Colleagues, I hope your October has included a few of those beautiful Ontario fall days. I have no doubt this month is a busy one in your practices. We have heard from many of you about the signific...
Colleagues, I am honoured to be starting my two-year term as the 63rd president of the OCFP. I want to thank Dr. Jennifer Young for her outstanding leadership these past two years, and especially du...
The Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP) is pleased to announce Ottawa’s Dr. Elizabeth Muggah as its 63rd President. The OCFP represents more than 15,000 family physicians across the ...
It has been a privilege – connecting with you and representing family medicine in Ontario, especially in these last six months of confusion, anxiety and re-working the way we care for our patie...
Dear Colleagues, We are in it – an increase in cases, return to school, flu season and continuing care for our patients. As we see the surge in cases, we need to tell our patients – soci...
Dear Colleagues, Our offices are increasingly busy and the upcoming viral illness season looms. With the DFCM at UofT, we had our biggest COVID Community of Practice session on August 21, discussin...
Dear Colleagues, We are now in the last weeks of summer and, given the return to school, we will be seeing more viral respiratory illnesses. COVID testing will most likely be required for children w...
Dear Colleagues, Community-based family physicians are now eligible to receive PPE at no cost through the province’s pandemic supply. You can submit PPE requests without the expectation tha...
The OCFP's submission to the OMA/Ministry of Health Primary Care Working Group in July 2020 addressed four key areas, as requested: Access and Quality, Complexity Modifiers, Walk-In Clinics and GP Fo...
Dear Colleagues, I wanted to share with you the input we provided to the OMA/Ministry of Health Primary Care Working Group, chaired by Drs. Nadia Alam and David Price. We were asked to submit our th...
Dear Colleagues, I hope all of you will be able to take some time off this summer, and don’t forget to turn off your emails! Family doctors have been increasing in-person care and our website ...
Dear Colleagues, These last weeks have brought us back to another reality that we cannot ignore and must do something about. The atrocious examples of racism are disturbing and require us to list...
Dear Colleagues, We finally have full-on spring! This coincides with Ontario starting to re-open and there is that yearning for a return to “normal”. We know, though, that we need to rem...
Appropriateness and accessibility are two important elements in an effective health care system. Over the past several years in Ontario, an effort has been made at many levels to transform the health...
Dear Colleagues, Wishing all of you good health and increased calm in these changing times. My own sense of unease is shifting as we see a flattening of the curve but the uncertainties remain - what...
Dear Colleagues, Important updates to share with you. Patient reluctance to seek care. Our patients need to know that we are keeping them safe – in our offices, in the ER, and in all ...
The OCFP has compiled information and resources to assist you in your screening and infection prevention/control activities for coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Among the resources is our infographic ...
Dear Colleagues, Please see the link below to an open letter that we have sent to the Minister of Health asking her to “fix the billing issues that allow all offices to offer high-quality and...
Dear Colleagues, Each week brings new realities to each of us, new challenges and hopefully new successes in your ability as a family physician and as a community to respond to this pandemic. Our pop...
An open letter was released today regarding PPE in Primary Care during COVID-19 from the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario (AFHTO), Nurse Practitioners' Association of Ontario (NPAO) and ...
Dear Colleagues, We are another week into this crisis - I hope you and your families are well. I am so aware of the enormous stress that you (and we) are under as medical communities struggle to keep...
Hello colleagues, Here is our new IN-OFFICE ASSESSMENT GUIDANCE. We cannot just close our offices to all in-person visits, and I hope this guidance will empower you and your staff to manage the risks...
Dear Colleagues, Transforming the way we do our day to day work is not an easy task. I am sure by now that all of you have met with your staff, gotten new clinic processes going and read more emails ...
Dear Colleagues, I know you are all working tirelessly to keep your patients safe. Like me, it's becoming increasingly challenging to keep up to date on evolving guidance, expectations, and managing ...
Direct-to-patient video visits are becoming more of a reality for Ontario physicians and patients. As part of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) and Ministry of Health's plan to expand virtual car...
My fellow family physicians, Happy new year! As we begin 2020, I wanted to give you all a snapshot of the activities that have kept the OCFP busy, as we work to achieve our vision: Leaders for a Heal...
Dr. Jocelyn Charles has said that she owes her life to a family physician who saved her when she was three years old; it could also be said that Dr. Charles has given her own life to family medicine....
Today, I saw 25 of my patients - disclosed a new diagnosis of breast cancer, injected a shoulder, reviewed options for knee osteoarthritis, deprescribed a tricyclic, helped someone yet again try to q...
This word cloud summarizes the day that over 40 Ontario leaders of primary care spent together on September 21! We had the honour to share it with Dr. Robert Varnum, a family physician from the UK wh...
