Regulatory Colleges Explore Clinic Regulation
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TORONTO, ON., August 20, 2015 - The College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO) has announced that, along with the regulatory colleges of eight other health professions, they will be involved in the development of a Clinic Regulation Model for Regulated Health Professions.
The RMTAO has received many reports of members dealing with unregulated clinic owners that are engaging in unethical activities, such as preventing access to health records or using RMT registration numbers inappropriately.
“This is an opportunity to assist in the evolution of our self-regulation, and help prevent undue pressure being placed on RMTs when there are conflicts about regulatory requirements,” said Andrew Lewarne, Executive Director and CEO of the RMTAO.
Currently, regulation only applies on an individual practitioner level; there is no way to address inappropriate behavior by unregulated clinic owners. The CMTO also stated that it is also difficult to protect the public interest when regulations are only placed on health professionals and not on their employers or the systems in which they work.
The CMTO has indicated that the intent of clinic regulation is to be non-duplicative and cost neutral, and it is not intended to be an additional burden on individual RMTs or RMT clinic owners. Further development will need to take place before this model is put in place. The CMTO is planning workshops in the coming months to assist massage therapists in understanding and encouraging them to respond to this proposal. This strong oversight of healthcare at the system level, including clinics, will contribute to better protection of the public and individual practitioners.
For more information about the progress of Clinic Regulation, read the message from the CMTO Registrar.