How To Get Ready For A CPSO Peer Assessment
The Ontario Medical Association (OMA), in collaboration with the College of Physicians and Surgeons
of Ontario (CPSO) and OntarioMD (OMD), has developed some best practice guidelines to help you
prepare for a CPSO Peer Assessment. A CPSO Peer Assessment is an educational process, and
should not be viewed as punitive. It is important to keep in mind that over 80% of all annual peer
assessment results are satisfactory. To assist you with a smooth assessment, please refer to the
simple tips below.
Upon receiving the letter notifying you that you will be assessed:
• Visit CPSO’s website (http://www.cpso.on.ca/CPSO-Members/Peer-Assessment) to review the
assessment materials — all assessment protocols are listed on the site. Take some time to do
your own review and start making any necessary changes. This will only be seen as a proactive
approach to the process.
Completing the physician questionnaire:
• Please ensure that you answer this as accurately as possible for your areas of practice. The
more explicit, the better match the CPSO can make in choosing your assessor.
• If you have recently transitioned to EMR, or are about to, ensure you record this on the
questionnaire. Typically physicians are given a year to be fully operational with EMRs prior to an
assessment. You may be able to ask for an extension on your assessment date as a result.
The assessor will call you before the assessment. When the assessor calls:
• Be sure to express any concerns or questions you have. The assessor will want to reduce your
anxiety in preparing for this process, and will be happy to answer any questions. Remember
they have already been peer assessed themselves, so they know how it can feel.
• Ask the assessor if he or she will be pre-selecting charts.
• Confirm if the assessor is okay with you seeing patients during the time they are doing the
chart review part of the assessment. You will need to be available for an hour following that
part of the assessment to speak with the assessor.
Getting your charts ready prior to the assessment:
• Ensure the essential components of the charts are complete.
• The essential components (for all charts – EMR and paper) are:
• Cumulative Patient Profile (CPP). Ensure all components of the CPP are present and
populated – present problems, medications, past health/surgery, allergies, social history,
family history, immunizations, preventative care info, etc.
• Encounter clinical notes
• Labs and diagnostic imaging
• Medications
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How To Get Ready For A CPSO Peer Assessment
• Most EMR programs will use a SOAP format (Subjective [history], Objective [exam], Assessment
[diagnosis], and Plan [treatment/investigations]). Your notes should be in this format.
• Notes should be comprehensive and complete (i.e., not just “exam normal”).
• Templates and quick entries are helpful, but your notes need to reflect what you have actually
done. If you’re using pre-populated templates, make sure they are appropriate for the patient
(i.e., a female patient’s chart doesn’t have a recommendation for a prostate exam).
• Documented treatment plan
• Medications: dose, directions, length
• Investigations
• Preventative care and health
maintenance
• Well Baby – integrate Rourke and
growth charts
• Referrals
• Follow up
Prior to the assessment:
• If you aren’t comfortable providing a quick tutorial for the assessor to your EMR system,
arrange for someone from your staff to be available to show the assessor how to access the
essential components. Make it easy for the assessor to find:
• CPP
• Clinical notes
• Mammograms, pap smears, FOBT/
colonoscopy, BMD & PSA (if done)
• Labs, diagnostic imaging, consults.
• Arrange with your EMR vendor or staff to create a temporary user name and password for
the assessor, ensuring that all access rights are granted. ** It is not appropriate to give the
assessor your password for the assessment.**
• Arrange for a room to be available for the assessor to use with access to the EMR system or to
review charts.
Day of the assessment:
• Have the assessor login using the temporary user name and password created.
• Give the assessor a quick tutorial of your EMR. Make sure the assessor knows how to get in and
out of the CPP (crucial).
• Inform the assessor if certain components are not on the EMR (i.e., labs from hospitals, etc.)
and make those documents available on the charts selected for his or her review.
• Introduce the staff whom you’ve selected for questions during the assessment (i.e., staff
member who knows how to use EMR – does not have to be you). However, you are expected to
be on site during the assessment in case the assessor has questions for you.
• Ask the assessor how long the assessment will be so that you can go ahead and see patients.
While the full assessment takes between three to three and a half hours, you are usually able to
see patients during the two hours it takes to do the chart review.
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