Ten questions, ten answers

Diferentes medios de comunicación han transmitido opiniones de instituciones y organizaciones que se han posicionado, a favor o en contra de la VPC, y han objetado algunos aspectos de este programa.

Los Colegios Oficiales de Médicos, así como el Consejo General de Colegios de Médicos (CGCOM) se han esforzado en explicar y publicar diferentes opúsculos pormenorizando tanto los aspectos conceptuales como las cuestiones más técnicas del programa de la VPC.

Sin embargo, siguen apareciendo dudas o confusiones que sugieren la necesidad de explicar de nuevo, de forma sencilla y pragmática, qué es y qué no es el programa de la VPC.

• 1. What is VPC / What is not VPC?
  • The VPC is a process of «re-registration» of physicians who perform healthcare activities and whose ultimate goal is the safety of both the patient and the physician.
  • VPC is not an examination that directly compromises professional practice.
• 2. Why is it called VPC / Why is it not called re-registration?
  • It is called VPC to indicate that it is a process related to registration and limited in its duration to a specific period of time and aimed at the group of physicians who carry out a healthcare activity (6 years).
  • It is not called re-registration because it is not intended for all physicians but only for those who are involved in health care; physicians who do not see patients may be registered, but they do not have to validate their clinical competence.
• 3. On whom does the VPC depend / On whom does the VPC not depend?
  • The VPC is a process registered by the Organización Médica Colegial (OMC) and therefore depends on the Spanish Medical Associations, as well as the CGCOM.
  • The VPC does not depend on Spanish public administrations, scientific societies, trade unions or any European organization.
• 4. What is the cost of the VPC for the member / What is the cost of the VPC for the physicians's institution?
  • The VPC program does not have any economic cost for the registered physician who accesses the program; the credential that the physician obtains upon completing the VPC application is a service that the registered physicians receive as a result of being registered.
  • The cost of the material means, computer programs, as well as the human resources necessary for the development of the VPC are assumed by the Official Institution of Physicians and by the CGCOM in the understanding that, together with the registry, the VPC is another of the main responsibilities of the colleges towards their members.
• 5. Is VPC mandatory / Is VPC not mandatory?
  • Within the collegial (intramural) sphere, the VPC should be universal for all physicians who are involved in health care activities and are committed to the values of the profession, since the VPC credential allows physicians to transparently demonstrate to the public their commitment to the quality of their professional actions.
    The VPC credential allows physicians to transparently demonstrate to the public their commitment to the quality of their professional acts. Based on the principles of accountability and transparency, the OMC assembly made the mandatory nature of the VPC intramural.
  • From the point of view of other spheres, such as the health administration or the trade union sphere, VPC is not mandatory. Another thing is that one or the other may establish collaborations or synergies between programs that coincide in their aims.
• 6. Can I practice without the VPC / I will not be able to practice without the VPC?
  • Yes, it is possible to practice without the VPC; the only legal requirement to practice medicine in Spain, in addition to the degree or equivalent, is to be a member of a medical association or equivalent, is to be a member of a medical association. The mandatory nature of the VPC is intramural, that is, that of the responsibility and transparency of the collegiate organizations with themselves; acquiring the VPC credential is accessing a guarantee but the VPC is not approved or suspended.
  • At present, neither European nor Spanish legislation demands any requirement of periodic re-registration or recertification to practice as a physician. However, different initiatives suggesting or leading to the future obligatory nature of recertification should not be disregarded, such as:
    (i) the numerous countries, mainly in the Anglo-Saxon sphere, that have already incorporated mandatory periodic validation processes,
    ii) the existence of European Directives on the requirements for the recognition and registration of professionals for cross-border mobility, and finally,
    iii) the announcement by the Ministry of Health of a future Decree Law on the regulation of Professional Development (PD).
• 7. VPC versus Re-certification / Re-certification versus VPC
  • The VPC is interested in the suitability of issues in the collegial field, and for this purpose it checks whether the physician practices as an attending physician, assesses the state of health to adequately practice as a specialist physician and verifies the non-malpractice of the applicant; as a result of the suitability of these sections, the collegial organizations grant a credential that certifies it and which is called VPC.
  • Re-certification is concerned with the maintenance of professional competence and especially with the competencies of a specialist. For this reason, the scientific societies, which have the knowledge of each specialty, must be the first institutions interested in and related to the re-certification credentials.
• 8. How do I know that I have the VPC / How do others know that I have the VPC?
  • Once the administrative procedure of the VPC has been completed, the Institutions of the physician or the CGCOM will evaluate the application and if it is positive, the Board of Directors will issue the corresponding VPC resolution. The
    The interested party receives a credential that certifies the VPC for a period of 6 years.
  • The VPC credential can be used by the physician to communicate his or her status wherever he or she deems appropriate.
    communicate his or her status wherever he or she deems appropriate. In addition, the CGCOM incorporates the VPC into the public registry of physicians so that any citizen can check the VPC status of any registered physician on the WTO website.
• 9. Does the health administration participate in VPC / Does the health administration impose VPC?
  • The VPC is an initiative of the Official Institutions of Physicians and the CGCOM, which holds the ownership of the registry. However, for the sake of the principles of accountability and transparency, the governance structure of the VPC has a maximum decision-making body in which the health administration is represented by the Director General of Professional Management, in addition to other agents such as FACME, CNECS and the CNDME.
  • The health administration does not impose the VPC since it is a structure outside the administration. However, the health administration, which has the legal authority (potestas) over the certification and registration of health professionals, can, if it deems it appropriate, delegate the procedures or execution of these processes to institutions that have the moral authority and recognized prestige in their track record (authoritas), such as the Official Colleges of Physicians, public law institutions
• 10. Present of the VPC / Future of the VPC?
  • The VPC is a friendly program because it is simple, economically speaking, at no cost to the professional, and rigorous in its development under the supervision of the institutions. The VPC provides a credential that benefits the patient, by indicating that the professional who treats him or her is under the supervision of professional organizations, that benefits the physician, by being able to demonstrate that his or her professional career is committed and transparent, and that provides the health administration and the legislature with the information they need to ensure that the professional is committed and transparent.
    It also provides the health administration and the legislature with the information they need to guarantee the quality of the physicians practicing in the national health system to the public.
  • In the near future, the concurrence of the professional associations, the SSCC and the health administrations will make it possible to bring together the responsibilities of the three main agents on which the Professional Development (PD) of physicians should rest, i.e., the associations, the SSCC and the health administrations. The three agents will understand that, without the concurrence of one of them, only incomplete or lame Professional Development programs can be established.