OHP PROCEDURES
Approval of premises needed before
services provided to patients
P
hysicians are reminded that they can only
perform procedures using certain types of
anesthesia, including nerve blocks, in a non-
hospital site if the premises has first been
approved by the College.
In 2010, the College was given regulatory oversight
of Out of Hospital Premises (OHP) in order to im-
prove patient safety. The regulation provides for man-
datory inspections of OHPs to ensure that premises
follow the appropriate standards for procedures, infec-
tion control and quality assurance and that physicians
are managing medical and surgical conditions within
the scope of their specialty training, certification and
experience.
Any member planning to operate a new OHP must
notify the College and the premises must be inspected,
assessed and approved prior to providing services to pa-
tients. If there are any changes as set out in the Program
Standards, such as a move to a new space, the College
must also be informed. The Medical Director of an
OHP is responsible for notifying the College of plans
to open a new OHP or any other changes to an existing
facility. The College has made the process of report-
ing relatively easy by enlisting an online process as the
reporting tool.
Failure to comply with the regulation is an issue that
the College takes seriously. Over the last year, several doc-
tors have been sanctioned by the Discipline Committee
for performing nerve blocks or other OHP procedures in
a clinic not authorized by the College’s program.
“The OHP program is based on trust and relies on
self-reporting from Medical Directors and physicians,”
stated a recent Discipline Committee decision involv-
ing a physician who performed nerve blocks in an
unauthorized clinic. “As mandated in the [program’s]
Standards, a Medical Director is required to notify the
program before opening an OHP so that the premises
can be inspected. In order to ensure patient safety and
quality of care, strict adherence is required to the de-
tailed requirements set out in the Standards.”
ISSUE 2, 2019 DIALOGUE
29