Committees

The Relativity Advisory Committee is seeking one member from the surgical network to assist in the committee’s work of providing advice and input on the development of an evidence-based relativity methodology.  

An interview with OMA staff and the Governance and Nominating Committee (GNC) will be required for this position.

Time commitment

The committee meets as frequently as required. Currently, the meetings are scheduled biweekly and last approximately three hours, with an expectation of one full-day meeting per month. 

The term for these positions will be from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2027.

Mandate and role of the committee

The committee is responsible for providing advice and ongoing input to the OMA board and the Negotiations Task Force as appropriate for the development of an evidence-based relativity methodology, recognizing that any such methodology must be bargained or arbitrated with the government under the Binding Arbitration Framework.

Skill and background required

Committee members should have the follow skill set:

• Familiarity with previous OMA efforts related to relativity (e.g. CANDI, RAANI, FAIR )
• Good understanding of general views of OMA membership on relativity
• Political acumen, including ability to communicate well and work with physician leaders, OMA sections and assemblies.
• Ability to build consensus and find solutions on controversial issues
• Ability to work well in teams
• Ability to work on tight deadlines
• Ability to read and interpret numerical analyses
• Ability to represent interests of general membership

Application form questions

• Do you have any concerns about committing to the expected committee meeting schedule?
• Please describe your experience with, or understanding of, previous OMA efforts related to relativity.
• Can you provide examples of your previous involvement in OMA efforts related to relativity?
• How would you define relativity in the context of health care?
• How would you approach communicating with physician leaders, OMA sections, and assemblies on relativity-related issues?
• How comfortable are you with reading and interpreting numerical analyses? Can you provide an example of a situation where you had to analyze and interpret data to make informed decisions?
• How would you contribute to the committee's objectives and responsibilities
• Describe a time when you encountered a conflict within a team or group. How did you approach resolving the conflict and reaching a solution?
• How would you navigate the political landscape and ensure that the interests of the general membership are represented in the relativity methodology development process?

Areas of competency

The following competencies will be assessed based on the written responses submitted:

Committee role and responsibilities: Understands the committee responsibilities and accountabilities. Has experience with, or knowledge of, similar committee structures, processes and best practice. Preferred bilateral committee experience.

Stakeholder: Understands key stakeholders of the committee’s work and their needs. Has experience directly engaging these stakeholder groups in a relevant capacity.

Technical: Experience and ability to think strategically by integrating or linking a range of internal and external factors impacting business environment and the members.

• Demonstrates aptitude for developing stakeholder relations and developing joint goals and initiatives
• Demonstrates a strong understanding of general OMA membership views on relativity
• Holds direct experience engaging and collaborating with OMA leaders

Subject matter: Holds direct experience engaging and collaborating with OMA leaders.

OMA values and interests: Understands, supports, and promotes the mission, vision, values and Code of Conduct. Demonstrates willingness to be a representative of the OMA, its policies and positions.

Communication: Gives and receives information with clarity, attentiveness, understanding and perception.

Conflict resolution: Works to ensure conflict is resolved respectfully and inclusively in order to maintain healthy relationships.

Growth mindset: Invests time in learning about the organization, its people, challenges and opportunities, and the industry in which OMA operates.

Leadership: Takes initiative in sharing ideas, making decisions and goal implementation. Assists others in engaging with a shared vision. Models the desired values and behaviours of their groups.   

Team player: Demonstrates willingness to work co-operatively in a team environment.

The Nominations and Appointments Committee is seeking one member to assist in the committee’s work to conduct recruitment and appointment to the General Assembly panels and working groups, and support recruitment of talented candidates for election to the OMA Board of Directors and General Assembly Steering Committee (GASC).

The new term will be until June 30, 2027. Committee positions are open to all OMA members who are not OMA board directors, or on the Governance and Nominating Committee (GNC) or GASC. 

Time commitment

The committee meets approximately four times per year, with increased frequency before and during the fall nomination period. Meetings occur during the day or early evening for up to three hours, typically by video conference.

Role of the committee

Members of the committee use their experience and expertise to shape election and recruitment policy, promote opportunities, engage members, and support the recruitment, appointment or election of candidates for key positions within the OMA. The committee supports the healthy development and operations of the respective groups, ensuring they have the right mix of skills, perspectives and experience. 

Specific duties and responsibilities include:

• Identify, evaluate and appoint qualified candidates to the General Assembly panels and working groups, as well as other committees as requested by the CEO or board.
• Identify and support the recruitment of qualified candidates to stand for election for the GASC.
• Support the recruitment of qualified candidates to stand for election to the OMA board.
• Looks to address barriers to member engagement and participation within the OMA in collaboration with staff and the GNC.

Skills and background required

The following skill set is normally sought in the selection of committee members. It is not necessary for any one member of the committee to possess all of the skill set items listed below. However, each skill set item (and parts thereof) should be present in the committee’s composition.

