The A-COPS Strike Back

Bill 209 was passed into law on April 24, 1996 allowing Alberta doctors to perform any alternative therapy provided that it cannot be proven to do more harm than conventional drug and surgical treatments. According to Bill 209:

"A registered practitioner shall not be found guilty of unbecoming conduct or be found to be incapable or unfit to practice medicine or osteopathy solely on the basis that the registered practitioner employs a therapy that is non-traditional or departs from prevailing medical practices, unless it can be demonstrated that the therapy has a safety risk for the patient unreasonably greater than the prevailing treatment."

Bill 209, in effect, made the Alberta College of Physicians and Surgeons (A-COPS), impotent at preventing physicians from practising chelation therapy or any other safe form of alternative medicine. The A-COPS, however, are fighting back. Shortly after Bill 209 was passed, the A-COPS voiced their disapproval of the law and have challenged it by creating an 'Application to Provide Complementary Health Care Therapy'. This Draconian document is so biased against anything that even hints of alternatives that it would effectively eliminate complementary medicine in any form.

"The danger we face is that the Ontario College may decide that the Alberta regulations could be adopted to serve a similar purpose in Ontario." (Linda Rapson, M.D., Chair, Toronto Complementary Medicine Section (Proposed), Ontario Medical Association)

Doctors who want to practice any form of complementary medicine would have to go through a complex bureaucratic process wherein they sign an agreement and provide the A-COPS with comprehensive explanations of the complementary treatments they are to use plus evidence for their safety, efficacy, approval or disapproval by the HPB and at least another dozen details before receiving approval to use the treatments.

What the A-COPS Want

Besides a $100 application fee above and beyond the usual licensing fee, the A-COPS want the following information from the complementary medical practitioner before permitting the practice of any form of complementary medicine by MDs in Alberta:

A) Description of alternative therapy, methodology, agents and indications for which these are to be used;

B) Details of postgraduate education describing the sponsoring organization, location, dates, description of method of instruction, method of evaluation, certification granted, qualifications of instructors and other continuing education for each therapy, methodology, agent or category of complementary medicine;

C) Details of standards of practice, recognition by regulatory authorities or the World Health Organization and the status of the drug, agent or device with Health Canada or the FDA (USA) for use in humans for each therapy, methodology, agent or category of complementary medicine;

D) Evidence of effectiveness for each therapy, methodology, agent or category of complementary medicine; and

E) Sign a declaration agreeing that, if approved to provide the complementary therapy, to do the following:

1. Conduct and record a conventional medical history and examination.
2. Record a list of possible diagnoses.
3. Review with the patient all relevant conventional medical options (including referral) that have been used and/or are available.
4. Review any recommendations for treatment that are in conflict with conventional treatment.
5. Record the medical advice given and the choice of the patient for treatment.
6. Review the evidence of effectiveness, safety and adverse effects of the complementary therapy.
7. Review the practitioner's personal experience with the therapy.
8. Review the number of treatments and time frame recommended.
9. Review the costs involved and the possibility, if any, for reimbursement to the patient.
10. Review the likely effects of treatment, if any, on the patientıs functioning in the family, social and workplace environment.
11. Obtain written consent from the patient for the initiation of the complementary therapy that indicates understanding of the above.
12. Document a reflection period of 72 hours prior to initiation of complementary therapy or the waiving of this period by the patient. (No kidding!!!)
13. Communicate with third parties about the therapy provided when required by statute or with the consent of the patient.
14. Document the progress of the patientıs medical condition throughout the provision of the complementary therapy, including:
    • the relevant history, physical findings and results of diagnostic investigations,
    • correspondence with other health care providers,
    • the results of the complementary therapy, and
    • the need to reconsider the appropriateness of complementary and conventional therapy.

Opinion

Alberta complementary medical doctors are certainly not paying any serious attention to the A-COPS. They know that this regressive group is trying to circumvent the law. None of the A-COPS' demands are required by Bill 209 and, consequently, can legally be ignored. The A-COPS are bluffing and complementary medical doctors in Alberta have called their bluff. To date, these doctors have unanimously agreed not to sign the document.

The 'Application to Provide Complementary Health Care Therapy' discriminates against complementary medical doctors. It shows no evidence of respect or fairness to practitioners of natural healing. After all, no other medical specialty has been asked to go through this type of tedious process. Were this bizarre regulation to apply equally to other medical specialties, over 80% of all medical and surgical services would be stopped. This figure is the one often quoted by doctors and scientists of all disciplines when discussing the scientific validity of medical practice as it is conventionally used today. Thalidomide, the Dalcon Shield and silicone breast implants are just some of the many 'scientific' therapies that have passed the scrutiny of the various COPS over the years. And you all thought that the COPS were there to protect you!

If the A-COPS want documentation on complementary medicine, they should do their own library or computer searches and at their own expense. With the millions of dollars they receive from physicians for membership dues and other services, they have no right to arbitrarily charge complementary medical specialists an extra $100. This just amounts to another form of harassment.

There are thousands of published articles, books and studies on chelation therapy. Why should complementary medical doctors waste their time transcribing it for the A-COPS and then pay for the privilege of so doing? Surely the A-COPS, provided they are computer literate, can do their own research. Aside from chelation therapy, this group has a lot to learn.

The 'Application to Provide Complementary Health Care Therapy' is a sham and will go nowhere fast. It will serve, however, to point out to the various provincial governments that the real agendas of the COPS differ significantly from those of the public. It is highly unlikely that the people of Alberta, or any province for that matter, will ever erect a statue in honor of any of the leaders of this College of Physicians and Surgeons.

References

College of Physicians and Surgeons, Province of Alberta. Complementary Health Care Therapy by Medical Practitioners. Document obtained from College of Physicians and Surgeons, Province of Alberta, 900 Manulife Place, 10180 - 101 St., Edmonton, Alberta, T5J 4P8; phone: 403-423-4764; fax: 403-420-0651.

College of Physicians and Surgeons, Province of Alberta. Application to Provide Complementary Health Care Therapy. Document obtained from College of Physicians and Surgeons, Province of Alberta, 900 Manulife Place, 10180 - 101 St., Edmonton, Alberta, T5J 4P8; phone: 403-423-4764; fax: 403-420-0651.

Rapson, Linda, M.D. Complementary Medicine Section (Proposed), Ontario Medical Association. Correspondence from OSPCM (Ontario Society of Physicians for Complementary Medicine); for more information, contact Dr. Craig Appleyard, P.O. Box 87, Renfrew, ON K7V 4A2.

Authority figures in conventional medicine should not be allowed to go against the wishes of the public. It is clearly the case that a large segment of the Canadian population wants complementary medicine. Without easy access to complementary medical services, freedom of choice in health care can never be a reality in Canada or anywhere conventional medical bureaucratic groups have full control over the type of medical care the public receives. To get more immediate action on this issue in your area, contact the following:

The Honorable Minister of Health (whoever it is this month)
The House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
phone: (613) 992-4261
fax: (613) 990-7255