• Graduated from a recognized institution with minimum of 2200 hours osteopathic training including 1000 hours of supervised clinical practice.
• Be a current resident of Ontario.
• Hold a professional liability insurance policy.
• Be a graduate of osteopathy from a recognized college.
• Have one year clinical experience.
• Complete an application form.
• Submit the initial membership registration fee ($500.00) - First year Registrants only.

YEARLY RENEWAL OF MEMBERSHIP

• Fee to be paid $200.00

APPLICATION PROCESS

Every application is different and as this is the inaugural registration process the Board reviews every application individually. Put together all accessible documents and submit your application with the registration fee of $500.00 for new members.

After receiving the application form and copies of your diplomas, a letter will be send out indicating your assessment results. We may ask for more information or request a resubmission of the application.

INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

Liability Insurance is required in order to practice on the general public.

Please contact HOLMAN INSURANCE BROKERS
Peter Fetherston
Associate Broker

Holman Insurance Brokers Ltd.
Tel: 905-886-5630 Ext 1428
Fax: 905-886-5622
3100 Steeles Ave. East, Suite 101, Markham, Ontario L3R 8T3 Canada

Website: www.holmanins.com
Specialist website: www.therapistinsurance.ca
Email: peter.fetherston@holmanins.com

Holman Insurance Brokers Ltd. would like the opportunity to offer a competitive & comprehensive Therapy Insurance policy, with premium's starting at $190 a year for limits of $1,000,000 per claim; $2,000,000 Aggregate.
We can cover an unmatched list of over 300 + complementry Modalities, many of which can be added at no cost to your policy.

• Limits of indemnity available up to $5,000,000 per claim/$10,000,000 aggregate
• $25,000 Personal Information Protections and Electronic Document Act Coverage (S.C.,2000, C.5) - NEW & UNIQUE!
• With criminal opportunities for hackers, fraud and cyber liabilities, our policy covers your important records for medical questionnaires, patient billings, records and anything else; hacking can cost the livelihood of your business and personal assets! - Vast majority of insurers cannot cover this!
• Unintentional Breach of Confidentiality - privacy breach
• Libel & Slander
• E-Consulting / Skype Coverage included
• Canada-Wide Coverage
• Automatic Extended Reporting period 2 years included for therapists retiring, leaving the industry - most insurer's common charge you for this coverage!
• Duty to Refer to Healthcare Service Providers
• Loss of Documents
• Sexual Harassment / Abuse (including Mental, physical, emotional) $100,000 * Common exclusion to most insurance policies Infringement of Copyright
• Claims handling support from experienced lawyers who understand the difficulties that healthcare provider's face and the need to protect your reputation!
• Underwritten by the largest insurance company in the World! Lloyds of London
• As opposed to Certificates of Insurance, we provide full policy wordings- so you completely understand what you are covered for!
• Optional Commercial General Liability - starting at $95 a year
• When operating a home-based business or you rent / lease a space, this will cover slip & fall accidents and property damage for patients entering the premise (typically excluded by home-owners policies), which comprises 70% of all liability claims!

MEETING THE BOARDS REQUIREMENTS

For existing practitioners, we will require education transcripts and diplomas and clinic information.

• The member must have passed and received their DOMP designation or equivalency in Canada and be from an approved College under the Associations review.

The list is as follow:
- Canadian College of Holistic Health
- Canadian College of Osteopathy
- College d’Etudes Osteopathiques
- National Academy of Osteopathy
- British School of Osteopathy
- Austria Vienna School of Osteopathy
- Still Academy
- Instituto Superiore di Osteopatia
- European College for Osteopath
- Canadian Osteopathy Examination Board

Please contact our offices to verify your school or association standing. All those attempting to seek membership must be interviewed through the Registration board to be evaluated.

• All those seeking membership must provide a copy of their diploma and sealed transcript for verification of credentials.
• All Osteopathy practitioners that emigrate from the US are invited to submit their transcripts for review and validation.

DEFINITION

Osteopathy is a unique and natural medicine for treatment diseases. Osteopathy applies the knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathology together with palpation methods to find the restricted or constricted areas of the body, and with gentle manipulation ease these restriction and bring back the normal functioning of the organs.

Osteopathy was developed by a known physician A.T. Still, (1822-1917) in 1874. Osteopathy takes into account the body as a complete system and emphasizes on the inter-relationship of the body’s nerves, muscles, bones and organs.

DUTIES AND OBLIGATIONS TOWARDS THE PUBLIC

1. At all times, everywhere and in all circumstances, an Osteopathic Manual Practitioner (OMP) must act accordingly to the laws of life and health. He/ She has the duty to help people and in protecting their well being.
   
