AFHTO has been working with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) to address concerns regarding the new FHT Funding Agreement templates. FHT Leads should be receiving from the Ministry, prior to the April 29 sign-back date, a revised agreement that addresses our key concerns with these templates. For those FHTs that requested an exemption to the requirement that “all positions funded pursuant to this Agreement shall be employees of the Recipient unless the Ministry has provided its written consent”, you will receive a separate exemption agreement. The Ministry continues to encourage all FHTs to strive to meet this goal; however, the exemption agreement gives greater flexibility regarding FHT staffing arrangements while upholding the Government of Ontario’s risk management needs. Note that the exemption agreement lists a few “as applicable” requirements. If your FHT has a concern with any of these “as applicable” requirements, you may wish to seek clarification from your Ministry consultant to determine whether they are in fact “applicable” in your case. The template agreements for all Physician-Sponsored and Mixed Governance FHTs have been revised to address the concerns regarding governance, liability and communications. AFHTO and the OMA would like to recognize the Ministry’s willingness to make these revisions to address the concerns raised by FHTs. As with any contract, each FHT is advised to carefully review the new agreement and to discuss any ongoing concerns with appropriate legal counsel and their Ministry consultant.
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