Physician Services Committee
The Physician Services Committee (PSC), a bilateral committee of the OMA and the Ministry of Health, serves as a steering committee, striking additional committees, sub-committees and working groups as needed. Its mandate is to receive and consider reports and recommendations as set out in the Physician Services Agreement and to advise on the changing role of physicians within the health-care system. That includes possible improved models of delivery and compensation for services.
PSC members also develop recommendations that can lead to enhancing the quality and effectiveness of medical care in Ontario.
Update from the chair
With this inaugural update as the co-chair of the Physician Services Committee, I want to share with you some major accomplishments we’ve had at this key bilateral committee in strengthening your role in the health-care system and ensuring the current PSA gets implemented in a way that advances your interests.
We had an extremely busy, collaborative and productive year in 2023, achieving key deliverables and meeting critical PSA timelines, such as the implementation of permanent fee code changes.
At our monthly meetings, we provided input that helped shape major health-system initiatives, including the expansion of community, surgical and diagnostic capacity, the switch to biosimilars, updates to the Physician and Hospital Services for Uninsured Persons Program, improvements to Health Care Connect and updates on the committee work related to medical assistance in dying — and more.
Contact us
if you have any questions about the work of the PSC, please reach out to us and we’ll get back to you promptly.
PSA implementation milestones
One of the PSC's core responsibilities is to implement the current PSA by developing and overseeing working groups and committees. Its work has resulted in the implementation of key initiatives, including:
- Hospital On-Call Working Group: Recommendations on the allocation of $12.5 million for groups applying for on-call program funding
- Rural and Northern Physician Group Agreement: Established a methodology to implement a complement review of all RNPGA communities, and, as a result, 32 communities went up in complement
- Physician Payment Committee: Recommendations and finalization of permanent implementation of the negotiated 2.01 per cent fee increases
- Family Health Organization (managed entry): 617 FHO spots filled since the agreement was put in place
- Appropriateness Working Group: 10 of the 11 AWG proposals from the 2021 PSA were finalized
- Virtual care framework: New framework implemented
- Joint Forms Committee: Physicians are now compensated for completing a Medical Certificate of Stillbirth, effective July 1, 2023
- Bilateral Burnout Task Force: Commitment from the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Red Tape Reduction to reduce the administrative burden from forms, starting with 12 priority forms identified by the Forms Committee. Also developed a measure guide for health-system stakeholders to use a standard measure of burnout
Standing up for you
In addition, in line with the 2021 PSA, the following APPs were either established or repaired:
- London Neurosurgery Group
- Northwest and Northeast Regional Surgical Networks
- Ontario Telestroke Program
- Rural and Northern Physician Group Agreement
- Vascular Surgeons Thunder Bay
We also had in-depth and sometimes difficult discussions about supporting unattached and uninsured patients, the government’s plan to strengthen care in Ontario, improving access to primary care and other challenges facing family physicians. We explored finding solutions to ongoing delays relating to OHIP claims reconciliation and payment processes. We also used the PSC as a forum to express our deep concerns about the government's plan to expand the scope of practice of other health professions, instead of focusing on enabling each profession to practice to its full scope in order to provide care in a team-based environment.
Collaborating with other stakeholders
One of the most valuable and interesting parts of our PSC meetings is when guests from various health agencies, governmental departments, working groups, departments at the OMA and health-care experts join us to present a new initiative or provide an update on their work. This gives us a glimpse into the future of care in Ontario, allows for conversation to build on ideas brought forward, and generally helps to advance important initiatives. It also provides physicians with the opportunity to have our voices heard in discussions that will shape the future of our health-care system.
Calling in the arbitrator to break the deadlock
We also discussed GP focused practice and found ourselves at loggerheads with the ministry. We refused to back down on this issue, and, as a result, we will be utilizing our mediator and arbitrator, William Kaplan, to settle this dispute. While this extra step requires our deadline for member approval to be pushed back, we believe it is important in ensuring we are fighting as hard as we can for you.
More specifically, this dispute is with respect to the GP focused practice designation process and the need to include virtual care billing as part of the 20 per cent minimum billing threshold.
