Important changes to virtual care billings. Effective Oct. 1, virtual care fee codes K080, K081, K082 and K083 must now be submitted with one of two tracking codes to indicate the modality of the technology used to deliver the service. Use either K300 for video appointments or K301 for phone appointments. Also effective Oct. 1 are a number of changes to primary care billings. Read OHIP bulletins 211003 and 210904 for full details.
Shoulder to shoulder Dr. Adam Kassam, OMA President
The past 19 months have challenged our physician colleagues in unpredictable and unprecedented ways. From the early days of confusion, uncertainty and PPE shortages – with rationing of masks, gloves and gowns – to unwavering commitment to vaccine education, advocacy and administration, physicians have demonstrated incredible and intrepid leadership during the most significant public health crisis of our times.
All of this has transpired, of course, during record levels of burnout in the profession. Despite this, physicians continue to serve their patients and communities in admirable ways, and I’m proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with you as we continue to prioritize the health and well-being of our patients and communities.
These stories of sacrifice and dedication are what I hope to channel in the coming weeks as we gear up for the launch of the OMA’s health-care recommendations. Your grassroots advocacy has been a central pillar to our pandemic response, and will continue to be an essential ingredient for the success of our health-care recovery for the future. I remain steadfast in my core belief that physicians are central to any successful health-care system transformation, and I am excited to be able to share this perspective in the coming months.
In fact, this advocacy work has already begun in earnest during meetings with elected officials including cabinet ministers, political party leadership, municipal officials and institutional representatives. This includes upcoming engagements with the minister of health, minister of children, community and social services, Toronto’s board of health and the mayor of Mississauga. In addition to the meetings I enjoy the most, where I am joined by a local member to talk with their MPP about issues in their community, including upcoming meetings with the representatives for Nickel Belt, Haliburton, Perth and London, among others.
At every one of these opportunities, you have my commitment to share your stories of excellent patient care, leadership and advocacy.
The Ministry of Health’s Universal Influenza Immunization Program for 2021-2022 includes six flu vaccine products, two of which are specific for those aged 65 and older. No intranasal vaccine will be publicly funded this year. The ministry recommends that adults 65 and older should not delay vaccination to wait for a particular product. The OMA quick reference poster will be updated to reflect this year’s information and will be available shortly. Read the updated information for the 2021-2022 flu season.
COVID-19 vaccine consult service for youth. SickKids has launched a service for youth aged 12 and older, along with their parents/guardians, to discuss any questions or concerns related to the COVID-19 vaccine with a pediatric registered nurse. The service may also be helpful for youth who have complex medical histories or medical conditions or those who require extra support for their COVID-19 vaccine due to medical complexity, developmental disorder or mobility, communication, behavioural or other specialized needs, including significant needle phobia. The service is available in multiple languages and you may wish to share it with your patients. Access the SickKids COVID-19 vaccine consult service.
As the OMA prepares for a multi-year modernization of the Schedule of Benefits, practising members are invited to provide input on the fee codes commonly billed within sections, gender pay equity and medical innovations. The results from the intra-sectional fee relativity survey will be used to inform proposals from your section/MIG/forum to the OMA Medical Services Payment Committee in fall 2021. Be sure to check your inbox for the OMA Insights/ThoughtLounge survey reminder and your unique survey access link sent yesterday.
Perioperative pain management for general surgeries. The Perioperative Pain Management Pathway is devoted to providing physicians with quick and easy access to evidence-based, pain management best practices for a wide variety of surgical procedures. Can you guess which surgery page is the most visited on the site? It’s the one for cholecystectomies. See that procedure’s best practices and then visit any of the other 50+ surgeries listed on the site, including 10 in our ‘General Surgeries’ section. All surgeries feature discharge strategies that include, when appropriate, co-analgesics, potential opioid prescription, and ways to manage pain without medication. The Pathway, which can be found at SolvingPain.ca, is a project by Ontario’s Anesthesiologists, a section of the OMA. Review best practices for cholecystectomies. Review all surgeries available on SolvingPain.ca.
