Notice from Royal College: Regional Health Authorities are no longer qualified as a physician organization.
EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2026. The RCPSC has informed all CPD providers that Regional Health Authorities are no longer qualified as a physician organization and are required to co-develop their activities with a physician organization. Please see the Royal College’s definition of a Physician Organization.
Notice from Royal College
“We are writing to inform you that the Trusted Provider Partner Pilot (also referred to as the Regional Health Authority [RHA] Pilot) will conclude on June 30, 2026, and to outline the implications for accrediting CPD activities involving RHAs.
Launched on January 1, 2024, the pilot temporarily allowed RHAs to apply to an Accredited CPD Provider for CPD activity accreditation without co-development of the activity with the Accredited CPD Provider, or another Physician Organization. Typically, co-development is required, as RHAs do not meet the Royal College’s definition of a Physician Organization. This exception was introduced in response to an identified need that had arisen to support urgent access to COVID‑related education.
In November 2025, a survey was conducted to evaluate awareness and uptake of the pilot. The CPD Accreditation Committee (CPD‑AC) reviewed the results, which demonstrated limited use of the pilot for RHA‑developed activities. In light of this and the changed global context, the CPD‑AC decided to conclude the pilot.
As a result of the pilot concluding, as of July 1, 2026, and consistent with expectations prior to the pilot, if RHAs want to pursue accreditation for CPD activities aligned with the Royal College’s CPD Activity Accreditation Standards, they must be co‑developed with a physician organization or with an Accredited CPD Provider.”
Complete the checklist to determine if you meet the RCPSC qualifications for a Physician Organization:
- Identifying Physician Organization Checklist (updated July 2026)
Each of the activities that you can seek accreditation for must be developed or co-developed by a physician organization, please visit the Royal College website or contact the Royal College to confirm before submitting an application.
A physician organization is defined by the Royal College as a not-for-profit group of health professionals with a formal governance structure, accountable to and serving, among others, its physician members through continuing professional development, provision of health care, and/or research.
This definition includes (but is not limited to) the following groups:
- Faculties of medicine
- Hospital departments or divisions
- Medical societies, associations, and academies
- Physician research organizations
- Health authorities not linked to government agencies
- Canadian medical regulatory authorities (MRAs)
Types of organizations that ‘Are Not’ considered Physician Organizations:
- Pharmaceutical companies and their advisory groups
- Medical and surgical supply companies
- Medical device companies
- Communication companies
- Other for-profit organizations and ventures/activities
- Disease-oriented patient advocacy organizations
- Government departments or agencies (such as Health Canada or the Public Health Agency of Canada)
- Medical education or communications companies
- For-profit online educators, publishing companies or simulation companies
- Small groups of physicians working together to develop educational programming