If you’re closing or leaving a practice in Alberta, the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) expects you to give at least 90 days’ notice to patients and to the College, tell the other providers and organizations you work with, and make arrangements for your patients’ records. Records Management Ltd. works with physicians across Alberta; this guide covers the main steps.
What the standard asks for
The CPSA standard of practice Closing or Leaving a Medical Practice sets out these expectations:
- Notice to patients: at least 90 days before closing or leaving, to each patient seen in the past year who expects ongoing care, and document it. If a replacement physician is taking over, the notice period can be shorter, based on your professional judgment. If the closure is outside your control (sudden illness, for example), notify patients as soon as reasonably possible.
- What the notice covers: your last day, how to find a new physician, how to get outstanding results, and how to access records. A detailed letter, secure email or phone call is acceptable.
- Notice to the CPSA: at least 90 days in advance, through the Notification of Change form on the CPSA portal. It asks how patient care will be transferred, where records will be and how they can be accessed, the name and contact information of the successor custodian, your forwarding address, and any unused triplicate prescription forms if you’re leaving practice in Alberta. The CPSA also has a Custody of Patient Records form.
- Others to notify: referring providers, providers you refer to, hospitals where you hold privileges, employers and AHCIP if applicable.
- Records: you remain responsible for the secure storage and disposition of records. If you won’t be keeping them yourself, the standard calls for an information sharing agreement that says who maintains them.
How long records are kept
Under the CPSA’s retention standard, adult records are kept for at least 10 years from the date of the last entry. For minors, it’s the longer of 10 years after the last entry or two years after the patient reaches (or would have reached) 18.
A practical timeline
- 6 months out: set your closing date and decide whether a successor is taking over. Call us first, before you transfer charts or tell patients where to send record requests, so we can plan the simplest and most cost-effective arrangement.
- At least 90 days out: send patient notices and submit the CPSA Notification of Change. Notify referring providers, hospitals and employers.
- Closing week: hand your charts to your records provider and make sure patients know where to send requests.
- After you close: record requests keep coming. Someone needs to receive, verify and respond to them.
How Records Management Ltd. helps
We manage your patient records on your behalf: we notify patients by mailed letter and phone outreach, store and manage your paper and EMR charts, answer each record request that follows (most within a week), and securely destroy records when the retention period ends, with a Record of Destruction for your files. We tell the CPSA where your records are now held and can notify your referral network of the change.
Leaving a practice in Alberta? Call us before any charts move.
Related reading
- Medical practice closure services
- What happens to patient records when a doctor retires, sells or closes
- Closing your medical practice in Ontario: checklist
Sources and further reading
- CPSA standard: Closing or Leaving a Medical Practice
- CPSA standard: Patient Record Retention
- CPSA: Custody of Patient Records
This article is general information, not legal advice. Check the current CPSA standards for the exact requirements that apply to you.