Government and OMA Protecting Gains in Health Care

The McGuinty government and the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) have tentatively agreed on a new Physician Services Agreement that runs to March 2014.

The OMA Board of Directors has unanimously recommended the agreement for ratification by its members.  The physician ratification process will occur in early December.

The agreement protects and builds on the gains made for patients over the last nine years through the partnership of the McGuinty government and the OMA. Main elements of the agreement include:

•  Modernizing the delivery of health care and lowering wait times through e-consultations, enabling patients to communicate with their doctor more easily, allowing for more virtual connections between family doctors and specialists, and an expansion of telemedicine services.
• New priority investments to expand access to family doctors for seniors and patients with higher needs, including an expansion of house calls.
• A 0.5 per cent payment discount for all physicians that the OMA and Ministry of Health will work to replace by finding additional evidence-based savings.

Source: OMA