Why Join OSTCAN
Osteopathy Canada (OSTCAN) is a national council. OSTCAN has provincial affiliates representing osteopathic manual practitioners in every province whose members exemplify the true spirit of Osteopathy. OSTCAN adheres to the highest international standards in education and professionalism, including those detailed in the WHO Benchmarks, the CEN Standard and the CSA Canadian modifications of the CEN. All professional members under OSTCAN affiliates have completed a minimum of 4200 hours of osteopathic education, including a minimum of 1000 hours of supervised clinical training.
OSTCAN is unique among osteopathic associations for several reasons:
- OSTCAN only accepts professionals with full and complete osteopathic training that meets the highest international standards. No add-on training program is accepted.
- All professional members under OSTCAN must pass a certification exam upon entry to validate their proficiency against international standards.
- All provincial associations under OSTCAN share identical membership requirements and identical standards of professional practice.
- All osteopathic schools recognized by OSTCAN must go through an audit to verify they are delivering a program in line with the highest international education standards.
The OSTCAN Board of Directors work closely with its members to improve operational success allowing for unique and unmatched membership benefits as scribed below.
1. Partnership with Blendable Health Spending Accounts
OSTCAN has a partnership with Blendable to provide customizable extended health / group benefit plan options in the form of Health Spending Accounts to its members.
2. Class 4A Rates on Disability Insurance Coverage
OSTCAN members qualify for Class 4A rates on disability insurance coverage, the same rating as physicians & surgeons. No other manual therapy profession meets this eligibility criteria. Our members, with a M.OMSc. designation, are eligible for additional healthcare professional riders and disability protection at the lowest possible premiums.
3. OSTCAN Members are Discounted on Scientific Research & Experimental Development (SR&ED) Services with Bond Consulting
SR&ED is a government program that rewards clinics for performing R&D in Canada. This is a corporate tax incentive program that entitles approved applicants to thousands, up to tens of thousands of dollars, in tax refunds under the Income Tax Act. OSTCAN members can work with a Bond Consultant to submit an application at zero cost.
4. Direct Billing
OSTCAN has been selected by Telus Health to facilitate direct billing privileges with 29 participating insurers. This initiative has launched and is now ‘live’ for OMPs to direct bill for their services.
5. Good Standing with all Canadian Insurance Providers
OSTCAN members enjoy recognition from all private insurance providers. This relationship has been established for over a decade and is rooted in our superior standards of education and treatment quality.
6. Excellent Government Relations
OSTCAN’s strong foothold in government relations, through its leading lobbyist team, has secured a presence and a voice for OSTCAN members in the realm of regulatory oversight and professional practice standards. We have been credited for securing osteopathy its essential service status during the height of the pandemic.
7. We are a National Association
Practitioners join provincial associations. These provincial associations are members of the national association OSTCAN. All affiliate provincial associations under OSTCAN share identical entrance requirements, education standards and practice standards. This unified approach provides an accountability standard that insurers can rely on that is unmatched nationally. It also ensures continuity in insurance recognition without interruption for members who relocate their practice within Canada.