MERS-CoV update for health professionals
14 August 2015
MERS-CoV update: August 14, 2015
14 August 2015
The Provincial Infectious Diseases Advisory Committee on Infection Prevention and Control has updated Tools for Preparedness: Triage, screening and patient management of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infections in acute care settings.
“Screening and Patient Management Algorithm for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)” found on page 9 has been updated with current information on countries affected by MERS-CoV, travel history and specimens for testing at the Public Health Ontario Laboratory. Updates to the document are noted and highlighted in the text.
The document is a supplement to existing documents, including Routine Practices and Additional Precautions in all Health Care Settings and Annex B: Prevention of transmission of acute respiratory infection in all health care settings. This tool should be used in conjunction with guidance from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, available at: www.ontario.ca/novelcoronavirus.
AHPDF: grants for MLTs
14 August 2015
Need a speaker?
07 July 2015
To request a CMLTO representative to deliver a presentation at your organization, please e-mail memberrelations@cmlto.com.
New CMLTO poster
03 July 2015
As one of the major milestones in this Council-initiated project which is a step towards regulating medical laboratory technicians and assistants, the Voluntary Roster gives this group of laboratory practitioners the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to public protection and professionalism by joining.
Learn more about the poster (PDF) here, and the initiative here. To subscribe to email updates about the initiative, click here.
CMLTO releases new poster
03 July 2015
As one of the major milestones in this Council-initiated project towards regulating medical laboratory technicians and assistants, the Voluntary Roster gives this group of laboratory practitioners the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to public protection and professionalism by joining.
Until such time that medical laboratory assistants and medical laboratory technicians are regulated health professionals in Ontario, the Voluntary Roster will serve the public interest by confirming they have voluntarily met a certain level of education and professional practice qualifications.
Download the poster (PDF) here. If you’d like a presentation about the initiative made at your workplace, or printed copies of the poster, please contact us at memberrelations@cmlto.com.
Blood Regulations: Health Canada
02 July 2015
The Canada Vigilance Program is Health Canada’s post-market surveillance program that is responsible for the collection, management and assessment of adverse reaction reports. Click here (PDF) for reporting details.
Improving privacy and accountability
16 June 2015
The province intends to introduce amendments to the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) that, if passed, would strengthen privacy rules, make it easier to prosecute offences and increase fines.
Bill 78, Electronic Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2013 will be reintroduced. The Bill involves a major revision to the PHIPA. In addition, the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA) is amended. Click here for more information about how it would affect regulatory Colleges as well as their members.
Strengthening privacy and accountability in the health care system
15 June 2015
Ontario is improving privacy and accountability in the health care system with new measures to protect the personal health information of patients. Click here for the official announcement.
The province intends to introduce amendments to the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) that, if passed, would strengthen privacy rules, make it easier to prosecute offences and increase fines.
Bill 78, Electronic Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2013 will be reintroduced. It permits the establishment of electronic health records by non-custodians. Health information custodians will be given access to the electronic data bank in appropriate circumstances. The Bill involves a major revision to the Personal Health Information Protection Act. In addition, the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA) is amended to permit the Minister to make regulations requiring a regulated health professional College to collect from its members information specified in the regulations that is necessary for ensuring effective electronic health records and requiring the College to disclose such information to a prescribed organization. A member of the College would be required to comply with the college’s request for information.
The most significant privacy enhancements announced below read as follows:
• increasing accountability and transparency by making it mandatory to report privacy breaches to the Information and Privacy Commissioner and, in certain cases, to relevant regulatory Colleges
• strengthening the process to prosecute offences under PHIPA by removing the requirement that prosecutions must be commenced within six months of the alleged privacy breach
• further discouraging "snooping" into patient records by doubling the fines for offences under PHIPA from $50,000 to $100,000 for individuals and from $250,000 to $500,000 for the organization
• clarifying the authority under which health care providers may collect, use and disclose personal health information in electronic health records.
The earliest this Bill could be introduced is late September 2015. Further information about this legislation will be available at that time.
OFC 2014 Fair Registration Practice report
15 June 2015
The OFC gathers regulatory bodies' exemplary licensing practices and it noted CMLTO's detailed 'process map' with timelines as an exemplary practice.