• Knowledge of the organization and its governance structure
• Previous experience in candidate recruitment, selection, motivation, evaluations of directors, senior executives and committee members
• Demonstrated experience building teams and fostering participation and engagement
• Knowledge and experience as it relates to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI)
• Demonstrated leadership skills
• Well-developed interpersonal, collaboration and conflict resolution skills
• Demonstrated experience in evaluating processes and recommending improvements to maximize results. 

Application form questions

• Do you have direct experience working with a board of directors or related committees with the OMA or another organization? Please elaborate.
• What is a tactic you would recommend using to recruit members to run for the board of directors elections?
• In your opinion, what is the most significant barrier preventing members from participating in the work of the association? Please elaborate.

Areas of competency

The following competencies will be assessed based on the written responses submitted.

Committee role and responsibilities: Understands the committee responsibilities and accountabilities. Has experience with, or knowledge of, similar committee structures, processes and best practices. Preferred bilateral committee experience.

Stakeholder: Understands key stakeholders of the committee’s work and their needs. Has experience directly engaging these stakeholder groups in a relevant capacity.

Technical: Experience and ability to think strategically by integrating or linking a range of internal and external factors impacting business environment and the members.

• Demonstrates aptitude for developing stakeholder relations and developing joint goals and initiatives.
• Demonstrates a strong understanding of general OMA membership views on relativity.
• Holds direct experience engaging and collaborating with OMA leaders.

Subject matter: Holds direct experience engaging and collaborating with OMA leaders.

OMA values and interests: Understands, supports and promotes the mission, vision, values and code of conduct. Demonstrates willingness to be a representative of the OMA, its policies and positions.

Communication: Gives and receives information with clarity, attentiveness, understanding and perception.

Conflict resolution: Works to ensure conflict is resolved respectfully and inclusively to maintain healthy relationships.

Growth mindset: Invests time in learning about the organization, its people, challenges and opportunities, and the industry in which OMA operates.

Leadership: Takes initiative in sharing ideas, making decisions and goal implementation. Assists others in engaging with a shared vision. Models the desired values and behaviours of their groups.   

Team player: Demonstrates willingness to work co-operatively in a team environment.

The Finance and Audit Committee assists the Board of Directors in monitoring and oversight of the financial affairs of the association, its subsidiaries, and the OMA employees’ pension plans. It also ensures compliance with all applicable laws and regulatory requirements relating to financial reporting and disclosures. Areas of oversight include:

• Financial planning, reporting and internal control
• Operating plan
• External audit
• Compliance and risk management
• Internal audit

2024 highlights

• 2024 fiscal audit by Deloitte LLP
• Oversight of MNP’s comprehensive audit of the OMA’s constituency group funding as part of the association’s regular audit plan
• Oversight and input into the development of the OMA’s 2024 operating and capital budget

Members

• David Collie, chair
• Sue Armstrong, CPA, non-OMA director
• Dr. Hirotaka Yamashiro, vice-chair
• Dr. Cathy Faulds, OMA board chair
• Dr. Sharon Bal
• Dr. Andrew Park (non-voting observer)

The Governance and Nominating Committee plays a key role in providing the board the assurance that the OMA’s structures, policies and processes support the board in fulfilling its fiduciary and other duties effectively. The GNC has five voting members, including the chair of the General Assembly Steering Committee and an OMA member-at-large. The president-elect sits on the committee as an observer.

2024 highlights

• Successful recruitment and appointment to advisory committees, OMA subsidiary boards, PSA bilateral committees such as the Physician Payment Committee (PPC), the PHP Advisory Panel, while also ensuring adequate OMA representation on external bodies
• Revised OMA Board Committee Appointment Policy to better align with governance best practices, including a more open and transparent process with a stronger focus on skills and experience. 
• Reviewed and proposed amendments to OMA bylaws and articles of incorporation to comply with Ontario’s Not-for-profit Corporations Act (ONCA). The proposed amendments were approved by the membership at OMA’s Annual General Meeting in May 2024.
• Provided feedback and input into ongoing efforts to enhance physician leadership development and other initiatives to improve governance capacity and leverage physician leaders’ expertise within the OMA and broader health system. A series of online training modules have been developed to support physicians in their leadership roles. Topics include OMA Policies, OMA Governance, Health System 101, Leading Effective Meetings, among others.
• Provided oversight and input into ongoing constituency governance review. Initial phases focusing on the districts and sections are now complete, with updated charters in place for all groups. The current phase of this work includes the OMA’s fora and medical interest groups (MIGs).

