Considering opening your own practice? It is important that as a business owner, your practice aligns with the College’s standards and guidelines.

Here are things to remember:

College Registration Requirements

• Update your employment information with the College within 30 days of any change by completing the Employment and Contact Information Change Form.
• Ensure that your professional liability insurance meets the College’s requirements.
• You may wish to set your practice up as a professional corporation. Learn more about professional corporations.

Advertising

• Ensure that your business advertising and communication practices adhere to the College’s Practice Standard- Advertising and the Practice Guideline- Advertising.

Fees and Billing

• Provide a clear fee schedule and billing requirements for patients/clients that is easily visible. Review the College’s Practice Standard- Fees and Billing.
• Develop a system to periodically monitor and document billing practices to ensure accuracy of billing, and for regular audits.

Conflict of Interest

• Ensure that you are not engaging in activities that could pose real, potential or perceived conflicts of interest, such as endorsing a product using your professional status. Review the College’s Practice Standard- Conflict of Interest.

Working with Students and Support Personnel

• Ensure professional accountability for all aspects of care/service that you assign to a student or support personnel, such as initial assessment/evaluation, documentation and billing, and development, evaluation and modification of treatment plans. Refer to the College’s Practice Standard- Supervision and Education of Students and Support Personnel.

Infection Control

• Maintain current knowledge of evidence-based infection control protocols relevant to your practice. Review the College Practice Standard- Infection Control for an annotated list of infection control resources.
• Ensure that processes to update your infection control measures and policies are established.
• Ensure that there is a process for equipment service and maintenance. Review the Practice Standard- Record Keeping for more information.

Privacy, Confidentiality, and Record Keeping

• Ensure that you have developed a system for clinical and financial documentation that aligns with the College’s Practice Standard- Record Keeping.
• Ensure that all records (equipment service, financial, patient/client health files, etc.) meet the obligations under privacy legislation, and that your business has a policy outlining the collection, use, access, disclosure and retention of records.
• Review your obligations as a regulated health professional under the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) with respect to Health Information Custodians (HIC) and agents so that staff and patients/clients are aware of who the HIC and agent of the HIC are (if applicable).
• Ensure that confidentiality of records is maintained by the appropriate use of administrative, physical and technical safeguards.
• Ensure that you have developed a policy regarding the request for access of personal health information from the patient/client, a personal representative authorized by the patient/client, or the patient’s/client’s other substitute decision maker, that is in line with PHIPA.

Professional Boundaries

• Every kinesiologist has a personal responsibility for establishing and maintaining boundaries and the professional relationship. Review the College’s Practice Guideline- Professional Boundaries and the Prevention of Sexual Abuse for more information.

Other Considerations

• If offering virtual services, ensure that you review the College’s FAQs on virtual care and the dos and don’ts of providing services virtually.
• Ensure that your work place is compliant with the requirements for the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
• Seek legal advice about the following:
  • registering your business
  • incorporating your business
  • zoning by-laws for your area
  • employment contracts
  • leases
  • partnership agreements
• Seek the advice of an accountant on taxation, bookkeeping and payroll set-up options, and incorporation.
• Seek the advice of an insurance broker about insurance for your building, employee health benefits packages and other insurance-related concerns.

Resources

• College practice standards and guidelines
• Personal Health Information and Protection Act (PHIPA)
• Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)
• Tax information for business- When you need a business number or Canada Revenue Agency program accounts