Ontario college was already publicly posting 'virtually all' physician info now required by Bill 87

Toronto - Concerns over the new Protecting Patients Act are approaching a fever pitch in the Ontario medical profession, but it turns out the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario had already implemented certain aspects of the bill well before it ever became law.College spokesperson Kathryn Clarke explained that in August 2012, the college began to review and revise its bylaws as part of its own transparency initiative (prompted at least in part by increasing pressure to do so from members of the media and the provincial government)."We had already identified and implemented virtually all of the public register additions now passed by Bill 87," Clarke explained. "Our bylaws were amended to provide us the authority to post more physician-specific information online."Some of that information includes criminal convictions made on or after June 1, 2015, criminal charges against a doctor (though these are removed if the doctor is exonerated) and bail conditions of those cases. The college also determined it should post cautions as well as disciplinary findings from other provinces or jurisdictions against a doctor licensed in Ontario.That's not to say, however, that the Protecting Patients Act has not introduced new concerns for physicians. As the Medical Post previously reported, the law now compels the college to revoke the licence of doctors in every case where they are found guilty of sexually touching a patient, and mandates an automatic licence suspension when they are found guilty in a sex-related case where their licence is not revoked (such as making sexual comments, etc.).The new law also gives the college the right to suspend an accused physician's licence before their case is heard. If they appeal a conviction, any penalties prescribed by the college will remain in full force during that process.While these last two provisions are effective immediately now that the bill is law, Clarke pointed out that certain provisions of the bill won't take effect until its supporting regulations are passed.

Ontario college was already publicly posting 'virtually all' physician info now required by Bill 87

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