The CPTA's College Conversations

Speakers: Leanne Loranger and Sean FitzGerald

Virtual care continues to evolve, but one thing remains the same: physiotherapists are expected to provide safe, effective, high-quality care regardless of how services are delivered. In this episode, Leanne and Sean revisit the regulatory expectations for virtual care and discuss how physiotherapists can apply professional judgment when deciding whether virtual care is the right option for a client.

They discuss key topics including assessing whether virtual care is clinically appropriate, obtaining informed consent, conducting appropriate assessments, and understanding when an in-person visit may still be necessary. The conversation also explores privacy obligations, including safeguards for protecting health information, Privacy Impact Assessments, and Information Management Agreements.

The episode highlights the importance of proactive risk management, patient safety incident planning, documentation requirements, fee transparency, and recording considerations. Finally, Leanne and Sean review cross-border practice considerations and the necessity that physiotherapists understand the regulatory requirements that apply in the jurisdiction where the client is located in addition to the requirements in the jurisdiction where they are located.

Key take away: Virtual care can be a safe and appropriate way to deliver physiotherapy services, but physiotherapists must ensure they fulfill the requirements of the standards of practice as they would when providing in-person services.

Resources:

· HIA Privacy Resources

· Patient Safety and Risk Management Guideline

Speakers: Leanne Loranger and Sean FitzGerald

The designation of physiotherapists as custodians under the Health Information Act is a significant development for registrants of the College of Physiotherapists of Alberta. This bonus episode repurposes the information shared at a recent "ask us anything" webinar, including information about:

· Roles under the HIA and the concept of the circle of care.

· Discussion of safeguards, and the duty to identify risks to the privacy and security of health information, before moving on to a discussion of electronic medical records and considerations for EMR use. (~09:30)

· Common questions related to PIA requirements and implications for physiotherapists. (~17:30)

· Discussion of HIA considerations if using email to transmit health information. (~22:30)

· Implications of the transition to being designated a custodian under the HIA for school-based physiotherapists. (~25:30)

· Discussion of implications of the HIA for solo practitioners. (~36:15)

· The deadline for compliance with the requirements. (~36:45)

· The resources available on the CPTA website to enable this transition. (~37:30)

Listen on as Sean and Leanne address the questions submitted by the audience during the live webinar, including questions regarding

· Different practice scenarios and the roles physiotherapists may have within their practice settings. (~38:00)

· A physiotherapist's roles and responsibilities if they designate another healthcare professional as their affiliate. (~42:00)

· Navigating information management in school settings. (43:30)

· Further discussion of PIA requirements. (~45:30)

· Can a corporation be a custodian? (~54:00)

· Can a PT hire help to write their PIA? (~58:00)

· Further discussion of school-related physiotherapist considerations. (58:30)

· Discussion of disclosure of health information between custodians. (1:02:00)

We close the episode by answering the overarching question: Why did we move to physiotherapists being custodians under the HIA? (1:04:00)

Resources:

· HIA Privacy Resources

Speakers: Sean FitzGerald and Leanne Loranger

The transition to being designated custodians under Alberta's Health Information Act is a significant change for physiotherapists. In this episode, Leanne Loranger and Sean FitzGerald discuss why it is essential for physiotherapists to understand their role in every practice setting where they collect, use, disclose, store, or dispose of health information.

Listeners will learn about the roles of custodian, affiliate, and privacy officer, and how those roles shape responsibilities under the Act. The episode also explores common scenarios that can create uncertainty, including work with non-custodians, multi-disciplinary clinics, short-term locum contracts, and sports team or gym-based practice settings.

The key message: physiotherapists should review their contracts, job descriptions, and workplace arrangements to confirm whether they are the custodian or designated as an affiliate to another custodian. If there is no clear documentation establishing an affiliate relationship with an eligible custodian under the Act, physiotherapists must default to understanding that they are the custodian of the health information and must take the steps required to comply with the HIA.

Resources:

· HIA Privacy Resources

Speakers: Sean FitzGerald and Leanne Loranger

In this episode, Leanne and Sean revisit the rules for use of title and why those rules are important for physiotherapists, patients, and the public.