Members

• Denise Carpenter, chair
• Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman, vice-chair, president-elect, non-voting observer
• Dr. Cathy Faulds, OMA board chair
• Dr. Paul Hacker
• Dr. Alykhan Abdulla, GASC chair, ex-officio
• Dr. Katherine McKay, member-at-large

The Human Resources and Compensation Committee is mandated to assist the Board of Directors in its oversight duties with respect to the selection, development, evaluation, compensation and succession planning of the CEO and oversight of the OMA’s key talent management and human resources philosophy, strategies, practices and programs.

The HRCC provides assurance to the board that effective policies and practices exist within the OMA to attract and retain the people required by the OMA to meet the strategic plan. The committee also enables and ensures that appropriate HR support exists for the CEO to provide for a productive culture within the organization. The committee has five members.

2024 highlights

The committee worked with then-new CEO Kim Moran to set realistic and achievable goals that were measurable and showed value to membership and board. 

In addition to core work in 2024, the HRCC introduced an updated CEO Feedback Survey, with the key change of including feedback from the CEO’s direct reports (the executive team), as well as the board observers. These valuable inputs helped the committee glean insights as they deliberated on CEO evaluation. 

Members

• Dr. Cathy Faulds, OMA board chair
• Dr. Cynthia Walsh, chair
• Dr. Dominik Nowak, president
• Jennifer Quaglietta, vice-chair
• Dr. Paul Conte

The Nominations and Appointments Committee has a dual reporting relationship with the Governance and Nominating Committee and the General Assembly Steering Committee. The committee is comprised of five voting members and the immediate past president as an ex-officio, non-voting member.

The NAC is responsible for the oversight of the recruitment and appointment of qualified members to serve on the panels and working groups of the General Assembly. The committee also supports the promotion and recruitment of qualified candidates for election to the GASC and the Board of Directors.

2024 highlights

• Oversight of recruitment and appointments to the centralized requisitions for diagnostic imaging working group
• Provided input into the OMA’s ongoing committee modernization and structural integration efforts
• Provided input on the development of the General Assembly Priority and Leadership Group delegate alternate policy

Members

• Dr. Justin Hall, chair
• Dr. Diana Kljenak, vice-chair
• Levi Burns, resident
• Dr. Sara Colozza
• Dr. Avi Orner
• Dr. Andrew Park, past president, non-voting observer

The Negotiations Task Force is a board task force that works bilaterally to negotiate the Physician Services Agreement with the Ministry of Health’s negotiating team. Terms of service on the NTF are mandate driven.

The current NTF was appointed in February 2023, and is comprised of five members, with a minimum of two specialists and two general/family practitioners. The physician members of the NTF are supported by two external negotiations advisers.

2024 highlights

In 2024, a number of important developments took place. Significantly, the OMA and Ministry of Health reached agreement on a procedural and implementation agreement for Year 3 of the 2021-24 PSA and Year 1 of the 2024-28 PSA. This agreement provided the profession with a 2.8 per cent global increase for Year 3 of the 2021-24 PSA. As part of this same agreement, the OMA and Ministry of Health would enter early arbitration for Year 1 of the 2024-28 PSA, which would allow members to receive compensation earlier than would have otherwise been the case.

Arbitration for Year 1 took place in May and June 2024. An arbitration award was delivered by the Board of Arbitration in September 2024. The arbitration board awarded a historic total compensation increase of 9.95 per cent for Year 1 of the 2024-28 PSA, comprised of a 6.95 per cent catch-up increase to make up for the lower amounts physicians received over the period of the prior 2021-24 PSA, together with a further 3 per cent general increase for the 2024-25 year. This 9.95 per cent increase is the largest single-year increase in over 40 years. The 9.95 per cent consisted of allocations to targeted investments, and to allocations paid on a relativity and across-the-board basis. 

The NTF worked hard at the bargaining table to negotiate and mediate the targeted funding, and the allocation between relativity and across the board increases. 

In October, the OMA secured an implementation framework agreement with the ministry, which outlined timelines for the allocation of funds for the Year 3 and Year 1 increases. In December, the NTF confirmed the relativity allocations with the ministry and members were subsequently informed about their relativity-adjusted increases by physician specialty grouping.

As part of the Year 1 arbitration award, 30 per cent of the 9.95 per cent compensation increase (approximately 3 per cent, or $480 million) consisted of targeted investments that were to be mutually agreed upon by the OMA and the Ministry of Health or, failing agreement, decided by the Arbitration Board. The NTF entered mediation with the Ministry in October 2024 on this Year 1 targeted funding. Mediation continued through to the end of 2024 and into 2025. Arbitration is scheduled in 2025 on any outstanding issues related to Year 1 and for Years 2-4 of the 2024-28 PSA.

Learn more about the negotiations process, including key dates and resources.

Members

• Dr. Nikolina Mizdrak, family medicine, chair
• Dr. Atul Kapur, emergency medicine, vice-chair 
• Dr. Patrick Conlon, psychiatry
• Dr. David Neilipovitz, anesthesiology
• Dr. Winnie Wong, family medicine

The Education and Prevention Committee operates as a standing committee reporting to the Physician Services Committee and the OMA Board of Directors. The EPC includes four OMA members and works bilaterally to improve physician awareness and understanding of appropriate OHIP billing by developing and communicating education resources.