   
2. Every OMP has the responsibility to favour the progress of osteopathy amongst the population by taking informative measures and being educating in his/her field of practice.
   
   
3. Every OMP must practice in a place respecting the rules of hygiene and public sanitation as well as in conditions non susceptible to compromise, to ensure the quality of his/her services. The practitioner must be physically neat and careful in his/her language and attitude towards every person.
   
   
4. The OMP must express his/her opinions with honesty and precision when addressing the public. He/she must restrain from diffusing false information concerning a therapy or a remedy, nor any remedy, treatment or instrument that has not been the subject of a study or agreement with a committee of colleagues from the Association.
   
   
5. The OMP must keep him/her self at all times from harassing any person by demanding funds or by publicizing, recruiting, referring or soliciting his consultant to sectarian groups that are communal, esoteric, religious, spiritual or political.
   
   
6. The OMP must inform the public with honesty as to his/her intervention role in natural health, collaborating and respecting other intervening individuals, taking in consideration first of all, to protect the person/ patient.
   

DUTIES AND OBLIGATION TOWARDS THE PATIENT

1. The OMP must abstain himself from guaranteeing explicitly or implicitly any form of healing.
   
   
2. The OMP should inform the patient that he can provide tools that will enhance the natural process of re-establishing health inherent to everyone, within the individual limits of each person.
   
   
3. The OMP should not refuse his /her services for reasons of race, colour, sexual orientation, age, convictions either political or religious, language and social status, nor physical or mental handicap.
   
   
4. The OMP must be compassionate and able to respond to the consultant’s requests. He/she must develop ways to treat the patient by listening and intervening as he/she should want a professional to do the same for him/ her.
   
   
5. The OMP should fully inform the patient about the nature, the effects, the duration, the cost, the limits and the compatibility with other care involved in the treatment. He must obtain from the patient a free and enlightened agreement.
   
   
6. The OMP must account for his/her capacities and know-how as well as the options at his/her disposition. If there is any doubt, he/she must seek advice from another therapist or practitioner or refer the patient to any other competent intervening individual. The practitioner must allow the patient at all times his freedom of choice concerning his/her therapy and his/her therapist. He/she must recognize at all times the right of his/her patient to require another competent therapist.
   
   
7. The OMP should answer the request of the patient before all. He/she must establish a relation of confidence between him/her self and the patient. In order to do this it is preferably to:
       a. abstain from being impersonal in his/her practice.
       b. conduct the interviews respecting the personal convictions of the patient.
   
   
8. The OMP is the only person who should accompany a patient during a consultation. He must not delegate any task concerning the practice of osteopathy to a subordinate not qualified as an OMP.
   
   
9. The OMP should abstain from interfering in the personal affairs of his/her patients on subjects that do not refer to his/her competence.
   
   
10. The OMP should not administer any care, treatment or remedy unless it is necessary and expected to be beneficial and should cease if harmful or inefficient.
    
    
11. The OMP must abstain himself/herself from any form of sexual harassment.
    
    
12. The OMP should abstain from seeking or obtaining unduly any profit by prescribing remedies, exams or treatments.
    
    
13. If the OMP is self-employed and responsible, He/ She is the only judge of the number and frequency of his/her interventions toward his/her patients as long as they are personalized and respecting the general boundaries of Osteopathy.

INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

The Ontario Association of Osteopathy requires all members who practice Osteopathy to purchase a professional liability insurance policy.

FEES AND INSURANCE REIMBURSEMENT FORMS

1. The OMP should ask for and accept fair and reasonable fees.
   
   
2. The OMP should supply to his patients all the necessary explanations in order to comprehend their statement of fees.
   
   
3. The OMP should abstain from sharing his fees with anyone.
   
   
4. The OMP should abstain from claiming fees for services not received. The practitioner can establish and post in advance with the patient a policy of appointment cancellations (for example 24 hours in advance) in which case the patient can be held to pay the fee established by the policy.
   
   
5. The OMP should abstain from requesting to be paid in advance for his/her services.
   
   
6. The OMP may not receive fees for consultations made by telephone.
   
   
7. The MP should abstain from giving any advantage, payback, gift or commission related to the exercise of his profession.
   
   
8. The OMP can accept under certain conditions (at the end of a succession of treatments for example) a gift from the consultant providing:
   
   1. that it does not contravene the present articles of the code.
   2. that it is not a general and repeated habit or that the gift is used as leverage by the patient which could jeopardize the therapeutic relationship. In that case or if there is any doubt, the practitioner should refuse the gift and inform the patient about the reasons motivating his decision.
   If there is any doubt, the practitioner must consult the O.A.O. or a colleague for supervision.
   
   
9. Any trading or bartering on the part of the practitioner, it should be done according to the spirit of the present code.
   