OMA podcast on physician burnout. OMA data shows physician burnout is on the rise. In the latest episode of the OMA’s regular podcast series ‘Spotlight on Health,’ Dr. Carolyn Snider, chief of emergency medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, describes what it’s been like to be on the front lines of the pandemic and what health-care workers are doing to cope. Access OMA’s Spotlight on Health podcasts. Read the OMA news release on physician burnout.
OMA releases health-care survey data. The OMA released data from an online public survey of nearly 8,000 people from communities across the province asking them to identify their top health-care priorities and how health care in their community can be improved. The results show that wait times is the issue most frequently selected top priority identified by survey respondents. The findings of the survey will help inform doctors’ plan for better health care and the OMA’s recommendations on how to work with government and health-care partners to create the best health-care system possible. Read the OMA’s news release on survey findings. Learn more about the OMA survey and view results by community. Download a PDF of the OMA’s survey findings. Read media coverage of the OMA’s survey.
Engaging on EDI at PHP Annual Day.Last week, the OMA Physician Health Program hosted their annual day. This year’s theme focused on equity, diversity, and inclusion and the intersection with medicine and physician health. The topic drew a broad audience of stakeholders and members of the physician health community to engage in important discussions on anti-Black racism, pandemic resilience and social justice, and forensic toxicology. The PHP would like to thank panellists and breakout session speakers for making the OMA’s Physician Health Program Annual Day an opportunity to learn, engage and connect on important topics impacting our community.
Cybersecurity resources for members.Cybercrime is evolving quickly and affects many areas of our daily interactions. Cyberattacks continue to grow and put everyone at higher risk, which requires us to become more vigilant and familiar with IT security. Given the increased use of technology during COVID-19, we have provided cybersecurity resources for members on our website. This web page will be updated regularly with information on cybersecurity issues that may affect you. View the cybersecurity web page.
Events
Managing an uninsured services program.Learn about the realities of managing an uninsured services program, best practices, strategies and tools for success. Join the OMA and our partners from PatientSERV on Oct. 19 from 6-7 p.m. as we discuss the immediate and long-term value of uninsured services in your practice. Sign up for the PatientSERV uninsured services webinar.
Mitigating risk in virtual care. Join the Canadian Medical Protective Association on Tuesday, Nov. 9 from 6-7 p.m. for a webinar titled, ‘Providing virtual care: considerations from the CMPA,’ to learn about the most common medical-legal pitfalls and consider potentially competing priorities when providing virtual care. Discussions will also speak to strategies to mitigating risk and providing safer virtual care. Register for the CMPA webinar.
Thinking about retirement?Whether you’re preparing to retire or just considering winding down, join the OMA on Tuesday, Nov. 18 from 6-9 p.m. for a retirement planning webinar and get practical guidance to facilitate a smooth transition into retirement. Register for the OMA’s retirement planning webinar.
Flu and COVID-19 booster shots. Vaccines continued to be a key topic for the OMA’s media this week. The OMA responded to questions about the flu shot and Dr. Adam Kassam spoke to Global News and The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety about third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Read the OMA’s top media coverage.
Did you miss last week’s Advantages Retirement Plan™ live webinar on saving and investing for beginners with BlackRock – the world’s largest asset manager? Watch the retirement webinar recording.
Ski at Tremblant for less.Tremblant is offering OMA members a special discount on SkiMax tickets for the upcoming 2021-22 winter ski season. For those looking to get outdoors, stay active and safely spend time with family and friends, purchase tickets for yourself or give them as the ultimate winter gift. Learn more and save on ski tickets.
Save on VIA Rail fares. Whether travelling for business or leisure, OMA members are entitled to a 15 per cent discount on the best available fare from VIA Rail. This discount applies to the member and up to three additional passengers. Escape Fares, Travel Passes and Bizpak are excluded. Book your next VIA Rail trip and start saving.
Please note that this survey response will not be anonymous. It will be linked to your member account with OMA, and the data will be used for quality assurance purposes by the OMA team. You are not required to participate. Please indicate to what extent you agree or disagree with the following statement:
