virtual care, and MAID – that impact patients, physicians, and the medical liability system.
“One of our goals at the CMPA is to prevent harm from happening to patients in the first place by providing advice and learning to help our members provide safe medical care,” indicated Dr. Jean-Hugues Brossard, CMPA President. “But when it’s proven that harm has occurred due to negligent care (fault in Québec), part of our role is to compensate patients appropriately and in a timely manner. Notably, in 2023, we paid close to $308 million, on behalf of our members, in compensation to patients proven harmed as a result of negligent medical care (fault in Quebec).”
In addition to the key accomplishments outlined in the report, the Association also established its strategic direction for the next three years, with the launch of its 2023-2025 Strategic Plan. The plan focuses on five key areas: Member Experience, Talent, Learning, Data, and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and will also allow the Association to modernize its governance practices.
“In 2023, we launched our new three-year Strategic Plan, designed to support our 111,000+ Canadian physician members,” said Dr. Lisa Calder, CMPA’s CEO. “This plan guides us in supporting members and employees, strengthening our foundation through collaboration, and adapting to a changing healthcare environment through modernization, and assist us in continuing to empower better healthcare.”
The CMPA’s annual report also highlights how the Association continues to responsibly steward members’ fees and advocate for changes that positively impact the Canadian healthcare system.
Review the CMPA's 2023 annual report.
For more information, or to arrange an interview: [email protected].
About the CMPA
The CMPA empowers better healthcare by delivering efficient, high-quality physician-to-physician advice and assistance in medico-legal matters. Importantly, the CMPA provides appropriate compensation, on behalf of our members, to patients proven to have been injured by negligent medical care (fault in Québec). Our peer-reviewed research results in evidence-based products and services focused on enhancing patient safety and reducing patient harm and healthcare costs.
As Canada’s largest physician organization and with the support of its more than 111,000 physician members, the CMPA collaborates, advocates, and effects positive change on important healthcare and medico-legal issues. The Association is governed by an elected Council of physicians.