The CPSO Council has approved a new policy on Continuity of Care with specific policy direction in four key areas. Availability and Coverage Managing Tests Transitions in Care Walk-in Clinics Physic...
It was early in her career when Dr. Anita Greig first identified a gap in preventive care resources for school-aged children and adolescents. As a resident, she received a checklist of recommended ph...
The groups on a path towards becoming an Ontario Health Team (OHT) have now been announced. The Ministry of Health has identified 31 teams invited to 'full submission', with another 41 'in developmen...
Day in and day out, we connect with our patients and try to best address their needs. But what about the patient perspective? This month, I had the privilege of joining forces with Julie Drury, patie...
On June 25, the Ontario Premier's Council released its Second Report on Improving Healthcare and Ending Hallway Medicine, A Healthy Ontario: Building a Sustainable Health Care System, with recommenda...
The 2019 Ted Freedman Award for Innovation in Education was awarded to the Ontario College of Family Physicians' Collaborative Mentoring Networks (CMN) program today. The award was presented at the 2...
Amid times characterized by a rapidly evolving health system, the OCFP is taking a focused approach to ensuring that system transformation includes family physician leadership in co-design and implem...
Joy in Work. It matters for all of us, and for the people with whom we work. We have a very human need to feel that our work is meaningful, that it makes a difference...
Now that the Guidance Document for Ontario Health Teams is out, we are getting a better idea of the changes that are to come. The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has a vision that all Ontarians...
You have likely heard about Ontario Health Teams (OHTs) and may be wondering if you should get involved.
Evidence highly suggests that successful reforms need to be anchored in a robust primary care sector, and led by family physicians. The OCFP has provided a written submission to the Legislative Assem...
Change is coming. and with it, the arrival of Ontario Health Teams over the next few years. Many of you have reached out to me and the OCFP, wondering what the government's health reforms will mean f...
On Feb. 26, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Christine Elliott announced upcoming changes to our healthcare system. How family doctors will fit in to these reforms is not yet clear. What is clea...
With the Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada exploring the possibility of national licensure, the OCFP has reached out to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) -...
Includes new working groups to address pressing issues Following the conclusion of the first phase of the arbitration process between the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) and the Ministry of Health ...
My fellow family physicians, We now have an arbitrated settlement between the OMA and the provincial government. Along with mandated annual fee increases for doctors, no changes to any Patient Enroll...
Implementation of proposed changes to the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) and regulations are on hold. The changes would have required family physicians to report immunizations provided to c...
According to new rules within the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA), physicians, along with various other healthcare providers, are now required to notify the Information and Privacy...
My fellow family physicians, Our patients need us. Sometimes those needs are straightforward, such as advice on self-care or a simple prescription. Other times, their needs are more complex and requi...
Ontario's Highway Traffic Act, section 203(1), and Ontario Regulation 340/94 Starting July 1, 2018, physicians have been required to report every person 16 years and older who, in the physician's opi...
Members have asked the OCFP to increase our advocacy efforts to further champion the role of family physicians in healthcare and lead much-needed health system changes - and for good reason. It is we...
Tax changes for physicians with incorporated practices On November 15, 2018, the government presented its 2018 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review (fall economic statement). Of note, Ontario h...
Bill 47, Making Ontario Open for Business Act, 2018 On October 23, 2018, the Ontario government introduced Bill 47, Making Ontario Open for Business Act, which is now law as of November 21, 2018. Wha...
Hello fellow family physicians. This is my first message to you as your new OCFP President, written with a desire to connect with you, and hear from you in the upcoming two years. I am a comprehensiv...
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) has concluded consultations on its draft umbrella Continuity of Care Policy, comprised of policies regarding availability and coverage, managi...
Effective Nov. 1, 2018, the Government of Canada will implement new reporting requirements for physicians, nurse practitioners and pharmacists around medical assistance in dying (MAID) requests. Unde...
Family medicine is the bedrock of great health systems. And family physicians are the trusted entry point for patients to get the care they need. Without family doctors, the system will not function....
Dr. Mercedes Rodriguez is a family physician practicing in Orangeville, Ont. She sat down with our residents committee to discuss what inspired her to pursue family medicine, her clinical practice ex...
Following the rollout of OHIP+ on January 1, a drug coverage transition strategy was implemented, where insurers have assisted with coverage for some drugs that may otherwise be considered under the ...
No July 1 implementation required by family physicians Implementation of proposed changes to the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) and regulations are on hold. The changes would have required ...
After working closely with the CFPC, and hearing from many family physicians, the CPSO is amending its document: Expectations of Physicians Not Certified in Emergency Medicine Intending to Include Em...
