As the Primary Care Action Team (PCAT) advances its work to connect more Ontarians to family physicians and primary care teams, the OCFP is sharing your feedback and advice with PCAT on how those teams can best meet your needs and those of your patients. Thank you to those of you who completed our recent survey and who shared your thoughts through email.
While we know team-based care, when done right, can make a tangible difference to your day-to-day work and job satisfaction, it is but one of the many needed solutions to the challenges you are facing. The OCFP has been vocal, for instance, on the need to address your overwhelming admin burden, including through tools such as AI scribes. A new program has been launched to help bring this technology to more family physicians.
See below for additional details on this work and more.
Primary Care Action Team: In our May survey, many of you said that you would consider participating in the next proposal round in September, but to do so, key barriers must be addressed, including:
Clarity about what’s possible beyond creating or joining existing interprofessional care models such as FHTs and CHCs so all family physicians understand where they fit in.
Support for family physicians to engage in the process through helpful peer resources and timely access to information, answers to questions and solutions to roadblocks.
Providing direct clinical or administrative support to a family physician’s practice through a minimum core team.
Addressing uncertainty by clearly stating that funding will be ongoing.
Ensuring the process builds in much more time for proposal development and that OHTs/PCNs are more consistent and effective in engaging family physicians.
Another clear theme members shared was that the retention of family physicians goes beyond teams and includes the need for concrete action on administrative burden and fair compensation. We need to see government/PCAT acknowledge the concerns and challenges of family physicians and reinforce what further help is on the way and when it is coming.
Health Equity Community of Practice: The OCFP is launching a new community of practice to support family physicians to provide high-quality care to refugee newcomers and other populations facing socioeconomic marginalization.
First session: June 19, 2025, from noon – 1 p.m. Register here.
Topics: Social assistance and income benefit programs, successfully completing Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and Disability Tax Credit (DTC) applications and the new Canada Disability Benefit.
AI Scribes: As noted, the OCFP has championed the use of AI scribes. Through a 2024 clinical evaluation of AI scribes, OntarioMD (OMD) found that family physicians experienced reductions in cognitive load, and after-hours work; improved efficiency and documentation practices; increased job satisfaction, professional fulfillment and work-life balance; and perceived improvement in quality of care. OCFP members have shared similar experiences.
In partnership with the Ministry of Health (MOH), Ontario Health (OH) and Supply Ontario, OMD has now launched their Vendor of Record (VOR) program to support Ontario clinicians in adopting AI scribe tools that meet provincial standards for safety, privacy and medico-legal compliance as well as pre-negotiated, discounted pricing. They are also offering free support services. Access FAQ’s and a Vendor list.
Note: AI contracts already signed directly with the vendor or through your EMR do not give you these benefits.
The OCFP has been advocating to make AI scribes more accessible, with a goal to see a funded rollout across the province. While funding is not available right now, the program’s group buying power will ensure better market prices. The privacy, security and liability benefits are also welcome developments.
Ontario’s Primary Care Act, 2025: The Act has now been passed into law. This legislation outlines the vision for a high-performing primary care system so that Ontarians know what they can expect when accessing primary care and supports government’s commitment to attach every person to primary care. See more.
Canada Post: The current labour disruption has impacts on key cancer screening program activities, including correspondence letters and the mailing/return of ColonCancerCheck (CCC) fecal immunochemical test (FIT) kits. More here.
Measles: Sadly, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health has confirmed that an infant, born prematurely and infected with measles, has passed away in southwestern Ontario. While this child would not yet have been eligible for the MMR vaccine, we know that vaccination uptake, including for measles, is decreasing. Ninety-four per cent of cases in the current measles outbreak are among individuals who are unvaccinated or whose immunization status is unknown.
To support you to care for you patients, our Changing the Way We Work Community of Practice has included information about measles in recent sessions. Access our resource list for additional information.
The Centre for Effective Practice is sharing this tool to support you in caring for adults with ADHD.
Lyme Disease: Ticks are most active in the spring, summer and fall. Last year, Ontario saw a significant spike in Lyme disease. More information about Tick-borne diseases.
Ticks can be submitted for identification within 48 hours through eTick.
Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia: A new tool to help clinicians understand, assess and manage patients/residents in primary care and LTC homes with behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia is now available from the Centre for Effective Practice.
Critical Learning and Assessment Skills Program: CFPC has recently introduced this program for international graduates wishing to take the certification exam and are looking for practising family physicians who are interested in becoming program coaches. Coaches will be compensated. More here. If interested, please contact Jessica Black at jblack@cfpc.ca.
Seeking Assessors for Practice Ready Ontario:Touchstone Institute has partnered with the Government of Ontario, CPSO and other stakeholders to administer Practice Ready Ontario (PRO) – a streamlined pathway to licensure for experienced, internationally trained family physicians. PRO is currently seeking experienced family physicians to serve as assessors. This is a remunerated opportunity to help internationally trained physicians integrate into Ontario’s health-care system and is eligible for Mainpro+ credits. Learn more or apply here.
