The continuing professional development standard for medically registered practitioners is changing. Dr Gabrielle Caswell, president of the Australasian College of Aesthetic Medicine, explains the CPD Home program.
Traditionally, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) (also known as Continuing Medical Education, CME) was accrued and reported on a doctor’s behalf if they belonged to an accredited college. For those who did not belong to an accredited college, they were able to self-report directly to the Medical Board of Australia (MBA).
In the practice of aesthetic medicine, a large number of practitioners belong to the Royal College of General Practitioners (RACGP) and the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM), both of which are accredited by the Australian Medical Council (AMC). As part of their membership dues, these colleges provided a collation dashboard where members and course providers (accredited by the colleges) could log in and record their educational activities over the course of the nominated triennium period. Those practitioners who did not belong to these colleges or a non-accredited college (who completed MBA reporting on their behalf), also had the option of self- reporting directly to the MBA.
Educational offerings were traditionally ‘weighted’, for want of a better description, as to the length and complexity of the educational activity, with various reporting and evaluation methods. In addition, fellows of the RACGP and ACRRM required 120 points (compared to non-fellows or members of non-AMC-accredited aesthetic colleges requiring 150 points) per triennium. Importantly for the general practitioner who undertook a Medicare-based practice and successfully completed their CPD triennium program with either the RACGP or ACRRM, it was linked to higher Medicare rebates. Other AMC-recognised specialist colleges already had the 50 hours annually in place.
To appreciate the magnitude of the CPD changes for general medical practitioners, it is sobering to note that it required changes to the Health Insurance Amendment (General Practitioners and Quality Assurance) Bill 2020. This bill defines a general practitioner as “(a) a medical practitioner who is registered under the National Law in the specialty of general practice; or (b) a medical practitioner of a kind prescribed by the [Health Insurance Regulations 2018]”.
Part (b) covers those now known as vocationally registered general practitioners, under section 3F of the Health Insurance Act 1973, who are not registered as specialist general practitioners with the Medical Board of Australia (a 1996 development). That section was repealed with the understanding the Vocational Register of General Practitioners is now redundant.
In real terms, recognition as a specialist GP becomes a more simplified administrative process and aligns GPs’ CPD reporting with that of other specialists under the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme. GPs, like other specialists, are now required to report their CPD annually to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and they may be audited.
Historically, these changes were mooted by the Medical Board of Australia some time ago and are based on concepts outlined in the Professional Performance Framework of 2017.
A major reporting difference for those with general registration is a move away from points-per- triennium cycle reporting every three years, to a required 50 annually logged hours encompassing the domains of education, performance review and reflection, as well as the development and lodgement of a Personal Development Plan. Annual CPD collation and reporting is no longer the providence of AMC- accredited colleges; practitioners now have an additional alternative of joining a newly created ‘CPD Home’ of their choice. The CPD Home is no longer required to have the status of an accredited college as defined by the AMC.
GENERAL PRACTITIONERS, LIKE OTHER SPECIALISTS, ARE NOW REQUIRED TO REPORT THEIR CPD ANNUALLY TO AHPRA AND THEY MAY BE AUDITED.
The CPD Home program
In 2022 the AMC called for Expressions of Interest (EOI) from groups, organisations, educational providers and businesses interested in participating in the CPD Home scheme. From those who completed the EOI, the next step in the process is to ‘set up’ and demonstrate the functionality and viability of CPD Homes. A focus on the reporting and management capabilities of each organisation is a major contributor to the program, due to the reporting and auditing requirements of the MBA.
For the individual, this change means they are required, by January 2024, to join a CPD Home of their choice. Hopefully it will be one that reflects their interests and practice using the CPD Home’s facilities to log their ongoing adult education for annual reporting to the MBA on their behalf by the Home.
In addition, each practitioner is required to complete a Personal Development Plan (PDP): a self- generated personalised educational program, allowing great flexibility for the practitioner to design their education around their knowledge gaps, personal learning needs and clinical practice. Attention needs to be paid to designing a Plan, ensuring that it reflects the CPD requirements of all areas of their practice. Before starting a plan, it may be best to review the services, procedures and medicine conducted and offered to patients, ensuring that each area has some form of educational review within the triennium.
The annual cycle of 50 completed hours is split between three main domains (which may be called something slightly different by each CPD Home) but in essence encompasses: Educational Activities, Reflection/Reviewing Performance and Measuring Outcomes or some variation thereof of these domains. The CPD Homes may include other mandatory activities reflecting the medicine undertaken by the individuals that belong to a particular CPD Home. Therefore, to complete the triennium certificate (where generally the activity also counts to your annual education hours), the annual 50 hours and required/mandatory activities must be completed. An example of a triennium activity is the life support requirements of MBA to maintain medical registration.
The difference that most GPs familiar with the redundant system will notice is that annually logged activities are evident, a list of all completed activities are downloadable and there are annual and triennium requirements on the recording dashboard (ie, life support course). So in essence there are two types of reporting required from the CPD Home on behalf of its member: annually and the completed triennium certificate (including any mandatory activities identified by the home and MBA). In addition, the Plan needs to be uploaded, refined and reviewed; most CPD dashboards have a designated spot for this uploading and some CPD Homes provide a template for completion.
Strengths of the CPD Home concept
Practitioners are now able to choose their CPD Home and hopefully there will be one which reflects their academic and clinical interests. They are able to choose and design their personalised education program that suits their interests, educational needs and clinical career.
Access to recording dashboards, in the face of newly introduced competition, may reduce annual college/CPD Home fees for practitioners. For those used to reporting directly to the MBA, there will obviously be the new experience of belonging to a CPD Home and the additional fees which they have previously not had to pay.
Participants in the CPD Home program will be required to have a ‘Home’ by January 2024, however you may swap your Home at any time, and take your CPD calculations with you. In addition, ‘Homes’ appear to provide a broad range of acceptable activities, though some may state some exclusions and it will be up to the practitioner to ensure their personalised education program covers all aspects of their practice (with the assistance of their Plan).
Broadening the base of who can apply for status as a CPD Home will to some extent uncouple accredited colleges’ dominance in the area of medical education, but also allow new and novel entrants for practitioners to choose from. AMP
