Professional Liability Program
The Professional Liability Program (PLP) has provided assistance to Ontario dentists for over 50 years. PLP staff and RCDSO Council members have been dedicated to the promotion of patient safety and responsible dentistry.
In 2022, RCDSO Council established a PLP Expert Review Task Force, composed of experts and former Council members, to do a thorough review of the PLP program, outline any risks and recommend options to mitigate these risks.
The Task Force identified several risks with the PLP program, foremost among them reputational, regulatory and financial. RCDSO is one of the few health regulatory Colleges in Canada that directly operates an in-house liability program.
At its December 7th, 2023 meeting, RCDSO Council directed staff to proceed with exploring the transfer of the Professional Liability Program (including current liabilities and staff) to a third-party operator with the goal of allowing the program to continue to operate, under separate ownership.
At Council’s May 2024 meeting, the Registrar reported that RCDSO staff have led a process to identify an independent advisor, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), to support the divestment process by minimizing business disruption; optimizing public/patient interest by providing a stable environment through the transition period, as directed by Council.
It will be a complex transaction that will also require legal and other financial advice.
The Procurement Review Group, consisting of Council members, has been established and has met several times with the procurement advisor, PwC.
At the June 2024 meeting, Council received an update noting that allowing for flexibility in the transaction closing date would optimize outcomes for the College and staff as well as the profession. Although it is possible that a transfer to a new provider could take place at some point during the 2025 year, members’ professional liability coverage will continue for the entire 2025 calendar year.
The College will continue to require dentists to maintain adequate liability protection, which is consistent with other Ontario health Colleges and the expectations of the RHPA.
Next steps
By providing liability protection to all its members (and former members) through the PLP, the RCDSO has been able to ensure what it considers adequate professional liability protection. Once the RCDSO no longer owns and operates the program, it will need to find an alternative way to establish requirements for professional liability protection.
Over the next few months, RCDSO Staff, with advice from the Procurement Review Group (PRG) and legal counsel will be working on By-Laws that will establish what each registrant must obtain by way of protection to ensure that the public is protected. The profession will have an opportunity to provide feedback during the 60-day consultation period.
As this decision is the beginning of a lengthy process, it is too early to answer many of your detailed questions, such as what future regulatory or liability fees might be. Members of the RCDSO should continue to contact PLP directly, as usual, for assistance with claims or potential claims.
RCDSO is committed to keeping you informed as we further research and develop our plans.
If you would like to view Council deliberations on this topic, they are available on our YouTube channel.