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Executive Summary June 19 & 20, 2009 Council Meeting

The Council of the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Saskatchewan operates under an explicit set of governance policies. It strives to make its' work as transparent as possible to the medical profession and the general public.

Those portions of the Council's deliberations that are not confidential are open to observation by any person subject to space availability in the meeting room.

At the conclusion of each Council meeting an Executive Summary of the meeting is widely distributed to the District Medical Associations, related organizations and the public media. This Executive Summary provides a brief overview of issues discussed, decisions made, and/or actions taken by the Council. If any person wishes more detailed information about any of the issues which are not subject to confidentiality constraints, these can be obtained by contacting Ms. Tracy Hastings, the College's Regulatory Services Coordinator, at 500 - 321A 21st Street East, Saskatoon SK S7K 0C1; Phone (306) 244-7355; Fax (306) 244-0090; Email tracy.hastings@cps.sk.ca.

The Council held a penalty hearing in response to a guilty plea from Dr. Bruce Zimmerman to five charges of unprofessional conduct. Three charges related to Dr Zimmerman's failure to provide medical services to patients at the Indian Head Hospital when he was on call for the hospital and accepted payment from MSB for being on call. Two charges related to Dr. Zimmerman provision of medical treatment to himself in the emergency department of the Indian Head Hospital. The penalty imposed by the Council included a reprimand, a fine of $10,000 and the payment of costs totalling $16,431.66.

The Council held a penalty hearing in response to a guilty plea from Dr. Laurens Steenberg to a charge of unprofessional conduct arising from Dr. Steenberg's failure to make entries into the medical record system of the clinic in which he practiced for more than 5,000 doctor-patient encounters between 2004 and 2008. The penalty imposed by the Council included: a one month suspension of practice privileges and the payment of costs totalling $3,389.84.

The council met with Mr. Gordon Stewart of KPMG, the Council appointed auditor, to review the audited financial statements of the College for the year ending December 31, 2008.

The Council met with Mr. Max Hendricks, Associate Deputy Minister of Health, and Mr. Brad Havervold, Executive Director of the Medical Services Branch, to discuss issues of mutual interest. Most of the discussion focused on the government's announced plans to develop Saskatchewan-based IMG evaluation capacity and a provincial physician recruitment/retention strategy.

Three members of the College staff provided an update report to the Council on the plans for online physician registration renewal this fall, a proposal to develop an online physician registration system, revamp the College's website, and enhance the College's use of information technology in other domains of the College's work such Complaints Investigation. The Council authorized the Registrar to expend $275,000 in the 2009 fiscal year to achieve the proposed IT enhancements.

The Council also:

  1. Adopted amendments to the College's Regulatory Bylaws.

  2. Discussed the potential impact of the AIT on medical licensure policies across Canada and gave direction to the Registrar for potential extension of provisional registered IMG specialists pending the development of a national consensus on evaluation and registration of IMG specialists.

  3. Approved a set of practice proposals for EMT's and Paramedics that were recommended by the Expert advisory Committee on EMT & Paramedic Practice.

  4. Reviewed a policy of the College's ECG Committee on revalidation of ECG interpretation skills for family physicians who have previously passed the College's ECG exam and who do fewer than 500 ECG interpretations over 5 years. The Council determined that it will meet with the Chair of its ECG Committee at its next meeting to discuss the revalidation policy and process.

  5. Gave direction to Mr. Salte to draft bylaws for consideration at its September meeting which would make satisfactory completion of the Medical Council of Canada's Evaluating Examination (MCCEE) a prerequisite for IMG registration . This policy change is an essential first step in alignment of the Saskatchewan's Medical Licensure Policies with most other provinces and the anticipated National Medical Licensure Standards being developed through the Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada (FMRAC).

  6. Appointed Dr. Ayaz Ramji as a member of the Practice Enhancement Program (PEP) Committee.

  7. Considered and discussed with the Registrar the Registrar's written reports regarding his advancement of the Council's organizational END pertaining to Healthy Public Policy and his compliance with the Council's Executive Limitation policies pertaining to:

    1. The College's public Image;

    2. Partnerships and inter-organizational relationships;

    3. Information management.

  8. Adopted a written summary of the reasoning for its decision to not extend the temporary registration of Dr. Saha.

  9. Updated Council policies, particularly pertaining to the role and responsibilities of the Chair of the Council.

  10. Dealt with the scope of the surgical practice of a physician who has been practising on a restricted license.

The Council will next meet on Thursday, September 17th and Friday, September 18th.

On the evening of September 18th and the whole day of September 19th the Council will participate in an Interdisciplinary Conference on Patient Safety that is co-hosted by the College of Physicians & Surgeons, The College of Pharmacists, and The Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association.

The Annual Meeting of the College of Physicians & Surgeons will be convened at noon on Saturday, September 19th , as an integral part of the Interdisciplinary Conference. The meeting is open to the public and the public media. It is not necessary to be a paid registrant at the Interdisciplinary Conference to attend the College's AGM.