Information about doctors is accessible through Doctor Search. It is obtained when physicians first register with the College, directly from physicians when they complete our annual renewal form, notify us, or as a result of a College process.

Doctor Search includes a wide variety of information, including:

• A doctor’s name, practice address and telephone number and, if applicable, the name of each health profession corporation in which he or she is a shareholder.

• A doctor’s registration status and class (i.e., is the doctor authorized for independent practice, or is he or she in training under a postgraduate education certificate of registration).

• A doctor’s qualifications, including medical degree, postgraduate medical training in Ontario, recognized specialty designation, and whether the doctor is certified by Canada’s national examining/certifying bodies

• The terms, conditions and limitations on each doctor’s certificate of registration (see Glossary of Terms, Conditions and Limitations, for more information)

• Information about any current allegations or previous findings of professional misconduct, incompetence or incapacity, which relate to the doctor

Please note that a doctor’s scope of practice or particular area of interest is not noted in Doctor Search. It also does not specify whether a doctor performs a particular procedure or has expertise in a particular area.

The Out-of-Hospital Premises Inspection Program (OHPIP) was established by regulation in April 2010 to inspect out-of-hospital premises where certain procedures are carried out under anesthesia or sedation as covered by the regulation. The College oversees the program’s activities through its Premises Inspection Committee (PIC).

PIC has the authority to prevent high-risk procedures from being performed in premises that do not meet the standards.  

The information about outcomes/status associated with each OHP relate only to the OHP procedures captured in regulation and performed at the OHP. For each premises, associated information is displayed starting from January 31, 2013. There are three possible outcomes and two administrative statuses that could be designated and made available to the public through the College website. In some instances, further details about the outcome/status are provided. The outcomes are as follows: 

• Pass. Premises are awarded a pass when they meet all requirements of an OHPIP inspection.

• Pass with conditions. When a premises receives a pass with conditions, details regarding the specific conditions are provided. The premises can generally continue to perform OHP procedures. This outcome means that the premises will need to comply with specified requirements.

• Fail. When a premises fails an inspection, doctors at the premises must cease practising those OHP procedures - thereby removing any potential risk to the public. Premises can fail inspections for a number of reasons, including: breaches in infection control, failure to meet conditions or physician qualifications to perform procedures. The reasons for the fail outcome are provided.

The statuses are as follows:

• Pending. The pending status will be assigned in circumstances where inspections are in progress. 

• Withdrawal. The withdrawal status is assigned when the premises have withdrawn from the program or from performing OHP procedures. Premises that have this status are not permitted to perform OHP procedures but may still be open and performing non-OHP procedures.

Certificates of Registration (CoR)

Doctors are issued various categories or “classes” of certificates of registration and describes the type of practice in which they are authorized. The physician’s registration class is shown under Current Registration on the Doctor Search Summary page.

CoR: Independent Practice

• permits independent practice in the areas of medicine in which the physician is educated and experienced.

CoR: Postgraduate Education

• permits supervised practice after graduation from medical school, and is required for postgraduate (residency) medical training at an Ontario medical school;
• may practice only as required by the postgraduate education program in which the physician is enrolled at an Ontario medical school;
• may prescribe drugs only for in-patients or out-patients of a clinical teaching unit of the medical school;
• may not charge a fee for medical services;
• certificate expires when enrolment in postgraduate medical education ceases.

CoR: Restricted

• must practice in accordance with the specific terms and conditions imposed on the certificate.

CoR: Academic Practice

• may practice only in the medical school department in which the physician holds an academic appointment;
• may practice only to the extent required by the appointment;
• certificate expires when the academic appointment ends.

CoR: Academic Visitor

• may practice only in the medical school department in which the physician holds an academic appointment;
• may practice only to the extent required by the appointment;
• certificate may be issued for up to fifteen months only.

CoR: Short Duration

• may practice only to the extent required by the short duration appointment at a public hospital, psychiatric facility or medical school;
• must practice under supervision;
• certificate valid for up to thirty days only;
• issued only to fill urgent, short-term need or to provide education to Ontario physicians.

Member-reported Findings of Malpractice or Professional Negligence

On June 4, 2009, Section 23 of the Health Professions Procedural Code, which is Schedule 2 of the Regulated Health Professions Act, was revised to now require doctors to report to the College findings of malpractice or professional negligence. Any such finding is noted on the public register (see the “Additional Details” page of Doctor Search). If no finding of malpractice or professional negligence has been made against a doctor since June 4, 2009, and reported to the College, the public register will note “No findings reported since June 4, 2009.”

