Applying the OHPIP Standards in Fertility Services Premises (Consultation Closed)

In October, 2016, the Premises Inspection Committee approved a draft document “Applying the Out-of- Hospital Premises Inspection Program (OHPIP) Standards in Fertility Services Premises”. This Companion document, to be used in combination with the OHPIP Standards, will help fertility services practitioners plan for and participate in their inspection-assessments and will be applied to both Out-of-Hospital Premises (OHPs) and hospital-based clinics offering fertility services.

View the proposed Companion document

The College is now inviting feedback from all stakeholders, including members of the medical profession, the public, health system organizations and other health professionals on the proposed Companion document.

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We want to hear your thoughts on the proposed Companion document…

• Submit your comments to our discussion forum
• Send us your comments via Email
• Send us your comments via regular mail

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Background

In December 2015, the provincial government launched its newly expanded government-funded fertility program. The government also committed to implementing a quality and inspections framework for all fertility services in Ontario including those offered in both Out-of-Hospital Premises (OHPs) and hospital-based clinics. The College was asked by the provincial government to develop and implement this framework.

Specifically, the Ministry asked that this framework include the development of:

• Comprehensive quality assurance standards, including program standards, professional qualifications and embryology quality assurance standards;
• Clinical guidance for fertility services;
• Enhanced performance and quality data reporting requirements for fertility clinics; and
• Implementation of a comprehensive inspections regime for the fertility services sector.

In order to fulfill this request by the government, the College needs authority to enter and inspect the premises where fertility services are performed, regardless of whether anesthesia or sedation is used. Amendments to Ontario Regulation 114/94, which deals with the College’s Out-of-Hospital Premises Inspection Program, will enable the College to inspect and regulate all facilities that offer fertility services. In September 2016, Council directed that the draft regulation be released for external consultation. For more information or to provide your feedback on the draft regulation before the consultation closes on November 25th, visit the dedicated consultation page.

The Out-of-Hospital Premises Inspection Program (OHPIP) supports continuous quality improvement through developing and maintaining standards for the provision of medical care/procedures in Ontario Out-of-Hospital Premises and by inspecting and assessing for safety and quality of care. The OHPIP Standards document articulates the core requirements for procedures using anesthesia and sedation as defined in Ontario Regulation 114/94 in settings/premises outside of a hospital that do not fall under another regulatory oversight scheme.  With regard to procedures involving fertility services and by way of a regulation change, the OHPIP Program will be applied more broadly, e.g. in addition to Out-of-Hospital Premises, it will also apply to hospital-based clinics.

The College’s Expert Panel on Fertility Services  has developed a draft Companion document “Applying the Out-of- Hospital Premises Inspection Program (OHPIP) Standards in Fertility Services Premises” to help fertility services practitioners plan for and participate in their inspection-assessments. The document is intended to be used in conjunction with the OHPIP Standards and applies to fertility services offered in both OHPs and hospital-based clinics.

 

For ease of reference, this Companion document has been organized into two parts to coincide with the types of services offered by fertility services premises:

 Part I: In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Units

 Part II: Ovulation Induction/Intracervical Insemination/Intrauterine Insemination (OI/ICI/IUI) Units

Within each part of the Companion document, the CPSO Expert Panel on Fertility Services has clarified how specific sections of the core OHPIP Standards should be applied to fertility services premises.  Specifically, the boxed text shown on the right side of each page represents sections that were extracted from the core OHPIP Standards. Text appearing to the left side of each Standard is a clarification of how it applies to fertility services premises.  The Expert Panel has also articulated additional requirements throughout the Companion document that fertility premises (depending on the services they provide) are also required to fulfill.

Have Your Say

We would like to hear your thoughts on the proposed Companion document. The feedback obtained during the consultation will be carefully reviewed by the College’s Expert Panel on Fertility Services as well as the Premises Inspection Committee and will inform revisions, if any, prior to final approval. While it may not be possible to ensure that every comment will be incorporated, all comments will be carefully considered in light of the College’s mandate to protect and serve the public interest.

To ensure transparency, the College will post all consultation feedback in accordance with our posting guidelines.

We value your feedback and thank you again for participating in our consultation process.

Please provide your feedback by January 13, 2017.

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