OMA Rejects Provincial Government Offer; Government expected to impose contract

Yesterday afternoon the Ontario Medical Association held a press conference announcing that they will not accept the government’s offer reached through the current negotiation and conciliation process. This was followed by the Minister’s press conference about 1 1/2 hours later. The parties have reached the point where government is now in a position to impose a contract. Click here to read:

• OMA’s press release
• Minister’s press release
• Ministry’s “Physician Services: Ten-Point Plan For Saving And Improving Service”
• Former Chief Justice Warren Winkler’s written report on the conciliation process

What does this mean for interprofessional primary care in Ontario? The OMA’s release states: The government’s offer will cover less than half of the funding required for new doctors who are needed to treat current patients already struggling to access the care they need, for new patients coming into the health care system, as well as the more complex care required for our aging population. The following points in the ministry’s Ten-Point Plan  will affect primary care physicians:

• The fee for a walk-in visit on weekends or holidays will be reduced to become comparable to the fee for a visit to a patient’s own family doctor.
• Elimination of funding for doctors to attend courses and events that are considered part of their continuing medical education.
• Income stabilization payments for doctors who work in underserviced areas will continue, while doctors who work in over-serviced areas will no longer benefit from the payments.
• Only areas with a high need for physician services will get new Family Health Organisations and Family Health Teams.
• Additional funding to support the care for complex patients is to be restructured to directly target their care.  Until a new funding model is developed that more accurately reflects patient care complexity, this additional funding will not be applied.
• The ministry will apply a 2.65 per cent discount to all fee for service physician payments, effective February 1, 2015 and apply the reduction to non-fee-for-service payment contracts after the respective requirements for providing notice are met. The ministry will work with the OMA on a savings methodology that results in a higher proportion of savings from higher paid specialties.

AFHTO is following up on the items that could impact the organization and delivery of comprehensive interprofessional primary care, and will keep the membership informed.