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Download our confidentiality practices info-sheet (PDF): PFSP Confidentiality Practices

The PFSP Assistance Line (1.877.767.4637)

All services on the PFSP Assistance Line are provided by contractors who are external to the PFSP program and to the AMA. When you contact the PFSP Assistance Line, your identity and any other personal information you provide is known only to the third party service provider and the Assessment Physician on-call.

All information shared through the PFSP Assistance Line is non identifiable by PFSP/AMA and is confidential.

Calls to the PFSP Assistance Line and referrals to our therapists are not documented in the provincial electronic health record.

What are the Roles of the Third Party Service Provider and the Assessment Physicians?

 

Third party service provider:

  • Operates the Assistance Line and answers all calls 24/7/365.
  • Manages all referrals to therapists for the PFSP.
  • Receives your call and will collect your contact information and ask for a brief explanation of why you're calling to determine eligibility and to provide basic triage for your situation.
  • With your agreement, they will arrange for a PFSP Assessment Physician to contact you in a timely manner.

Assessment Physicians:

  • The PFSP contracts with Assessment Physicians who rotate call on a weekly basis to support the Assistance Line and provide peer to peer support for you.
  • They are committed to the health and safety of their colleagues and understand the challenges and issues that can arise for physicians, residents and medical students.
  • They do not act as a treating clinician but provide support and advice in the management of your health concerns and help to identify resources that may be useful to you, including access to a therapist.
  • If a referral to a therapist is agreed upon as a suitable resource for you they will ensure the third party service provider contacts you to make arrangements in a timely manner.

Case Coordination Service

For members with complex health concerns who enter into Case Coordination (approximately 30-35 physicians in any given year), there is an informed consent process in place to disclose personal information so that the Case Coordination team may liaise with your treatment providers, as well as non-clinical stakeholders who may be involved in more complex situations.

Entering Case Coordination is voluntary. The Case Coordination team will work with you to ensure that you understand what will be shared and the purpose of the disclosure. We will not share information without your consent.

Limits to Confidentiality

If a caller to the PFSP Assistance Line were to disclose that they were at serious risk of harming themselves or someone else, or that a child in their care were at risk of abuse or neglect, we would be legally and ethically obligated to take reasonable steps to prevent that serious harm. This could include contacting police or other authorities.

CPSA Standards of Practice

All physicians in Alberta are bound by the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta's (CPSA) Standards of Practice (SOP), which stipulate a physician's responsibility to "notify CPSA of incidences or circumstances that may impact their ability to provide safe care". See CPSA's SOP

Rest Assured, Your Confidentiality is Protected

Physicians are well versed in the importance and necessity of maintaining and protecting patient confidentiality. As a physician client, you can have confidence that the PFSP operates with confidentiality as a cornerstone of our service and work with medical students, residents, and physicians.

The PFSP's Case Coordination service provides support to the physician, resident or medical student and assists with access to the clinical resources necessary to meet their needs. The PFSP’s case coordination team does not act in a treatment capacity. With the participant’s consent, the team may liaise with the participant’s treatment providers as well as non-clinical stakeholders who may be involved in more complex situations.

Participation in the PFSP's Case Coordination service is voluntary. A very small percentage of callers to the PFSP Assistance Line each year participate in Case Coordination. In 2023, less than 1% of the 3,802 individuals who called the PFSP Assistance Line accessed this service.

Are there any circumstances where the PFSP is required to report a physician’s medical condition to the CPSA without the physician’s consent?

All physicians in Alberta are bound by the CPSA’s Standards of Practice, which stipulate the reporting requirements regarding physicians’ medical conditions.

When appropriate, the PFSP will encourage the physician to self-report to the CPSA. In the rare instance where the physician does not self-report to CPSA and there may be serious harm to patients or others, the PFSP is obligated to do so. However, prior to taking that action the matter would be fully discussed with the physician.

Questions?

Questions about this process may be directed to the PFSP Clinical and Program Co-Director at pfsp@albertadoctors.org.

Over a 12-month period, the PFSP will cover the cost of up to six counseling hours for a physician, resident or medical student and up to an additional six hours total for immediate family. To be eligible for this coverage, counseling must be pre-arranged through the PFSP ASSISTANCE LINE at 1.877.767.4637.