Expect to hear more from us
I’m proud of the work the PSC accomplished in 2023, but there is more to be done this year. Between the implementation of the outstanding portions of the 2021 PSA, preparing to implement the new agreement once it is negotiated or awarded through an arbitrator, discussing key health-system issues impacting physicians and patients, and providing recommendations on ways to enhance, modernize and improve care in Ontario, 2024 promises to be an exciting if not challenging year.
We have a formidable team at the table, and we’ll continue working hard for you. I will continue to update you on our progress. Every quarter, I’ll be providing you with the key highlights from our PSC meetings and working groups.
Dr. Jane Purvis
PSC co-chair
Dr. Purvis is a community rheumatologist in Peterborough, Ont., in practice since 1989 after graduating from the University of Ottawa Medical School and completing rheumatology training at the University of Toronto. She is the past president of the Ontario Rheumatology Association and the current committee lead for the Ontario Rheumatology Association Government Affairs committee. She is very involved in improving patient access to appropriate therapies. She is also very involved with the Ontario Medical Association, on the Physician Services Committee, the OMA Forms Committee, PLG, vice chair of the Issues and Policy Panel, MRAC as well as District 6 secretary, and vice chair for the Section of Rheumatology.
She is passionate about improving health care in Ontario in the short and long term for patients and physicians using a collaborative problem-solving approach.
Her community rheumatology practice utilizes an interdisciplinary model of care with pharmacists and Arthritis Society therapists and is now embracing virtual care.
Ex-officio members
Kimberly Moran has served as OMA’s CEO since December 2023. She is a highly respected health-care leader and accomplished executive with more than 30 years of senior leadership experience in the private and not-for-profit sectors.
Kimberly comes to the OMA from her most recent role as the president and CEO of the Ontario College of Family Physicians, where she was able to unite stakeholders around a common purpose and vision of attracting new and sustainable funding in the health-care system.
She has held roles as special adviser to the dean of the faculty of medicine at the University of Toronto, where her work included attracting new funding for research and innovative health-care models, CEO of Children’s Mental Health Ontario, and CEO of UNICEF Canada.
She has advised health-system stakeholders at all levels of government in Canada and internationally. Kimberly is a recognized health-system transformation contributor and collaborator, with previous roles in the Ontario Children’s Health Coalition, which represents children’s hospitals and children’s community health-care providers, and as co-chair of the Children’s COVID-19 Vaccine Table. She was previously on the Premier’s Council on Improving Health Care and Ending Hallway Medicine, a voluntary expert advisory council reporting to the premier and the minister of health.
Kimberly is a chartered professional accountant and chairs the finance committee for the Seneca College Board of Directors.
Dr. Sharon Bal, based in Cambridge, Ont., is the lead physician of the Delta Coronation FHO and staff physician at Cambridge Memorial Hospital, providing on-call coverage to area long-term care homes. Dr. Bal is an assistant clinical professor with the Department of Family Medicine, Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University and is the preclerkship coordinator at the Waterloo Regional Campus. Dr. Bal is a recognized physician advocate and champion of health equity for marginalized populations and has held multiple leadership roles. Dr. Bal currently serves as a member of the steering and joint board committees of the Cambridge North Dumfries OHT and is a clinical lead with Ontario Health. Dr. Bal was co-chair of OMA Women from 2018-2022.
Dr. Bal is re-elected for a two-year term as director and is elected for a two-year term as vice-chair.
Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman (she/her) is an allergist and clinical immunologist practicing in the Greater Toronto Area mainly in Mississauga and at McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton. Dr. Abdurrahman is an assistant clinical professor adj. of pediatrics and a staff member on the Clinical Immunology and Allergy Subspecialty Residency Training Committee at McMaster University.
This is Dr. Abdurrahman’s second year on the board of directors, and she is also the chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee (GNC). She comes with a strong background in governance with experience being on the OMA Joint Governance Transformation Task Force (GT20), the OMA Council Governance and Steering Committee and serving as the chair and delegate for the OMA Allergy and Clinical Immunology Section. She is also a strong advocate for equity and diversity with various leadership roles in this realm including, but not limited to, being a member of the Black Scientists Taskforce on COVID-19 Vaccination Equity and previously on the OMA Civility, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee. She is also a board director of OntarioMD where she was previously a physician peer leader and a member of the OntarioMD Educational Taskforce. Dr. Abdurrahman is completing her second year of a two-year term as director. In February she was acclaimed president-elect for the 2024-2025 term.