OHP Nurse Assessment Coordinator (NAC)

The NAC is responsible for the overall coordination of the inspection of an OHP. He or she ensures:

• that the premises is prepared for an inspection
• all of the components of an inspection are complete
• completion of any necessary follow-up on items identified as past of the inspection process.

OHP Medical Director

The OHP must appoint a Medical Director (a physician holding a CoR from the College). Each OHP must have a designated Medical Director who is responsible for all aspects of running an OHP. This includes:

• hiring appropriately qualified staff
• ensuring all the policy and procedures are in place and up-to-date
• working with the College to address any matters that arise in the context of an inspection.

OHP Premises Inspection Committee (PIC) 

This Committee governs the premises inspection program and is responsible for:

• approving policies
• ensuring assessors are appointed to complete inspections
• reviewing the reports of those inspections and determinining outcomes.

OHP Change in Scope

Physicians who do not meet OHP Physician Qualification standards must successfully complete a Change in Scope of Practice application process, which may include the necesity to demonstrate education, training, and/or competency in the area of practice.

Specialty Designation 

Doctors practising as specialists must be:

• Certified by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) in a specialty or subspecialty of the profession to which the term, title or designation relates;
• Certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) in a specialty or subspecialty of the profession to which the term, title or designated relates;
• Formally recognized in writing by the College as a specialist in the specialty or subspecialty of the profession to which the term, title or designation relates

Doctors who do not have any specialty designation are considered General Practitioners.

General Practitioner

• In the mid-1990s, it became a requirement of registration in Ontario for new family physicians to be certified by the CFPC (see Specialty Designation) .
• For Ontario graduates, certification is gained after residency training.
• Family physicians who trained prior to 1993 have the option of gaining certification through a practice-eligibility route, but certification is not mandatory. These physicians are deemed general practitioners.
• If a physician is a general practitioner, the Specialties designation section of the Doctor Search Summary page will indicate none.

Specialty Designation: CFPC Certification

• Granted by the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), the national examining and certifying body for family medicine practitioners in Canada
• CFPC also accredits family medicine training programs in Canada
• If a doctor is certified by the CFPC, Family Medicine is noted on the Doctor Search Summary Page, under Specialties

Specialty Designation: CPSO Recognized Specialist

• Granted by the College to phsycians who are not certified by the CFPC or RCPSC for doctors who meet the criteria specified in the College's registration policy, Specialist Recognition Criteria in Ontario
• If a physician has CPSO Recognized Specialist status, this status and the discipline (e.g.: family medicine, cardiology, internal medicine) in which the physician is recognized as a specialist is noted on the Doctor Search Summary page, under Specialties.

Specialty Designation: RCPSC Certification

• Granted by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC), the national examining and certifying body for medical specialists in Canada
• RCPSC  also accredits Canadian specialty training programs 
• If a doctor is certified by the RCPSC, the disciplines (e.g.: Cardiology, Internal Medicine) in which the physician is certified are noted on the Doctor Search Summary page, under Specialties.  

Terms, conditions and limitations  (TCLs)

• Terms, conditions, and limitations describes the conditions under which doctors can practise medicine, and are categorized as "standard" and "non-standard"
• Both standard and non-standard TCLs are shown under Current Terms & Conditions on the physician's Doctor Search Registration Details page. A link is provided to Additional Details, where available.

TCLs: Standard

Every certificate under every registration class carries the standard term, condition and limitation that the physician may practise only in the areas of medicine in which he or she is educated and experienced. For the independent practice class, this is the only term, condition and limitation.

For other registration classes, there are additional standard terms, conditions and limitations that apply. For example, physicians with an academic practice certificate may practice only in the medical school department in which they hold an academic appointment; may practice only to the extent required by the appointment; and the certificate expires when the academic appointment ends. See above, under Classes of Registration, for further examples.

The only class of registration that has non-standard terms, conditions and limitations is the restricted class, as explained below.

TCLs: Non-standard

Certain College committees – Registration; Inquiries, Complaints and Reports; Discipline; and Fitness to Practise Committees, are authorized to impose specified terms, conditions and limitations on a certificate of registration. Also, under certain circumstances, physicians can self-impose specified terms, conditions and limitations on their certificate as part of an undertaking to the College.

Whenever these specified, or non-standard, terms, conditions and limitations are imposed on a certificate, it automatically becomes a restricted certificate.