2024 highlights

The bilateral EPC continues to develop educational resources (Billing Briefs) pertaining to select areas of the Schedule of Benefits. Since 2022, the EPC has published nineteen Billing Briefs on topics such as the virtual care framework, visits related to a surgical procedure and billing for the supervision of postgraduate medical trainees.

Members

• Dr. Artur Gevorgyan, otolaryngology
• Dr. Prateek Sehgal, critical care medicine
• Dr. Jane Healey, pediatrics
• Dr. Winnie Wong, family practice, chair 

In accordance with the 2021 Physician Services Agreement, the Physician Payment Committee was struck to replace the Medical Services Payment Committee. Its mandate is to make recommendations on how to implement each constituency’s compensation increases to the Schedule of Benefits. The PPC operates as a standing bilateral OMA-Ministry of Health committee reporting to the PSC and OMA Board of Directors and includes four OMA members, appointed for a two-year term, and one observer.

2024 highlights

Following the announcement of the historic award for Year 1 (2024-2028 PSA), the PPC invited OMA constituencies to submit additional fee proposals for consideration as part of the current fee-setting process. In 2025, the committee received 362 new submissions from 46 OMA constituencies, containing 1,181 proposed fee changes. This adds to the 651 proposed changes already under consideration of the PPC as part of the Year 3 (2021 PSA) proposal intake process. In total, there are now 1,832 changes currently under review by the committee.  

This multi-year process, which will result in Schedule of Benefits changes beginning April 1, 2026, involves developing fee proposals to modernize the fee schedule, address issues related to fee relativity and gender pay equity in medicine, and incorporate changes to medical innovation and/or technological advancements. OMA sections, medical interest groups and fora are tasked with consulting with their members in developing these proposals.

The PPC has:

•  Continued deliberations and released two preliminary draft reports (bilateral). PPC’s next report will contain the newly submitted proposals from 2025
• Hosted constituency presentations (bilateral): 
  
  • Met with 43 constituencies in early 2024
  • Invited OMA constituency leaders to meet again in March/ April 2025 (44 meetings currently scheduled)
  • Ad hoc meetings have also taken place with constituency leaders on an ad hoc basis by the OMA-side, as well as bilaterally.

The OMA side of the PPC has also:

• Participated in monthly physician leader update calls 
• Met with the surgical and medical networks 
• Provided an update to members as part of OMA Live webinar 
• Provided status updates through OMA News 
• Conducted training for new tariff leads
• Hosted an information session for constituency leaders 
• Met with consistency leaders on an ad hoc basis throughout 2024 and early 2025 (both on the OMA side and bilateral)

Learn more about the Physician Payment Committee.

Members

• Dr. Dan Reilly, obstetrics and gynecology, OMA co-chair 
• Dr. Neshmi Zaman, family practice
• Dr. Marilyn Crabtree, family practice
• Dr. Peter Lovrics, general surgery
• Dr. Meherzad Kutky, nephrology (observer)

The 2021 Physician Services Agreement was ratified in March 2022. Ratification of an arbitrated PSA typically initiates a process to reconstitute the PSC, which was appointed in September 2022. The PSC is comprised of five voting members, including a minimum of two specialists and two general/family practitioners, and the president-elect and vice-chair of the board as ex-officio, non-voting members

2024 highlights

A major component of the PSC’s charter is to implement the current PSA by developing and overseeing working groups and committees. The PSC achieved several implementation successes in 2024, including:  

Hospital on-call coverage working group: As part of the 2021-24 PSA Year 3 implementation and 2024-28 procedural agreement, up to $40 million was made available to fund new groups who have applied under the burden-based Hospital On-Call Coverage program and who meet eligibility criteria under existing HOCC rules. In the end, 136 groups were approved for funding, which will be effective April 1, 2025. The HOCC working group is committed to implementing the new burden-based HOCC program by Dec. 31, 2025. Until that time, the current HOCC funding model and all attendant guidelines and policies continue to apply. 

Engaging arbitration to navigate disputes: The OMA remains committed to vigorously advocating for the needs of its members and have engaged William Kaplan to ensure the best APP models are developed to support physicians. 

Scope expansion of allied health professionals: Throughout 2024, the PSC actively provided input on multiple Ministry of Health proposals regarding the expanded scope of practice for allied health professionals, including pharmacists, registered nurses and midwives.

Emergency Department alternate funding arrangements working group: While the ED negotiation is being discussed in the context of the 2024-2028 PSA, the OMA working group has conducted provincewide EDADA leads consultation to help inform the negotiation process. 