   
10. The OMP must strictly use the official O.A.O. form for the patients that can benefit from a reimbursement from private insurance companies. In any case the practitioner should not use a copy or a photocopy.
    
    
11. The OMP should leave in the patients file a copy of the form fully completed for usual verifications.
    

DUTIES AND OBLIGATIONS TOWARD THE PROFESSION

1. An OMP should not proclaim himself/ herself otherwise. If he/she practices another profession, he/she should notify it to the O.A.O., to the public and to the patients. This article respects the free choice of everyone to evolve and to fulfill his potential as a whole being responsible towards, him/her self and the profession and to the public.
   
   
2. The OMP should never criticize a colleague ( or any other professional health care practitioner intervening) or his methods in front of a consultant or the public in general.
   
   
3. The OMP should never condemn a theory, a remedy or a new therapy, unless his conclusions are in accordance with the O.A.O. The practitioner must abstain from denigrate any other form of therapy or any other therapist beyond what has been made public.
   
   
4. The OMP should abstain from gaining or gain anyone an unjustified material advantage. Notably with a falsified declaration, a report or any other document related to a person’s health or a given service.
   
   
5. The OMP should collaborate with any other therapist treating his patient and supply any information that could help with the treatment.
   
   
6. The OMP should abstain from attributing to himself the merit of discoveries or work belonging to another or to distort the truth by omission.
   
   
7. If possible the OMP must help developing the field of practice by exchanging knowledge and experience with colleagues.
   
   
8. The OMP must do everything in his power, while keeping the goal of public protection, to safeguard and defend the honor and reputation of its colleagues and everyone in the profession. In agreement with the O.A.O., the practitioner must honestly defend osteopathy when unjustly criticized.
   

DUTIES TOWARDS THE ONTARIO ASSOCIATION OF OSTEOPATHY

1. Every OMP who wants to become a member or retain membership of the O.A.O.N.M. must recognize and be in conformity with the code of ethics.
   
   
2. The membership to the O.A.O.N.M. is not a permanent right and maybe revoked or withdrawn. It is a privilege and may be questioned at all times.
   
   
3. The OMP must, as a proof of allegiance, sustain the O.A.O.N.M. by his contribution in the form of an annual fee.
   
   
4. In conformity with the previous articles of the code of ethics regarding the respect of the person and the protection of the public, the OMP must keep from any conflict of interest that could jeopardize his integrity and his loyalty towards the O.A.O.
   
   
5. The Disciplinary Committee of the O.A.O.N.M. is responsible for the application of professional duties of the observance on the constitution. They recommend sanctions to be imposed by the administration office.
   
   
6. In the case of complaints on the part of the patient, the Committee of Ethics will survey and make the necessary recommendations to the Discipline Committee that will determine the future attitude of the professional member to assure the protection of the public.
   
   
7. The OMP must respond in writing without delay to any correspondence from the O.A.O.N.M. by collaborating and supplying the requested information.
   
   
8. Any suspended or eradicated member from the O.A.O.N.M. may be reinstated if the administration office decides so awaiting upon supplying sufficient proof as to the intention to amend, and to respect the rules of the code of ethics.
   
   
9. Such suspended or eradicated member may have to take upgrading courses and succeed any exams imposed by the O.A.O.N.M.
   
   
10. A practitioner who carries a grave prejudice either to the O.A.O.N.M., towards a patient or colleague, could be eradicated for life after investigation, survey and the member has explained or disclosed all information in front of the Committee of Discipline.
    
    
11. Any practitioner must notify the O.A.O.N.M. of any knowledge of a colleague which he believes is unworthy, incompetent or unable to practice or in contravention of the code of ethics.

PROFESSIONAL SECRECY AND PATIENT FILES

1. The OMP must respect and be assured of the confidentiality of the patients file.
   
   
2. The OMP should keep a file of each patient containing at least:
   
   1. The name, sex, date of birth and address.
   2. Dates of consultation.
   3. The nature of the consultation and effects of the treatment.
   4. The opinion of the therapist as to the evolution and health state of the consultant.
   5. Details about the consultation and the collaboration with another therapist.
   6. The coordinates of any other professional referred to or by.
   7. A copy of the insurance reimbursement form duly completed.
   8. His/ her signature of consent.
      
      
3. The OMP should keep each file for at least (5) five years after the last inscription in it.
   
   
4. The OMP should keep his files in a locked and secure place or a file cabinet out of reach of the public and away from covetousness.
   
   
5. The OMP should allow the patient to obtain a copy of his files by himself/herself and other persons legally authorized, the consultant or any other person mandated by the patient.
   