The conversation explains who may use protected titles such as Physiotherapist, Physical Therapist, Physiotherapist Intern, and PT, and highlights why a physiotherapist's registration status matters—whether a registrant is entering practice, on leave, or retiring. They also discuss how physiotherapists should list academic credentials and additional training in a way that is accurate, transparent, and meaningful to patients.

The episode reviews common questions about terms such as Clinical Specialist, acupuncturist, osteopath, doctor, clinical Pilates, and advanced practice, highlighting the importance of avoiding language that misleads or implies a credential or specialization the physiotherapist does not hold. Listeners are reminded to use their protected title, place it before other credentials, and explain their additional training clearly and transparently. Most of all physiotherapists are encouraged to be proud of the professional title they worked hard to earn.

Resources

· Titles, Credentials and Specialty Designations

· Getting Titles Right Infographic

Speakers: Sean FitzGerald and Leanne Loranger

In this episode, Leanne and Sean discuss key changes connected to physiotherapists being designated as custodians under Alberta's Health Information Act, which took effect on June 22, 2026. The conversation focuses on three important concepts physiotherapists need to understand as they transition to HIA compliance: verbal consent for disclosure of health information, the requirement to develop privacy management programs, and the need to designate successor custodians of health information.

The episode explains when client consent is required for disclosure of health information, what content must be included in consent, and the documentation and identity verification requirements that apply when verbal consent is accepted.

Leanne and Sean also explore privacy management programs, emphasizing that policies and procedures must be supported by training, monitoring, and updates as privacy risks and practice arrangements change.

Listeners will hear practical discussion about the implications of being a custodian of health information under the Act and learn about the concept of 'sharing custodians' and requirements related to shared custody of health information.

The episode closes with a discussion of successor custodian requirements, including proactive planning for retirement, relocation, illness, or incapacity.

Call to action: Physiotherapists need to know their role, understand their responsibilities, and act now to support long-term legislative compliance and protection of health information.

Resources

· Privacy Resources

· Privacy Guide for Alberta Physiotherapists

· HIA Policies and Procedures for Alberta Physiotherapist Custodians

· Health Information Act and Health Information Regulation

· Government of Alberta HIA Fact Sheets

Speakers: Jody Prohar and Leanne Loranger

Privacy can feel complicated, but this episode makes it practical. Leanne and Jody break privacy basics into clear, manageable actions that can help physiotherapists strengthen client privacy in any practice setting. If you have ever wondered where to start, this conversation will help you focus on key privacy domains and four priority action areas:

· Review or build privacy policies and procedures so you and your colleagues know how personal information is to be collected, handled, protected, and ultimately destroyed within your practice setting, in accordance with your professional duties and responsibilities.

· Make sure your process for access and amendment requests is clear, and understood by everyone in the practice setting.

· Check that your collection statement is accurate, easy to find, and tells clients what to expect.

· Complete or review privacy impact assessments for the systems and tools you use, from EMRs to AI scribes and virtual care platforms.

Whether you are refreshing your privacy practices or tackling these responsibilities for the first time, this episode offers useful reminders, practical prompts, and a motivating push to take action now. Tune in for a helpful conversation that turns privacy expectations into real-world next steps.

Resources

· Privacy Guide for Alberta Physiotherapists

· Privacy and Record Retention Standard of Practice

Speakers: Jody Prohar and Leanne Loranger

In this episode we revisit the topic of restricted activities in physiotherapy, bringing together key messages and practical clarifications to address some of the most common questions from registrants.

The episode begins with an overview of the legislative framework that governs restricted activities, including how the Health Professions Act, the Health Professions Restricted Activity Regulation, and the Performance of Restricted Activities Standard of Practice together establish regulatory requirements for the performance of these high-risk activities. Jody and Leanne unpack "who can do what," outlining the seven restricted activities authorized to the physiotherapy profession and clearly distinguishing between activities automatically authorized to physiotherapists and those requiring individual authorization.

Listeners will also hear detailed discussion about authorization, supervision, and education, including what restricted activities physiotherapist interns may perform, supervision requirements for physiotherapists on the General Register when learning restricted activities, and why supervision must be provided by an authorized physiotherapist. The episode closes with an important focus on competence and competence maintenance, encouraging physiotherapists to reflect on how they develop, maintain, and demonstrate competence over time.

