What is a Registered Care Advisor?

Under ICBC’s new No-Fault Insurance program, a Registered Care Advisor (RCA) is a medical care consultant tasked with expediting medical assessments of patients with car accident injuries. A primary care physician may consult with an RCA regarding a patient suffering from injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident if:

• the primary care physician is unable to make a clear diagnosis

• the patient is not recovering as expected

• there are factors complicating the patient’s recovery

How it works:

• A patient visits their primary care physician regarding injuries due to a car accident

• The physician assesses the patient, but requires a second opinion

• The physician refers the patient to a Registered Care Advisor within 90 days of the injury-causing accident

• The RCA assesses the patient and advises the primary physician on diagnosis and course of treatment, scheduling a follow-up assessment if necessary

• ICBC covers the cost of the initial assessment and report, and follow-up assessment if needed

TriMedical Assessment Centre offers physicians that exceed the criteria of a Registered Care Advisor which includes:

1. must be a registrant in good standing with the College and registered in the full class of registration

2. must be current for clinical practice (as defined in Appendix 3 of the regulation)

3. must provide to the College a declaration in accordance with section 8 of the Insurance (Vehicle) Regulation

4. must be registered in the registered care advisor register

5. must be competent in one or more of the following relevant disciplines:

   • musculoskeletal injuries

   • acute and chronic pain

   • mental health issues and other psychosocial issues

TriMedical Medical Director, Dr. Charlie Smit, is a Registered Care Advisor. With a background in diagnosing and treating patients with soft tissue and orthopaedic injuries, Dr Smit is highly regarded in performing quality independent, unbiased and evidence based assessments.