Family doctors,  

Recently, we asked you to participate in a survey on the administrative challenges you are facing. More than 1,300 family doctors completed the survey, and the results were loud and clear: the administrative burden is overwhelming, unpaid, unnecessary – and it has to stop.  

You are doing your best to deliver quality care to your patients, but there are system-wide issues that are preventing you from doing your job the way you want. The OCFP will use the survey results to advocate to all organizations who have the influence to implement these solutions, including the OMA and government. 

We will continue to share updates like this so you can see action and progress. 

Read on for a quick update on action OCFP is taking now: 

A clear call for advocacy:

Physician Services Agreement 

In the survey, we asked whether you want the OCFP to advocate to the OMA/SGFP on compensation issues in the next Physician Services Agreement/OMA Negotiations Task Force. The answer was clear: 94% of you said, yes. 

The OCFP is acting. Here’s what you need to know: 

• While the OCFP is not part of formal negotiations, we are stepping up efforts to bring the voice of family physicians to Physician Services Agreement. 
• The OMA has asked us to provide a submission to the OMA Negotiating Task Force. 
• The SGFP engaged us in early meetings as they started their work and we will continue to support their efforts to provide recommendations to the Task Force. 
• OCFP has already convened a working group and is developing our submission.  
• Our recommendations will reflect the urgency for appropriate remuneration and relief from the untenable amount of unpaid administrative work.
• We want our members to achieve a work-life balance that brings meaning and fulfillment to your careers as you provide the most essential medical care to all Ontarians.  
• Through our submission, the OCFP will advocate for: 

1. Increased compensation to keep people in family medicine. 
2. Introducing compensation for unpaid work in family medicine. 
3. Enabling the delivery of comprehensive family medicine.  

• In the coming days, the OCFP will share a summary of the Physician Services Agreement submission.

Public pressure 

In our last advocacy email, we told you we are publicly raising the alarm on the issues family doctors are facing. What’s next: 

• On World Family Doctor Day, May 19th, the OCFP will make public results that are specific to administrative burden from the recent survey. These are not new problems, but the consequences are clear – to you, our members, and to the future wellbeing of all Ontarians.  
• We will highlight: 

1. Family doctors are spending 19 hours a week doing administrative tasks – most of which is unnecessary and unpaid.  
2. The vast majority (94%) are overwhelmed with administrative tasks. 
3. On average, family doctors reported spending up to 40% of their time on admin.  
4. OCFP is calling for action that family doctors and patients will see and feel immediately. 

• A news release will be posted on our website, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. 
• Please help share and amplify these important messages. 
• To see more results from the survey, click here. 

What's Next

The OCFP will not stop advocating until your remuneration, relief from the untenable amounts of unpaid administrative work, and your ability to care for patients within the full scope of your training have been realized.

In the coming weeks and months, you will see more emails like this keeping you abreast of action the OCFP is taking in response to the recent survey of family doctors.  

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