FORBIDDEN ACTS

1. The OMP should abstain from all of the following:
   
   • Any surgery or major penetration of the tissues.
   • Using any instrument beyond natural apertures (mouth, anus, vagina).
   • Any ionizing exposition (x-rays).
   • Any prescription of drugs or medication
   • Any putting back or stopping of medication or medical interventions.
   • Any sickness diagnostic.
   • Any treatment of venereal and contagious diseases with obligation to declare by law except by referral of a doctor.
   • Any warranty either implicit or explicit of healing an illness.
   • Any abuse while exercising his profession due to inexperience, ignorance, or naïve of the poor state of health of the patient.
   • To exercise his profession under the influence of alcoholic beverages, drugs, hallucinogens, anesthetics or narcotic preparations or any other substance that can cause impairment or lower your faculties or become unconscious.
   • To intervene towards a patient with faculties affected by alcohol, medication, drugs or hallucinogens possibly creating confusion and ambiguity about the nature of the intervention, unless there is a context adapted for this type of problem.

FORMAL HEARINGS

The Ontario Association of Osteopathy and Natural Medicine (the Association) conducts formal hearings to investigate serious allegations of unprofessional conduct.
Formal hearings are open to the community and the media and notices about forthcoming hearings are published on the website.

Proceedings in such hearings are formal and both the Ethics and Disciplinary Committee and the Osteopathic practitioners are permitted to have legal representation. Witnesses maybe cross-examined. Formal hearing panels must determine if a practitioner has:
    • Engaged in unprofessional conduct of a serious nature.
    • Engaged in unprofessional conduct, not of a serious nature.
    • Not engaged in unprofessional conduct.

If the panel finds that the MP has engaged in unprofessional conduct, the panel on behalf of the Disciplinary Committee can impose the following sanctions:
    • Counseling.
    • Caution.
    • Reprimand.
    • Further education.
    • Imposition of conditions, limitations or restrictions on registration.
    • Imposition of a fine not more than $10,000.
    • Suspension of registration for a period.
    • Cancellation of registration.
    • Refusing registration or renewal of registration .

Appeals against decisions made by formal hearing panels can be taken to the superintendent of committees.

The Ontario Association of Osteopathy (the Association) conducts formal hearings to investigate serious allegations of unprofessional conduct.

Proceedings in such hearings are formal and both the Association and the osteopathic practitioners are permitted to be legally represented. Witnesses may be cross-examined.

HOW TO FILE A COMPLAINT

The Ontario Association of Osteopathy and Natural Medicine can investigate the professional conduct or fitness to practice of a registered Osteopathic Manual Practitioner, impose sanctions as necessary and issue guidelines in relation to the standards of osteopathic practice. The Association does not act for a complainant in respect of compensation, or make request of an apology or otherwise. The Association will consider and determine complaints in accordance with the Code of Ethics and administrative fairness.

COMPLAINTS ABOUT FEES AND CHARGES

The Association cannot deal with complaints concerning practitioner’s fees and charges unless the conduct involves fraud or dishonesty or is so grossly excessive as to constitute unprofessional conduct.

ANONYMOUS COMPLAINTS

Although it is recognized that under privacy legislation individuals have a right to interact with the Association anonymously, the Association highly recommends that complaints be put in writing. It is difficult to deal with anonymous complaints or complaints where the person making the report is not prepared to lodge a formal complaint. The written complaint clarifies issues and is an important piece of evidence required for effective investigation. A record of all telephone calls is noted.

MAKING A COMPLAINT

All reasonable effort is made to ensure that the process is as straight-forward as possible. Complaints are referred directly to the Registrar. A written and signed complaint will be requested. This may be a letter or a statement. The Registrar will request that you also complete a “Complaint Notice”.

What Should You Write?

• Briefly set out the facts:
      - first hand, verifiable information is the most effective.
      - give a factual, objective account.
      - identify the persons involved.
• Provide evidence and / or supporting documentation if available.
• Provide relevant background information.
• Provide your contact details.

What next?

The Registrar will usually write to the complainant to confirm receiving the complaint and, if necessary, clarify details.
As a matter of process the practitioner against whom a complaint is being made is usually provided with a copy of the complaint and asked to respond.
Once a person has lodged a complaint with the panel, they shall become a witness for the panel, should the matter proceed to a hearing.
The whole of this process is likely to take a minimum of 3 months. The complaint review, investigation, and hearing may take an extended period of time depending on the level of evidence required and the complexity of the case.

After an investigation the panel may decide one of the following:
    • That the matter will not precede any further.
    • That an informal hearing will be held.
    • That a formal hearing will be held.

The complainant is informed of the outcome. If a hearing is to be conducted the complainant may be requested to attend and provide evidence.

Costs

The Association meets its own costs of investigations and hearings. Practitioners must meet their own costs.