Osteopaths are reminded about their obligations as audit starts

22 Mar 2016

Osteopaths are reminded about their obligations as health practitioners under the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (the National Scheme) as audit starts this week (week commencing 21 March 2016).

This week practitioners who are being audited this year will receive a letter from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). The audit will cover the period of 1 December 2014 to 30 November 2015.

The Osteopathy Board of Australia (the Board) is reminding practitioners that when participating in audit they are audited against the registration standards that were in force during the above audit period.

Audits are an important part of the way National Boards and AHPRA can better protect the public. They help to ensure that practitioners are meeting the mandatory registration standards and provide important assurance to the community and the Boards.

If you receive a notice letting you know you have been selected for audit, make sure to respond to it by the deadline and include all the required supporting information when mailing your paperwork to AHPRA. Practitioners will be sent a checklist if audited and will be asked to provide evidence. You will also be provided with contact details for the audit team at AHPRA who can be called directly to discuss any audit queries you may have.

AHPRA can audit several professions at any time during the year, and it may take four to six weeks to hear back that your case has either been closed, or referred to the Osteopathy Council of NSW, the Office of the Health Ombudsman in Queensland or the Osteopathy Board. You will only be referred to these bodies if you have participated in an audit and are found to have not met your registration standards and obligations under the National Scheme. Every practitioner who is audited is advised of the outcome of the audit in a closing letter.

A number of revised registration standards have come into effect recently, this audit will only require evidence on the previous registration standards, and these are all accessible on the registration standards page under ‘retired versions’.

The Board has published a CPD guideline and it contains important information about how to comply with the CPD standard including first aid and mandatory topics. Please ensure you have consulted the applicable ‘retired version’.

Osteopaths are chosen randomly; and as the number of osteopaths eligible for audit is below 2,000 (because it excludes non-practising) there is a high likelihood that you will be asked to participate in audit a number of times over the course of your career.

Registration in another profession does not affect audit for osteopathy, as the Board’s requirements will differ from that of other National Boards.

The Board has found a very high level of compliance in audits from Osteopaths. To help keep this compliance level high you can take measures now to prepare for future compliance by keeping good records of your Continuing Professional Development (CPD), Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) and recency of practice for at least five years.

The Board will be producing information on audit regularly throughout the year, so keep an eye out for webinars, useful information from the Board on audit on social media (twitter and Facebook) and Board newsletter on how to prepare for audit and keep records.

The audit page on the Board’s website provides more information.