Walk-in clinic working group: This group completed their mandate and published a report outlining their recommendations emphasizing the importance of understanding how walk-in clinics integrate into a patient’s care path while ensuring their primary care physician remains well-informed. 

Joint Forms Committee: This group has hit several key goals in 2024, including:

• Revised the JFC intake form to better reflect the issues and forms able to be submitted for review 
• Developed and utilizes guiding principles for all form reviews. This ensures objectivity and standardization in the work it does 
• Developed a forms checklist at the request of the Bilateral Physician Burnout Task Force to address physician administrative burden reduction when developing new or revising existing forms 

New and expanded APP working group: The 2021 PSA process for reviewing and responding to requests for new APPs and expansion of existing APPs has been developed. 

Temporary Locum Program: The PSC advocated for the extension of the Temporary Locum Program to March 31, 2025, which helps to keep emergency departments open throughout rural and northern Ontario. PSC also continues to advocate, along with the NTF, fixing the crisis in family care, while also helping to solve issues in emergency departments and enabling a sustainable locum network.

Creation of the Primary Care Information Exchange (PCIE) Table: This table aims to develop a provincial strategy for enabling sharing of primary care data across care settings. This group is a subgroup of the Digital Health Advisory table which is a subcommittee of the PSC. This group will be made up of the OMA, OntarioMD, Ministry of Health and Ontario Health, as well as physician representatives from the Section on General and Family Practice. 

Learn more about the Physician Services Committee.

Members

• Dr. Jane Purvis, rheumatology, OMA co-chair
• Dr. Nikolina Mizdrak, general and family practice
• Dr. Sharon Bal, board vice-chair
• Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman, president-elect

The Awards and Recognition Committee identifies and recommends suitable recipients of various OMA, CMA and other select organizations’ awards as directed by the OMA Board of Directors and/or CEO.

2024 highlights 

• Issued 2023 OMA awards
• Launched a modernized OMA Award and Recognition program.
• Collaborated with system partners, such as the Professional Association of Residents of Ontario (PARO) and Ontario Medical Student Association (OMSA) on the 2024 Medical Student and Resident Achievement Awards

Members

• Dr. Andrew Park, chair, OMA immediate past president
• Dr. Cathy Faulds, OMA board chair
• Dr. Alykhan Abdulla, GASC representative
• Dr. Philip Baer
• Dr. Vincent Chan
• Dr. Laura-Eve Mantella

The mandate of the Task Force is to develop a baseline (benchmark) and make recommendations on system-level solutions to reduce burnout among physicians, residents and medical students in Ontario and contribute to the achievement of the Quadruple Aim for health care system effectiveness by improving providers’ work lives.    

2023 highlights 

The bilateral MOH-OMA Burnout Task Force meets regularly, with a priority focus on administrative burden. It was successful in obtaining the support of the Ministry of Red Tape Reduction to reduce administrative burden through forms, beginning with forms prioritized by the physician members of the Joint OMA-MOH Forms Committee and the OMA Forms Committee. The forms committees identified the first priority forms based on consultations and surveys, members’ proactive communication on forms issues, guiding principles for best practices, and their expertise on forms.    

This work is being led on the government side by the MOH and the Ministry of Red Tape Reduction, with involvement from the Cabinet Office and various form-owner ministries, and with oversight from the Premier’s Office.    

The Task Force developed a guide on the standard measure of burnout identified by the group to help system stakeholders utilize the measure. The MOH as agreed to co-brand that guide and will be working with the OMA on publishing and disseminating it to health system stakeholders.

Also in fall 2023, the Task Force convened the Canadian Life & Health Insurance Association (CLHIA), Manulife, and the Forms Committee to discuss opportunities to reduce burden through insurance forms. The Ontario College of Family Physicians also joined, as they have been pushing the issue forward. CLHIA shared work it has begun, including a simplified standard short-term disability form for Canada, and the Task Force encouraged the association to include physician review as they develop standard forms. The Task Force also discussed the importance of insurance companies removing the requirement for physician referrals to paramedical services.   

A new topic being explored by the Task Force is centralized referral. This followed work on wait times and recommendations made on centralized referral in the February 2022 Integrated Ambulatory Centre white paper.

The Burnout Task Force will explore the issue given the element of burden involved in referrals. Centralized referral will be discussed at the next meeting.

Members

• Dr. Mamta Gautam, chair  
• Dr. Stephanie Klei
• Dr. Simron Singh
• Dr. Chris Bourdon
• Dr. Carol-Anne Moulton

The Civility, Diversity and Inclusion Committee was struck to create a culture of civility at the OMA and empower members to promote and participate in civility. Its responsibilities included the adjudication of disputes between members, and engagement in activities and exercises to promote diversity and inclusion, such as the development of educational tools and resources.

In 2023, the CDI developed a Code of Conduct & Civility for all OMA members involved in OMA work, which was approved by the Board of Directors in 2024. Based on experiences of the committee in dealing with physician civility complaints, the work around complaints and civility was rolled into the organizational Respect in the Workplace Policy and its associated processes, and is no longer under the purview of the committee. 