If you have questions about restricted activities in physiotherapy practice or are considering learning a restricted activity, this episode is for you!

Resources:

· Performance of Restricted Activities Standard of Practice

· Health Professions Restricted Activities Regulation

· Health Professions Act

· Restricted Activities

Speakers: Leanne Loranger and Sean FitzGerald

In this episode of College Conversations, Leanne and Sean continue their discussion of the most common questions received by the College's Practice Advisor in 2025, focusing on three key themes: Funding, Fees, and Billing; Continuing Competence; and Duty of Care.

The conversation begins with Funding, Fees, and Billing, including questions about contracts, billing practices, fee schedules, and recent changes to the Standards that enable bundled and pre‑paid services, when specific conditions are met.

Next, the episode explores practice advice questions related to the Continuing Competence Standard, with a focus on questions about the profession's scope of practice and physiotherapist individual competence. Sean and Leanne highlight the questions received regarding emerging practices, developing competence in a new area of practice, and the requirements that must be met for a service to be considered physiotherapy.

Finally, the discussion turns to Duty of Care, addressing questions about discontinuing services, continuity of care, and managing abusive client situations.

The episode concludes with a reminder that the Practice Advisor is available to support physiotherapists with practice-related questions.

Resources:

· Funding, Fees, and Billing Standard of Practice

· Episode 4: Is it Physiotherapy?

· Episode 30: Scope of Practice and Pandemic Redeployment – Is it Physiotherapy?

· Managing Challenging Situations Guide

· Good Practice: Challenging Situations

· Good Practice: Preparing For Challenging Therapeutic Relationships

· Good Practice: Discharging Patients

Links:

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify

Speakers: Leanne Loranger and Sean FitzGerald

In this episode of College Conversations, Leanne and Sean kick off a two-part series exploring the most common questions received by the College's Practice Advisor. Drawing on an aggregate review of 2025 inquiries, they explain how tracking and coding questions to the Standards of Practice helps identify trends, inform the development of College resources, and guide future updates to the Standards of Practice.

Part 1 focuses on two of the top five recurring themes addressed by the Practice Advisor: privacy and supervision. The discussion on privacy highlights clients' legal right to access their health records, acceptable timelines for responding to requests, and appropriate fees for chart copies under Alberta legislation. Leanne and Sean also address when disclosure of private information without consent may occur - such as mandatory reporting or situations involving imminent risk of serious harm - and outline ongoing responsibilities for secure record storage, access, and destruction.

The episode then turns to supervision, particularly the assignment of services to physiotherapist support workers (PTSWs) and supervision of PT Interns. Key responsibilities, accountabilities, and common pitfalls are reviewed, emphasizing the requirement to assess the competence of the PTSW, role clarity, and patient safety.

Sean and Leanne also highlight the many College resources available at cpta.ab.ca and encourage listeners to contact the College when questions arise.

Resources:

· Good Practice: 5 Important Points about Client Access to Chart Records

· Privacy and Record Retention Standard of Practice

· Working With Physiotherapist Support Workers eLearning Module

· Supervision of Physiotherapist Support Workers Guide

· Supervision Standard of Practice

Links:

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify

Speakers: Jody Prohar and Leanne Loranger

From time to time, conflicts and challenging situations may arise between physiotherapists and their clients, which may lead the physiotherapist to consider declining to continue to provide services to the client. These situations exist on a continuum from the slightly challenging to the potentially dangerous. The 2025 Duty of Care Standard codifies professional expectations that have been in place for a long time.

In this bonus episode we revisit an episode we first shared back in 2021, highlighting the physiotherapist's duties if they are opting to decline services for a client who still needs treatment.

Jody and Leanne discuss a range of situations that can lead a physiotherapist to discontinue physiotherapy and the expectations that apply to those situations. When is it ok for a physiotherapist to decline services to a client? Listen to this episode to find out.

Resources:

· Duty of Care Standard of Practice

Links:

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Subscribe on Spotify