Leadership and Advocacy

Prior to the 1990's, most changes in family medicine occurred due to changes in clinical medicine; however, during the 1990's, major changes in health policy and in the delivery of healthcare services impacted upon the practice of family medicine. As an organization whose mandate is to represent the voice of family medicine in the province of Ontario, the OCFP is vested with leadership and advocacy responsibilities during periods of major change in the health care system, especially when these changes challenge the future of the institution of family medicine as we know it. On behalf of family medicine and our members, the OCFP is determined to provide leadership by identifying issues impacting upon the practice of family medicine by identifying potential solutions, seeking concensus to move forward and work with various stakeholders to address these issues. We wish to be - and to be seen to be - part of the solution. The OCFP firmly believes that family physicians deliver the highest quality of medical care and they deliver that care in a cost-efficient manner. The OCFP has availed itself at every opportunity to demonstrate the vital importance family physicians in our healthcare system and the fundamental importance of developing a more rational and equitable long-term strategy for the delivery of primary care. While the OCFP's mandate does not include fee negotiations with the government (the role of the Ontario Medical Association) or the licensing/regulation of the profession (the role of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario), the OCFP has established credibility with both organizations as we jointly work towards solutions.

To establish ourselves as allies in the pursuit of construtive solutions, the OCFP undertook a strategic initiative to disseminate information about the role and contributions of family physicians in the delivery of high quality primary care. The initiative includes a comprehensive program to promote to the public, the media, the government and other healthcare professionals; the effectiveness of system changes to support family doctors in the delivery of comprehensive services and continuity of care. The initiative involves the participation of our members in various committees overseeing the development of an effective infrastructure for primary care services, research (focus groups, public and physicians survey, reviews of the literature and participate in the evaluation of primary care reform pilot sites), consultation/consensus building forums (Family Medicine Forums I, II, III, IV, V) and the crafting of various committees overseeing the development of primary care services in the province.


Primary Care Renewal Committee Participation

  • The Provincial Co-ordinating Committee on Community and Academic Health Science Centre Relations' (PCCCAR) Primary Care Committee
  • The Primary Care Reform Implementation Steering Committee
  • The Health Services Restructuring Commission's (HSRC) Committee on Family Medicine
  • The Ontario Medical Association's (OMA) Primary Care Policy Committee
  • The Board of the Ontario Family Health Network (OFHN)
  • OFHN's Task Force on Nurse Practitioners
  • OFHN's Template Evaluation and Consultation Committee
  • Ontario Medical Associations' Primary Care Delivery Models Committee
  • Ministry of Health & Long Term Care's Nurse Practitioners Evaluation Steering Committee
  • The Family Health Team Action Group
  • The Local Health Integration Network Action Group
  • The End of Life Advisory Committee

Research

  • Decima Research Studies
  • Listening to the Voices
  • Public Surveys
  • The OCFP Physician Studies
  • Primary Care Reform Pilot Sites Evaluation
  • Project Reports for the PHCTF

 
Family Medicine Forums

Proceedings From:


PCR Publications & Documents

  • Is An Acute Shortage of Family Doctors Possible in Ontario in 1996 (1995)
  • Bringing The Pieces Together (1995) - A Strategy Paper Developed by the OCFP to influence primary care planning for the province
  • BTPT: Beginning The Process (1995) - A Companion Implementation Document
  • Two Tier or Multi-Layered: A Crucial Difference (1998)
  • Family Medicine and Access to Care: A Discussion Paper (1998)
  • Why Do We Need To Reform Primary Medical Care? (1998)
  • Your Family Doctor and You (1998) A Public Information Brochure on the Principles and Practices of Family Medicine (1998)
  • Family Medicine in the 21st Century - A Prescription for Excellent Health (1999) - developed following a Board brainstorming exercise and used as a consulatation tool by the OCFP following Family Medicine Forum I
  • Family Medicine in the 21st Century - Implementation Strategies (2000) - developed following Family Medicine Forum II - used during the OMA/MOHLTC 2000 negotiations
  • Collaboration in Primary Care: Family Doctors and Nurse Practitioners Delivery Shared-Care (2000)
  • The Benefits of the Trusting Patient - Physician Relationship (2000)
  • Ensuring Success for Ontario's Family Health Networks - Leadership, Innovation, Accountability and Connectivity (2001) - developed following Family Medicine Forum III
  • Shifting Mindsets: Investing in Accessible Quality Care for Ontarians (2002) - presented to the Romanow Commission on the Future of Healthcare in Canada
  • Bringing the Pieces Together: Shared-Care in Family Medicine (2002) - crafted following a request by Mr. Roy Romanow
  • Celebrating Quality in Family Medicine
  • Starting with Primary Care: Patient/Family Centred Organizational Transformation
  • Local Health Integration Networks - A Means Not an End

These documents have received widespread circulation amongst our members, government, the media and other healthcare organizations. The papers have been reviewed nationally, internationally and have been condensed for publications as letters to the editors and in various journals and medical publications.


Family Physician Shortages

The OCFP recognizes that family medicine is in crisis in this province. We have too few family doctors to deliver the comprehensive services and continuity of care that patients need and want. In 1999, the OCFP launched a media campaign to alert the public, the media and the government to the shortage and the impact that it was having on patient care in communities throughout the province. Since that time the OCFP has participated in a number of consultations with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC), the OMA and the CPSO to address the shortage. In addition, the OCFP has developed two position papers to provide the MOHLTC with a roadmap to resolve this crisis. The major publications are as follows:


Where Have All the Family Doctors Gone? A Discussion Document
Where Have All the Family Doctors Gone? A Response to the George Panel on Health Professional Human Resources Report

Consultations, Committee Work & Linkages

The OCFP is actively involved in public discussion and government debate on a number of issues. Our members participate on behalf of the OCFP on several working groups and task forces. We have reviewed and responded to numerous issues affecting family medicine including the Duty to Inform/Duty to Warn Expert Panel, the Underservices Area Program Review Committee, the Personal Health Information Protection Act Committee (and subsequent consultations on personal health information), hospital reform, long-term care reform (including physician issues related to medical care in the home and in long-term care facilities), environmental and populations health issues and various disease management strategies. The OCFP's input has been sought by the Heart & Stroke Foundation, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, Cancer Care Ontario, the Ontario Women's Health Council, the Children's Health Network and various hospitals throughout Ontario as they address issues and set support for collaborative solutions affecting care in their communities.

The OCFP also represents the interest of family physicians on committees struck by organizations such as the Physician Services Committee (joint OMA/MOHLTC), the CPSO, the OMA, the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA), the MOHLTC and others on an ongoing basis. While the OCFP does not negotiate with the HOHLTC, we support the OMA in its work and provide advice to both sides of the negotiating table.

The OCFP continues to work with the Ontario Medical Association, and the MOHLTC to establish a model of interdisciplinary care in which all health professionals are supported to work in shared-care models that utilize their synergistic skills in a collaborative and complementary manner. The OCFP is closely monitoring the development of Family Health Teams to ensure that the model respects and enhances the role of family doctors and assists them in addressing the current overwhelming workload experienced by Ontario's family doctors.

Our leadership role in advocating on behalf of family physicians has become an increasingly valued and important function of the Ontario College of Family Physicians.