Information for Physicians Being Assessed
If you have been selected for assessment by the Peer Assessment Committee (PAC), it is mandatory under Section 62.1(7) of the Medical Act of New Brunswick that you participate. If you have chosen to provide the required information online, the necessary forms appear below for both onsite and offsite assessment. Prior to completing these forms, however, we would encourage you to visit the “Who We Are” and “Assessment Process” sections of this website for general information about the PAC, its mandate and policies; the onsite and offsite assessment processes; and samples of the relevant report forms which are used by an the assessor in carrying out a peer review. The forms included in this section, “Physicians Being Assessed” include only those which you are required to submit. The others, in the Assessment Process section, can be viewed by physicians, but can only be completed and submitted by the assessors.
Step 1: Physicians selected for peer review are required to complete the “Peer Assessment Committee (PAC) Physician Profile” which will provide preliminary information to determine whether or not you are eligible for peer assessment at this time. Please complete the form below and submit it before the date requested. Note: this form may not work with a Mac or Apple product. To complete the form, click on “PAC Physician Profile” below. Go to the “Save” button at the bottom right of the page, then right-click on the “Save” button. Choose “Save as” or “Save target as” and a directory (usually the ‘Downloads” directory) will appear. Save the document under a name of your choosing; then open the document and complete the required information. When you have finished, choose “Save” and then attach the saved document to an email sent to us at: info@pac-cpsnb.org.
Step 2: Following receipt of the Physician Profile, if you are determined to be eligible for peer review, we will advise you whether an onsite or offsite assessment is planned. We will also ask for more detailed “Supplemental Information for Assessment” to provide the PAC and the assessor assigned to you with information about the type and scope of your practice, and your professional activities. Based on the information provided by us, please select either “Onsite Assessment” or “Offsite Assessment” below.
Onsite Assessment
Please complete the “Supplemental Information for Assessment“ document, and submit it by the date indicated in your notification letter. If you are a Pathologist, please complete the “Supplemental Information for Assessment for Pathology; and review the Case Selection for Pathology. Note: this form may not work with a Mac or Apple product.To complete the form, right-click on the appropriate “Supplemental Information”as noted, then right-click on the document which appears. Choose “Save as” or “Save target as” and a directory (usually the ‘Downloads” directory) will appear. Save the document under a name of your choosing; then open the document and complete the required information. When you have finished, choose “Save” and/or “Print” to keep a copy for your records. Attach the completed document to an email to us at: info@pac.cpsnb.org.
When your practice has been assigned, we will notify you of the name of the assessor who will be visiting you. Although we make every effort to complete the assessment process promptly, scheduling for both assessors and physicians can be complicated, and it may be several months before the actual onsite visit. We recognize the anxiety this delay may sometimes cause, but trust you will understand the logistics of matching physicians and assessors, both of whom are busy practising physicians.
The assessor will need to select between fifteen and twenty patient records to review as a part of the assessment process. Please have your day book, diary or appointment schedule available to assist in making this selection. If you are in a hospital-based practice, it is your responsibility to make arrangements with the appropriate supervisor in the hospital’s records department to have access to your charts for specific dates when you were on duty. PAC assessors are aware that confidentiality oaths or records access codes may be required in some health facilities, and they too will be in touch with the appropriate medical records department. It is not necessary for you to be present during the chart review, but it is important that you set aside about an hour to meet with the assessor prior to the conclusion of the visit. This time provides an opportunity to discuss any questions regarding records or patient care, and allows you to provide any information you consider pertinent to the assessment process.
Following receipt of your final results and the copy of the assessor’s report, we would also encourage you to complete and submit the “Evaluation of Onsite Peer Review” which helps us to continue to modify and improve the assessment process.
To complete these form, right-click on “Evaluation of Onsite Peer Review” below, then right-click on the document which appears. Choose “Save as” or “Save target as” and a directory (usually the ‘Downloads” directory) will appear. Save the document under a name of your choosing; then open the document and complete the required information. When you have finished, choose “Save” to keep a copy for your records; email it to the PAC as an attachment, at info@pac.cpsnb.org.
Thank you for your participation!
Offsite Assessment
If have been selected for offsite assessment, you will need to submit the following to us by the date indicated in your notification letter:
- A completed “Supplemental Information for Assessment“ document. Note: this form may not work with a Mac or Apple product. To complete the form, right-click on “Supplemental Information for Assessment” as previously noted, then right-click on the document which appears. Choose “Save as” or “Save target as” and a directory (usually the ‘Downloads” directory) will appear. Save the document under a name of your choosing; then open the document and complete the required information. When you have finished, choose “Save” to keep a copy for your records. Print a copy and forward it to the PAC along with the charts as required below.
- Copies of five charts as specified in the “Instructions to Physicians” below; please choose the instructions which apply to you:
- Instructions to Physicians – Family Medicine
- Instructions to Physicians – Paediatrics
- Instructions to Physicians – Cardiology
Please copy and mail the charts to the Moncton office via courier or other secure mail.
For your information, the following documents will be utilized in the Offsite Assessment Process:
Following receipt of your final results and the copy of the assessor’s report, we would also encourage you to complete and submit the “Physicians’ Evaluation of Offsite Assessment” which helps us to continue to modify and improve the assessment process. To complete this form, right-click on “Physicians’Evaluation of Offsite Assessment” as previously noted, then right-click on the document which appears. Choose “Save as” or “Save target as” and a directory (usually the ‘Downloads” directory) will appear. Save the document under a name of your choosing; then open the document and complete the required information. When you have finished, choose “Save” to keep a copy for your records; attach a copy and email it to the PAC at info@pac.cpsnb.org.
Thank you for your participation!
Virtual Assessment
The virtual remote review will be done by an experienced assessor who will discuss the process with the physician being assessed in advance online or by phone; carry out the chart review electronically with approved access to the patient records; and meet with the physician electronically following the review to discuss the results. In order to participate in virtual-remote review, physicians will confirm the following:
a) the EMR can be accessed remotely (i.e. from home);
b) the physician is able to provide an assessor with log-in credentials to allow access on a read-only basis to the complete patient chart;
c) the EMR will allow for both the assessor and the physician to view the same record simultaneously if needed.
A detailed explanation of the role of both the assessor and the physician being assessed may be found in the document “The Virtual Remote Review Process” here.
Report forms used in a virtual remote assessment are the same as those used for an onsite review. These may be read in The Assessment Process section “Onsite Assessment” above. Virtual Remote review uses a different post-review evaluation form: “Physician’s Evaluation of Virtual Peer Review.”
Step 3: It may be several months following an onsite visit, a virtual assessment or the submission of charts for an offsite review, before you will receive the results of your assessment. You will receive a letter, as well as a copy of the report completed by the assessor. If there have been deficiencies identified, a reassessment may be scheduled, or (in rare cases) a personal interview with the Peer Assessment Committee directed.