1. What is the problem?

• The clinic owner is pushing for inter-clinic referrals and offering referral bonuses to some physiotherapists in the clinic

2. How does the problem relate to professional standards?

• This goes against the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario’s code of conduct

• It states that you cannot receive any bonus referral. 
• Additionally, if a treatment is not indicated, we are legally informed to let that patient know that we do not recommend that treatment as they would not benefit from it

3. State in a professional way to the employer why this situation is a problem

• Restate how the problem relates to professional standards

4. What are potential actions you could take to improve the situation?

• Ask the clinic owner if they would like the physiotherapists to be more competent with the treatment of patients’ hands.
  • If so, maybe having a session with the hand therapists about what appropriate referrals would be or for them to help educate the physiotherapists on techniques that would be within their scope of practice

5. If this problem reoccurs in the future, what would you do?

• Contact the college and inform them of the situation
• Document your plan of action.