Practice Visit Process

A modernized, more supportive Practice Visit Program is now being rolled out to regulated chiropractors across Alberta. It is designed to strengthen practice quality, support professional confidence and reinforce public trust. Every chiropractor member of Council and the Competence Committee has completed an in‑clinic practice visit—ensuring leadership experienced the process first.

Next, registrants with formal discipline in the last 10 years, those who did not pass their last practice visits and registrants with five years or less of practice will be scheduled. If you are part of these groups, you will be provided with the assessment rubric and notice of your in-clinic visit in advance.

“I found the ‘in-practice visit’ experience to be much more comprehensive than my previous ‘practice review’ experience. I welcomed the opportunity to discuss reasoning behind certain direction and found the in-person communication to be much more valuable to my practice.” ~ Chiropractor participant

Program improvements

The updated Practice Visit Program offers the following improvements:

  • Assesses compliance with a broad enough range of standards 
  • Leads to lasting improvements in practice
  • Provides meaningful, actionable feedback
  • Maintains consistent assessment standards 
  • Connects timing of reviews to risk and performance
  • Offers support to help professionals improve

The updated program is designed to be supportive, fair and helpful. One chiropractor participant reported the following: 

“The new in-person practice visit process overall was informative and educational. It felt productive and focused on improvement in practice. It was nice to talk to the assessors and work through the rubric in real time. It was easier to understand deficiencies than to receive a letter after the fact. Upon receiving the letter, it was not a surprise what changes would help my practice to reflect the current standards and how to maintain them.” ~ Chiropractor participant

CCOA remains committed to a process that strengthens practice and supports chiropractors.

Background

The Practice Visit Program updates come directly from a key strategic initiative as part of the CCOA Council’s 2022–2027 Strategic Plan. Just as importantly, the updates were shaped by the extensive feedback chiropractors provided in the 2024 profession-wide survey. Registrants told CCOA they wanted broader assessment of standards, more actionable feedback, regular in-person review and a system that supports improvement rather than simply measuring it.

Program updates

At its November 2025 meeting, Council approved the following updates to the practice visit program:

  • Frequency and method of review determined by performance and risk
  • Assessment of broad compliance with standards and rules
  • A shift from “recommended improvement” to mandated improvement, where needed
  • Randomized and/or assessor-selected file reviews
  • Active monitoring for compliance
  • At least one in-person review for every professional during their career

The following registrants will be contacted to schedule a practice visit in the near future:
  

  • Registrants with formal discipline in the past 10 years 
  • Registrants who did not pass their last practice visit
  • Registrants in their first five years of practice

Newly registered professionals will receive an early in-clinic visit to help them feel confident and well-supported in practice.

If a visit goes well, the next review may be many years away and may be electronic rather than in person. If major areas for improvement are identified, the next visit may be sooner and may need to be in person again. This is right-touch regulation in action: focusing resources where they are needed and not where they aren’t.

Note: For many registrants, it may be years before your next scheduled visit.

Scheduling process

CCOA will reach out directly when it is time for your visit. You will:

  • receive advance notice before your in-clinic review
  • receive the full assessment rubric ahead of time

CCOA is committed to making this a constructive experience that strengthens practice, enhances public trust and supports every registrant throughout their career. 

Resources and documents