The committee is currently engaged in a governance review to determine how to best be organized to deliver on the civility and equity, diversity and inclusion components of its charter. Given that complaints are no longer the responsibility of the committee, it is likely that the mandate of the committee will shift to an EDI focus in future.

Members

• Dr. Alison Freeland, chair
• Dr. Tisha Joy, vice-chair
• Dr. Clover Hemans
• Dr. Sung Min Cho
• Dr. Anthea Paul

The Health Policy Committee is responsible for supporting the OMA in the development of its policy agenda, reviewing policies and submissions as needed, and providing advice on emerging and other key issues.

2024 highlights

Team-based care/primary care

The committee provided input into the OMA’s plan to explore future policy development on team-based care and increasing patient attachment in primary care. Based on the plan, member consultations and research was undertaken to inform recommendations on a variety of topics including but not limited to, team structure and composition, physician leadership within teams, working effectively within teams (delegation/full scope), and promoting and preserving physicians to practice comprehensive, longitudinal family medicine. Work on this remains ongoing and these recommendations are being further refined and enhanced in 2025 to inform Dr. Jane Philpott’s Primary Care Action Team.

College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario policy consultations

The HPC consulted and provided feedback, which informed HPP submissions to the CPSO, on six policy consultations: Accepting New Patients (preliminary and general), Ending the Physician-Patient Relationship (preliminary and general), Consent to Treatment, and Closing a Medical Practice.

Scope of practice

The committee considered several scope of practice proposals. Based on feedback from the HPC and consultations with appropriate sections, HPP responded to proposals from regulatory health professional colleges and the Ministry of Health on expanding scope for midwives, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, naturopaths, chiropodists and pharmacists.

Limited-use codes

The HPC was solicited for feedback on issues and solutions pertaining to limited-use codes, following increasing concerns from members including the high administrative burden and patient safety concerns, and calls to either eliminate the codes entirely or refine the list for truly exceptional medications only. These insights will be brought forward to government to propose potential future changes.

Community paramedicine

Feedback was obtained from the HPC regarding community paramedic programs in Ontario. The OMA is focused on bringing forward member concerns with the programs, specifically around the need for comprehensive medical directives, with informed and engaged physician delegators.

Protected long-term illness leave

The OMA provided advice to the Ministry of Labour following consultation with the HPC on the ministry’s proposal to develop legislation for protected long-term illness leave for workers, meant to match the protected leave available for caregivers but not yet available for the ill individuals themselves. This advice was informed by prior member engagement on burnout contributors including administrative burden and moral injury, as well as by the OMA Forms Committee’s guiding principles. The Ministry of Labour passed legislation on this following the consultation.

Primary Care Information Exchange

In 2024, the PCIE Table, which included the Ministry of Health, Ontario Health, OMA (including physician representatives from the Section on General and Family Practice) and OMD, was struck to discuss the ministry's PCIE initiative. This initiative aims to get physicians to contribute primary care data from their electronic medical records into the provincial electronic health record. '

We have been successful in collaborating with the SGFP representatives to advocate to MOH/OH on the need to consider the benefits and impact of the initiative on physicians, and to work together on implementation considerations. We are also collaborating with the SGFP representatives to develop a principled framework for the introduction of any new digital health initiative generally.

Digital Health Advisory Table

Health Policy, in collaboration with the OMA legal team and OntarioMD, engaged with the Ministry of Health and Ontario Health on a variety of digital health priorities. These included projects under the ministry’s Digital First for Health provincial strategy, such as Axe the Fax, AI scribes, and standardizing eReferral forms. The group began discussions on the province’s Health811 initiative, with plans to continue engaging on this in 2025. Through these discussions, the OMA stressed the importance of the ministry and Ontario Health engaging with physicians early in any projects and applying an administrative burden lens to their work to minimize unintentional consequences of new digital initiatives.

Public health

We responded to Bill 231, which had proposed amendments to the Health Protection and Promotion Act (HPPA). Our response challenged a proposed amendment to require medical officers of health to obtain approval from the chief medical officer of health before issuing class orders. Our member-informed submission advised that this would create bureaucratic delays, limiting the ministry's ability to respond swiftly to local emergencies.

We also emphasized the importance of strong public health leadership and collaboration in shaping policy changes. We also highlighted the importance of maintaining the leadership and independence of public health physicians by preserving the current Ministry of Health role, ensuring a sufficient workforce and strengthening local connections. We called for collaborative discussions on any future reforms, including any potential mergers of public health units.

