Personal Professional Liability Insurance for Physiotherapists
On November 19, 2024, Council reviewed and upheld the 2013 Council decision to require personal liability insurance from all registrants with a certificate of practice under the RHPA. Only those registered with CPM who hold a valid certificate of practice are authorized to practice physiotherapy in Manitoba and use title, similar to the current Active practice license. This decision was confirmed in preparation for the profession moving under the Regulated Health Professions Act. This announcement is being made in advance of the transition under the RHPA to allow time for registrants to prepare for this updated requirement. In making this decision, the Council considered that physiotherapists are autonomous health professionals accountable for their own conduct and practice. They were also cognizant that liability insurance provides financial compensation for members of the public that have been harmed because of malpractice or negligence by a professional. Therefore, this decision allowed Council to ensure that the public would have access to equitable compensation regardless of where physiotherapy services were accessed in Manitoba. The new physiotherapy regulations under the RHPA will clarify that those who hold a certificate of practice must be covered by personal professional liability insurance of an approved type to a minimum of five million dollars for each occurrence or claim. This will be independent of any insurance that may be available through the employer. Personal liability insurance is now available through a variety of vendors. Please note that not all policies offer the same coverage.
Applicants are responsible for reviewing each policy and making an informed decision. The College of Physiotherapists of Manitoba does not endorse a specific product or validate the information contained within each vendor’s website.
The College has offered education sessions on personal liability insurance through the main providers for our registrants, BMS offered through the Canadian Physiotherapy Association and PhysioSure offered through HUB International.
If you would like more information, these recorded presentations are available in the “Lunch and Learn” section of the Professional Development and Committee Portal. At the end of each presentation, the representative provided contact information if you have any questions regarding their products.
**Please Note: Although CPM’s General Regulation for the RHPA is in the process of being drafted by the Manitoba Legislative Unit, we do not have a timeline in place for the transition to the RHPA to occur.
Changes in Membership Categories under the Regulated
Health Professions Act (RHPA)
As CPM prepares to transition to the RHPA, Council has begun to share information on some changes that the new legislation will bring. One notable change is regarding the new Membership Classes. Under the RHPA, CPM will be expected to have a register of regulated members. Regulated members are those that are eligible to be issued a certificate of practice.
To register as a regulated member, a physiotherapist who wishes to work in Manitoba will first be required to register with the College. This registration alone does not allow a physiotherapist to practice or use title. In addition, the physiotherapist will be required to apply for a certificate of practice. The certificate of practice is what will allow a physiotherapist to practice as a physiotherapist and use title in Manitoba. The certificate of practice is similar to the current Active practice license.
The current legislation, Physiotherapists Act, has provisions for registers that will not be available under the RHPA, such as the Inactive register. The Inactive register will be available for as long as our current Act is in force, however this will no longer be an option as we transition to the RHPA.
Under our current legislation, physiotherapists are required to switch to an Inactive license if they won’t be practicing for more than three months, such as during a leave of absence (i.e. maternity or parental leave). However, under the RHPA, this option is not available. Physiotherapists will need to weigh the pros and cons individually to decide whether to keep or relinquish their certificate of practice during their leave.
If they choose to keep it, they must continue to meet requirements, like maintaining liability insurance and participating in the Continuing Competency Program. If they choose to relinquish their certificate of practice, they will be required to reapply when returning to practice. There will be fees for reinstating registration and the certificate of practice under the RHPA. These fees will be set by the Council and communicated before the transition.
Further information on these changes will be communicated as we move closer to our transition under the RHPA. Individuals who are on the Inactive register closer to the time of transition will be contacted individually to discuss the options available to them.