Michael Verbora has been completing his residency training with a family health team in Toronto for the last two years, but a new government maneuver won’t permit him to work there — or in Windsor, where he grew up.
The provincial government had been trying to move away from the fee-for-service model that rushed patients through the system as quickly — and cheaply — as possible, by building family health teams that include doctors, nurses, social workers, dieticians, and other health professionals.
There are more upfront costs for a family health team, but they save money in the long run because patients receive a high quality of care, and are less likely to develop chronic diseases.
It appears the government has changed its mind, however, as they limit access to family health teams while they review what under-serviced areas needed expanded health teams the most. New doctors have the option to set up a practice under the old fee-for-service model, or take over for a retiring doctor.
More than 500 new family doctors will finish their residency training in June, and many are expected to leave for other provinces — or even the U.S.
Verbora describes the move as “frustrating” and says he’s “overwhelmed.” He is now considering a move to B.C. or Alberta, rather than stay in Ontario to perform fee-for-service medicine.
According to the Windsor Star, approximately 900,000 Ontario residents don’t have a family doctor.
Many physicians in Ontario — such as Dr. Jen Bondy, who works at a family health team — are concerned that the government is “stepping backwards, as opposed to moving ahead.”
H/T The Windsor Star
