When a physician receives notice of a complaint from the College, the emotional impact can be immediate and heavy. For one Ontario specialist, the experience was no exception. “You’re already managing a heavy workload and high levels of burnout,” he says. “Then this arrives, and you still have to show up for patients while it hangs over you.”
In 2025, CPSO received 4,803 complaints, the majority of which related to communication issues or misunderstandings rather than clinical competence.
As someone who previously served on the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee, this specialist understood the traditional complaints process, which could include lengthy written responses, several rounds of correspondence, investigator interviews, and months before resolution. “It could sit in the back of your mind for over a year,” he recalls. “It was exhausting.”
However, starting in 2018, CPSO conducted an end-to-end review of its complaints and investigations processes, implementing a range of internal changes to improve timelines and outcomes. Complainants are now contacted by the College within two days of filing their complaint (compared with 21 days in the past), with discussion and early resolution promoted as the primary approach, where appropriate.
Within this context, the specialist’s experience with CPSO’s alternative dispute resolution (ADR) pathway stands out as a good example of how the process has been redesigned to work. ADR is a form of early resolution, where concerns are addressed through a mutually agreed-upon resolution rather than a formal investigation and committee process. His complaint, related to communication issues, was resolved within days. “The speed alone was incredible,” he says. “What used to take months was resolved almost immediately.”
This year’s Annual Report highlights the impact of that shift. In 2025, more than half (57.2%) of complaints and concerns were resolved through early resolution, including ADR. The approach is intended to resolve appropriate concerns quickly and respectfully in cases where both parties agree to participate, while reducing strain on the patient-physician relationship.
Behind those numbers are meaningful differences in how both physicians and patients experience complaints. For physicians, it means far less administrative burden and reduced stress. For patients, it often delivers what they want most, to feel heard. “The investigator’s letter was thoughtful and diplomatic,” the physician says. “If I were the patient, I would have felt validated.”
“This pathway lets the system work smarter,” this physician adds. “It reduces burnout for doctors and still respects the patient experience.” His message to colleagues is pragmatic: complaints are an inevitable part of practice. But for physicians facing one, the ADR pathway offers something invaluable: resolution without prolonged unnecessary distress for both physicians and patients. “What matters is having a fair process that brings timely closure.”