TCLs: Non-standard – Registration Committee

The Registration Committee of the College has the authority to grant a restricted certificate of registration, in certain circumstances ? for example, to individuals who have not successfully completed all of the examination requirements. In these circumstances, specified terms, conditions and limitations are ordered to safeguard the public (e.g., monitoring or supervisory arrangements, with accountability to the College for full compliance with the arrangements and for completing all examinations or successful completion of a practice assessment). When TCLs are ordered by the Registration Committee, the specified restrictions are included on the public register.

TCLs: Non-standard – Discipline; Fitness to Practise; and Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committees

Both the Discipline Committee, which hears allegations of professional misconduct or incompetence, and the Fitness to Practise Committee, which hears allegations of incapacity, can order that terms, conditions and limitations be imposed on a physician’s certificate of registration. When TCLs are ordered by either committee, the specified restrictions are included on the public register.

The Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee* can make an interim order to impose terms, conditions and limitations on the physician’s certificate of registration, after it has referred specified allegations to the Discipline Committee or after it has made a referral to the Fitness to Practise Committee. TCLs imposed by the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee will appear on the public register for as long as they remain in force.

*Effective June 4, 2009, under an amendment to the RHPA, the member-specific functions of the Executive Committee transferred to a new committee – the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee. Previously, it was the Executive Committee that had the authority to make an interim order to impose terms, conditions and limitations on the physician’s certificate of registration, after it had referred specified allegations to the Discipline Committee or after it had made a referral to the Fitness to Practise Committee. TCLs imposed by the Executive Committee will appear on the public register for as long as they remain in force.

It can sometimes be difficult to find a new doctor, particularly if there is a shortage of physicians in the area where you live. If you're trying to find a new doctor, you may wish to try the following strategies:

Health Care Connect

Health Care Connect is a Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) program which helps Ontarians without a family health care provider find one.
The program refers people without a regular family health care provider to physicians and nurse practitioners who are accepting new patients in their community. To register for the Health Care Connect program, call 1-800-445-1822, or for more information, visit the MOHLTC website at: http://health.gov.on.ca/en/ms/healthcareconnect/public/

Local Hospital(s)

Hospitals often know which physicians with privileges or on staff are accepting new patients, and may be able to provide a few contacts.

Community Health Centre(s)

Community health centres are organizations that provide primary health care and prevention programs through physicians and a variety of other health professionals. If you have a local community health centre, it may be taking new patients. Keep in mind that most community health centres only provide services to people who live within their particular community (i.e., within their “catchment area”) and/or target populations. A list of community health centres in Ontario is available on the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s website at: http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/contact/chc/chcloc_mn.html

Local newspapers

Some physicians, including those who are new to an area or who are beginning to establish a practice, will advertise that they are accepting new patients. 

1. All Doctors Search

Find a family physician or specialist by name, or select other search criteria to locate doctors by category:

• gender
• location of practice
• hospital where the doctor has privileges
• language of service other than English

2. Registration Number Search

Use this search option if you know the physician’s five-digit registration number.

3. Discipline and/or Fitness to Practise Search

Background

Search for doctors with current allegations and/or previous findings of professional misconduct, incompetence or incapacity.

Current allegations of professional misconduct, incompetence or incapacity, if any, are included on a doctor’s profile on the Additional Details page, under Current Referrals. Similarly, previous discipline or fitness to practise findings, if any, are noted under Past Findings.

The College includes a link to additional information about discipline findings, where available. For example, we publish summaries of discipline cases in our magazine, Dialogue. If we have published a discipline case summary in Dialogue about a particular doctor (only cases from 1993 onward) or if we have a PDF of the full written decision and reasons for decision (only cases from 2002 onward), we link to that information from the Past Finding public register entry. In this way, all information that is available in electronic format about a previous discipline finding is easily accessible from the public register.

Conducting Discipline/Fitness to Practise Searches

The All Doctors Search option must be used for this type of search. The discipline/fitness to practise fields are located at the bottom of the All Doctors Search page.

To find all doctors with a previous discipline or fitness to practise finding:

• Check off the “show only records with past decisions” box.
• To search alphabetically, type in the first letter of the last name. For example, type in “A” and all physicians with a previous discipline or fitness to practise finding whose last name starts with the letter “A” will be listed.
• Add a keyword or phrase, such as “narcotics”, to further define your search.
• If you are looking for a physician who may be currently suspended or revoked, you also need to check off “All physicians” from the Registration Status field.

To find all doctors with a current referral to the Discipline or Fitness to Practise Committee:

• Check off the “show only records with current referrals” box. Follow the second through fourth step above, where necessary.

4. Out-of-Hospital Premises

Out-of-Hospital Premises are listed alphabetically by name. Associated information is displayed starting from January 31, 2013.