CMPA and Professional Liability Coverage

PAR-BC recognizes the importance of having comprehensive professional liability insurance. The hospitals at which residents work provides coverage as stated in the Collective Agreement:

18.01 Professional Liability

“The Employer shall indemnify and save harmless from any pecuniary loss, any Resident who, in the course of his/her appointment with the Employer, incurs a legal liability to pay damages as a result of the duties carried out by the Resident under the aegis of the Employer. Copies of the appropriate rider to the Employers’ General Insurance Policy shall be provided to PAR-BC, and PAR-BC shall be advised of any significant changes to the policy which would affect the terms of liability coverage. The insurance carrier shall also be advised of the contents of this Article. In the event of an action involving a Resident, the Employer shall instruct the carrier to have due regard for the protection of the professional status of the Resident. In the event that several parties are named, the Employer will review with the carrier the possibility of providing the Resident with separate counsel.”

In addition to this coverage PAR-BC in past years has recommended the purchase of CMPA as it provides more comprehensive coverage, especially for College complaints. It is also transferable supporting the distributed education model of UBC.

As a result of the new Collective Agreement CMPA will be mandatory for all residents on January 1, 2013. This requirement ensures that the 1125 residents who already purchase CMPA are eligible to receive tax credits and that those residents without it will now have complete and dedicated coverage.

Residents will receive a receipt for the cost of CMPA annually to assist in determining their income tax deductions.

The cost of coverage is based on the Type of Work. Residents belong to one of three categories depending on their situation:

Code	Type of Work	Annual Cost	Monthly Cost
12	Trainees who are registered in a program of postgraduate training recognized by the CFPC or the RCPSC, or a provincial or territorial medical regulatory authority. International medical graduates in a program to obtain a license for independent practice also use this code. This code includes extra resident shifts, but will not include CMPA assistance in medico-legal difficulties arising from independent practice of medicine outside the program whether remunerated or not. No moonlighting. Clinical fellows who moonlight must select the appropriate practicing physician code, not code 14.	$1,344.00	$112.00
13	Clinical fellows and physicians pursuing a structured university affiliated program not recognized by the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC), or a provincial/territorial medical regulatory authority, with a maximum of 36 months. This code includes extra resident shifts, but will not include CMPA assistance in medico-legal difficulties arising from independent practice of medicine outside the program whether remunerated or not. No moonlighting. Clinical fellows who moonlight must select the appropriate practicing physician code, not code 14.	$924.00	$77.00
14	Trainees who are registered in a program of postgraduate training recognized by the CFPC or the RCPSC, or a provincial or territorial medical regulatory authority. This code will include eligibility for CMPA assistance in medico-legal difficulties arising from independent practice of medicine outside of the program whether remunerated or not. With moonlighting. Trainees who moonlight must hold licensure or registration acceptable to the regulatory authority (College) in the moonlighting jurisdiction. Trainees who limit their clinical activities to moonlighting (e.g. locum) for more than two consecutive weeks must change to a practicing physician code.	$1,344.00	$112.00