Members

• Dr. Audrey Campbell
• Dr. Jesse Pasternak
• Dr. Kevin Wasko
• Dr. Rebecca Hicks 

The Relativity Advisory Committee provides advice and ongoing input to the Board of Directors and the Negotiations Task Force regarding the development and implementation of an evidence-based relativity methodology. Membership includes two physicians each from the primary care, diagnostic, medical and surgical networks, respectively, for a total of eight.

Overall status of Fee-Adjust Income Relativity model

• The FAIR model is not yet ready for implementation
• While the RAC have completed both the return on education and non-fee-for-service components to the FAIR model, it is still waiting on the results of the Statistics Canada Overhead Study, which is on hold due to a legal case against the OMA  
• The biggest obstacle for finalizing the FAIR model is the lack of accurate, representative and timely data on hours of work    
• Until the FAIR model is fully developed, the current relativity model used by the OMA is the Comparison of Adjusted Net Daily Income (CANDI)

2024 highlights

• Updated return on dducation results using Canadian Census data
• Provided guidance on updating CANDI model for use in allocation of Year 3 of the 2021 PSA and Year 1 of the 2024 PSA
• Drafted terms of reference for proposed Bilateral Relativity Implementation Committee (BRIC)

Members

• Dr. Eric Goldszmidt, anesthesiology (surgical)
• Dr. Sonu Gaind, psychiatry (medical network)
• Dr. Marilyn Crabtree, family practice (primary care)
• Dr. Jerome Fan, emergency medicine (medical)
• Dr. Ipshita Kak, pathology (diagnostic)
• Dr. Vineet Nair, family practice (primary care)
• Dr. Christopher Vinden, general surgery (surgical)
• Dr. Caitlin Ward, diagnostic imaging (diagnostic)

The OMA Forms Committee and the Bilateral Joint Forms Committee report to the OMA Board of Directors and the Physician Services Committee. Membership consists of four OMA members and OMD representatives, and there is equal representation from the MOH for the bilateral committee, which meets six times a year.

The OMA committee is dedicated to reviewing all new, revised or existing forms that need to be completed by physicians, and they review the need for any changes to existing forms, including digitization and the use of new technologies. When appropriate, they develop recommendations for physician remuneration.

To help provide guidance toward the objective assessment of any current or proposed new form, the Forms Committee has developed guidelines on best practices for the review of forms. The main principles are digital first, patient attestation, appropriateness and remuneration. 

2024 highlights

The OMA Forms Committee met six times in 2024, excluding any other special meetings. Key issues addressed included:   

• Review of several revised Ministry of Transportation medical report forms: FMCSA med report, Life Reducible med report, SRLC 080 Commercial Driver, Vision Waiver, Driver Medical report, Police Report medical form, Vision Waiver Class G, Mental Health Assessment Static draft
• Ministry of Transportation reviews: Cardiovascular Assessment form, Mental Health Disorder Review, General Medical Report
• MCCSS Limitations to Participation form lean review
• Ministry of Natural Resources Moose Tag Transfer form review
• Joint review of Canada Revenue Agency Disability Tax Credit form
• Ministry of Health assessment form for eligibility for long-term care homes
• Participated in the Ontario eServices Program best practices working group, Patient Before Paperwork (Pb4P) working group, Ontario Perinatal Record Refresh Committee, and the Diagnostic Imaging working group
• Ongoing meetings with Canadian Life & Health Insurance Association (CLHIA) on reducing administrative burden regarding insurance forms
• Collaborated with OMA Uninsured Services Committee on the development of a form fee reference tool for members
• Met with eHealthCentre of Excellence in support of the development of eForms
• Ministry of Health Assistive Devices Program application for funding hearing devices form
• A member survey on hearing aid device forms
• Knowledge sharing with the University of Toronto on a form-filling automation project

Looking ahead 

Continue to make every reasonable effort to reduce the amount of administrative work performed by physicians to increase patient access to care.

Members

• Dr. Scott Elliott, chair
• Dr. Marilyn Crabtree
• Dr. Debra Dyke
• Dr. Jane Purvis

The OMA Physician Human Resources Committee (OHRC) reviews research and evidence on existing and emerging physician human resources issues to provide recommendations to the OMA Board of Directors and CEO that support decision-making, policy formulation, workforce planning, and negotiations. Members of the OHRC are part of the OMA’s representatives on the bilateral Physician Human Resources working group, a subcommittee of the Physician Services Committee, which is the collaborative process for identifying and responding to urgent physician HR issues in the province.

2024 highlights

In 2024, the OHRC prepared the framework for a Health Workforce Strategy for Ontario, and applied it to northern priorities. The OHRC continued to advise the Negotiations Task Force on physician resources issues, rebutted misinformed government positions, and developed solutions to bring to the negotiating table.

The committee’s expertise informed the Stop the Crisis campaign on the priorities of northern and rural health, and the provincial health workforce strategy. 

The committee also provided commentary to the Canadian Senate’s report on increasing the supply of family doctors, indicating support and advising on the broader implications of the report’s recommendations.   

