Updated Measles tool, Information about centralized intake and referral, upcoming professional development opportunities, and more
Updated: January 20, 2026
We know that connecting your patients to specialist care and diagnostics is a challenge that takes up too much of your time and leaves patients waiting for answers about their health. To support you and your patients, we are working with government to prioritize the development and implementation of a central intake and referral system.
Important work is already underway to build this system for Ontario. We are supportive of this work and are asking for it to be accelerated (not rushed) to get patients coordinated and faster access to specialists and diagnostic testing. The solution must be co-designed with family physicians and specialists. We want to ensure the system provides access based on need and is transparent to patients, family physicians, and other specialists.
Below are some of the ways we are doing this:
OCFP CEO Deepy Sur is meeting with government decision-makers as well as those leading referral efforts to discuss our support and collaborative opportunities.
Our pre-budget submission,Strengthening Primary Care in Ontario, highlights how a central intake and referral system and other innovations can transform the way family physicians work.
Additionally, we have launched a public campaign, Care When You Need It, supported by public polling data that shows 95% of Ontarians agree that family physicians should have access to a centralized referral system. The launch of this campaign has already garnered media attention across the province. We encourage you to share your referral experiences and/or help amplify the campaign here: www.CareWhenYouNeedIt.ca.
We appreciate the input from many members who helped to shape this work, and we will share more information as our campaign unfolds in the coming weeks.
Please see below for information and tools to support you in practice.
On January 16, 2026, OCFP President Dr. Jobin Varughese hosted Antimicrobial Stewardship in Primary Care: Audit and Feedback to Improve Antibiotic Prescribing with panelists Dr. Kevin Schwartz and Dr. Noah Ivers. The webinar reviewed recent evidence showing that peer comparison audits and feedback on antibiotic prescribing is a potentially scalable and effective intervention shown to improve antibiotic prescribing. Review the webinar recording here.
This MainPro+ certified program is open to family physicians and family medicine residents. Participants are guided by an experienced family physician in a small group setting focused on a topic that matters to you. Topics include: family physicians with ADHD, family physicians from all stages and practice models, female physicians in the first ten years of practice, family physicians transitioning to or practicing psychotherapy, and more.
Practicing Well Community of Practice | Perinatal Mental Health: Practical Screening and Support for Family Physicians (January 28, 2026, 8:00 am to 9:00 am) Register here.
Many patients may enter pregnancy while managing existing mental health conditions, and others may develop symptoms of postpartum. This session will support you to understand how to screen and support these patients safely. Panelists will walk you through practical ways to identify and treat common perinatal issues like depression, anxiety, and ADHD—while keeping both parent and baby in mind.
Health Equity Community of Practice | Practical Strategies for Supporting Patients on Ontario Works & the Ontario Disability Support Program (February 19, 2026, 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm) Register here.
This session clarifies the key differences between Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and walks through the ODSP application and medical review processes. We will provide actionable strategies to improve patient access to income and health benefits.
Patients Before Paperwork (Ontario Health): Dr. Stephen Pomedli, Clinical Lead, Patients Before Paperwork, joined the Changing the Way We Work Community of Practice on January 16, 2026, to provide an update on the province’s progress on eReferral and central intake, and how you can register for eReferral Ontario.
• Access the slide deck
• Access the session recording
Primary Care Action Plan: The Ministry of Health has released a 1-year progress update on the Primary Care Action Plan. Learn more.
Reminder: The Ontario Structured Psychotherapy (OSP) Program is available at no cost for adults experiencing depression, anxiety, and anxiety-related concerns and includes a range of services from self-led resources supported by a coach or clinician, to therapist-led individual or group therapy. Learn more.
O-RADS in Practice: Enhancing Diagnostic Accuracy and Clinical Decision-Making for Ovarian Cancers (January 20th, 2026, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.) Register here.
This webinar from the Cancer Care Integration and Disease Advisory Program at Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) will provide an overview of ovarian masses, the importance of standardized reporting, an introduction to O-RADSTM, emerging evidence on sub-stratification of O-RADS 4, and how to integrate imaging results into clinical management.
Early Success and Solution Sharing with Newly Funded Dedicated Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) Centres (January 21st from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.) Register here.
This Community of Practice will explore lessons learned and best practices from Dedicated SCD Centres in implementing the SCD quality standard and offer recommendations to support newly funded centres.
Leveraging Digital Tools for Quality Improvement (February 10th from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.) Register here.
This Ontario Health MainPro+ certified webinar will help you discover how digital tools can drive quality improvement in primary care, ease administrative workload, and enhance patient outcomes.
Primary Care Oncology Day (March 27th from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.) Learn more and register here.
This event, hosted by the Mississauga Halton Central West Regional Cancer Program, for family physicians, specialists, and allied health team members will highlight best practices for supporting patients, tools and strategies to support your daily work, and the latest advancements in cancer care and primary care innovations.