Achievements at the bilateral table include providing advice on improving the Practice Ready Ontario assessment program, which allows a streamlined pathway to practice for qualified, experienced, internationally trained physicians; improvements to physician distribution incentive programs, especially in the north; and enhancements to the Clerkship Travel Program which supports increased access to northern learning experiences by reducing financial barriers. 

Key priorities over the coming year include:    

• Supporting the Negotiations Task Force in arbitration proceedings through assessment of HHR-related proposals and solutions 
• Advising the Physician Human Resources working group on the continued development of solutions to urgent physician workforce issues, emphasizing that solutions to physician workforce challenges must focus on the “3-Rs”:  Retention of the current workforce, recruitment to the Ontario physician workforce, and return of physician capacity to the workforce
• Providing government with the physician perspective on medical education expansion, pathways for internationally educated physicians and learners, and the opportunities and unintended consequences associated with these initiatives
• Collaborating on development of the Physician Resources Integrated Model (PRIME) for physician workforce planning. PRIME is an OMA innovation project that is being constructed in phases and, once complete, will inform policies to align health workforce capacity with population health needs under different scenarios
• Continuing to oversee OMA analyses of the gender pay gap in medicine to better understand the underlying factors, and promote further actions toward equity through negotiations or other means  

Members

• Dr. Robert Dinniwell, co-chair
• Dr. Sarah Simkin, co-chair
• Dr. Sarah-Lynn Newbery
• Dr. Carmine Simone
• Dr. David Schieck, non-voting observer

The OMA Women Committee continues to drive meaningful change through advocacy, policy influence and education to advance gender equity in medicine. 

2024 highlights

Advocacy: 

• Advanced research on the gender pay gap in collaboration with OMA’s Healthcare Evaluative Research department, with a submission accepted at the 2024 North American Primary Care Research Group annual meeting. This research assesses changes in the gender pay gap among general practitioners in Ontario over the past decade (FY2013–FY2022). 
• Partnered with the Federation of Medical Women of Canada to develop national consensus statements on pregnancy and parental support for physicians.
• Advocated for medical school curriculum enhancements, including the integration of family planning and financial literacy. 
• Successfully secured changes to OMA insurance policies, leading to the removal of pregnancy as an exclusion for disability coverage and a commitment from insurers to ensure fair and equitable disability case reviews. 

Educational events and engagement: 

• Financial Independence for Women in Medicine webinar: Attended by more than 170 participants, this session covered financial planning, maternity leave funding and wealth-building strategies, receiving highly positive feedback. 
• Navigating Workplace Challenges webinar series: A three-part series on microaggressions in the workplace, communication and setting boundaries, and self-care drew more than 400 registrants per session, fostering engagement and practical discussions among members.

Members

• Dr. Samira Jeimy, chair
• Dr. Michelle Cohen, vice-chair
• Dr. Finn Auld
• Yashaswani Chauhan, medical student
• Dr. Fiona Pinto
• Dr. Marie-Claude Gagnon
• Dr. Daniela Isfan 
• Dr. Meredith Giuliani 

The panel serves to provide strategic advice and support for the Physician Health Program, fostering collaboration between the OMA and relevant regulatory authorities while enhancing program objectives and awareness.

2024 highlights

• 2024 marked a year of transition for the PHP Advisory Panel. After approving new terms of reference in 2023, the panel recruited new members to align with those terms. The panel will continue in the advisory role supporting the program's objectives and mandate.
• The panel supported the development of the OMA’s Integrated Approach to Member Well-being framework, building on foundational work achieved through the OMA’s Burnout Task Force.

Members

• Dr. George Photopoulos (family practice)
• Dr. Sanch Gupta (medical learner)
• Dr. Janel Gracey (addiction medicine)
• Dr. Jessica Hopkins (public health)
• Dr. Ushma Purohit (medical learner)
• Dr. Karen Raymer (anesthesiology)
• Dr. Tara Riddell (psychiatry)
• Dr. Devon Shewfelt (family practice)
• Peter Farvolden (allied health)

The Uninsured Services Committee is mandated to review and recommend revisions to the Physician’s Guide to Uninsured Services and Schedule of Fees as required and to recommend fees for new or unlisted uninsured services. The committee comprises four members, and work is completed on an annual cycle. 

2024 highlights

• In consultation with the various OMA sections, MIGs and fora, the committee made several updates to the Physician’s Guide to Uninsured Services. In terms of OMA fees, the fees in the guide were increased by 6.66 per cent and the OMA multiplier, which is used to calculate the OMA fee for uninsured services, increased from 2.7 to 2.88.  
• Collaborated with the OMA Forms Committee in 2024 to produce a forms fee reference list. 

Members

• Dr. Jesse Wheeler, chair 
• Dr. Lisa Fu
• Dr. John Harrington
• Dr. Rosemary Hanna