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2008
Membership Drive
The
Coalition of Family Physicians is returning back to its
basics and focusing on what has made our organization a
success. Follow this link to our memnbership page
to find out the details.
Click
Here for Membership Page
Online
Payment Now Availalbe |
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A
COFP Bulletin Regarding the CPSO - THIS
IS NOT THE SAME AS THE OMA MEMBER ALERT
January
17, 2008 - The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
(CPSO) has proposed a new policy that will impact family
physicians, called “Establishing a Physician-Patient Relationship”
and modified an existing policy on “Ending the Physician-Patient
Relationship”. The Ontario Medical Association (OMA) has
cautioned the profession about 3 other different
CPSO policy proposals. We will not repeat the thoughtful
concerns the OMA raised about those particular policy proposals.
Please
read on.
Full
Bulletin (HTML)
Full
Bulletin (PDF) |
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Media
Advisory
September
28, 2007 - Dr.
Douglas Mark, President of the Coalition of Family Physicians
of Ontario (COFP), announced today that the Coalition will
be holding a focus group meeting of its key members on Saturday,
September 29, 2007 at the Westin Harbour Castle Toronto
hotel. Many important issues will be discussed from the
background history of the COFP, the provincial elections,
issues pertaining to family practice and its future, the
upcoming 2008 OMA-MOHLTC master agreement negotiations,
and the role of the COFP in the future.
In
addition, Dr. Howard Wu, a family physician with special
interest in smoking cessation, will provide a special presentation
on tobacco dependence and new treatment strategies.
Event
sponsored by
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‘Ontario's
sad legacy of failure…'
-
Dr. Douglas Mark, President, Coalition of Family Physicians
of Ontario
A
Prescription for Disaster:
October 17
/06
During
the past few weeks here in Ontario, we have witnessed the
bizarre spectacle of a Premier telling the media that he
was ‘caught off guard' by the ER crisis and a Minister of
Health and Long-Term Care blaming everyone else he could
think of for the failures of the Government of Ontario's
‘transformation agenda'. None of this comes as a surprise
to us, however, for the sad reality is that the Coalition
of Family Physicians of Ontario has been warning of the
consequences of bad healthcare planning for over a decade.
It is only now that many people finally seem to be waking
up to the news that our healthcare system is in crisis.
Obviously, with an election on the horizon, the Government
of Ontario cannot afford to pretend anymore that everything
on the healthcare front is under control and proceeding
according to plan. Or, to put it another way:
‘The
era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and
baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to its close.
In its place, we are entering a period of consequences.'
-
Sir Winston Churchill, November 12, 1936
Continued...
From
1987 until 2006, please read more for a brief history and
our prognosis of Ontario's healthcare system...
Full
Bulletin (HTML)
Full
Bulletin (PDF) |
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Attention
Family Doctors
Our
Family Practice Future Is At Risk!
September
25 /06 - All is not well in family practice. It is encouraging
to see that the OMA appears to be more responsive and has
managed to negotiate more funding for family practice. However,
many aspects of care remain chronically underfunded, and
there are more troubling changes planned for the near future
as part of the government's health care agenda. Our concern
is that these changes will remain unnoticed by physicians
until such time as they will have already become firmly
entrenched, to the detriment of physicians.
Continued...
Full
Bulletin (HTML)
Full
Bulletin (PDF)
MOHLTC
Aug 31/06 Bulletin (PDF) |
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Dr.
Douglas Mark Speaks out about the CPSO 2005 Physician
Survey June
23/06 – The 2005 survey of Ontario's physicians, conducted
by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario,
found the number of family physicians accepting new patients
at an all time low. The survey also shows that the medical
profession is aging and that work patterns for many physicians
and the demographics of the physician population are changing.
Dr.
Mark appeared live on CH TV to discuss this issue on the
television show "CH Live at 5:30". Watch
it now:
CH
Live at 5:30 Introdution (mpg)
CH
Live at 5:30 Main Segment (mpg) |
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COFP
Official Response to PHIPA 2004 Proposed Amendments
May
9/06 - The COFP has taken decisive action against these
proposed amendments. Our letter outlining our serious
concerns can be read by clicking
on this link (PDF) |
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Sustaining
Health and Healthcare -
Bold
New Horizons
On
Saturday, June 3, 2006 , the Coalition
showed the kind of leadership our members have demanded
by hosting a truly remarkable event. For the first
time ever, in full view of the media, we presented an honest,
forthright debate about the future of our healthcare system.
Read
Full Details(HTML)
Download
a Brochure (PDF)
Media
Advisory - May 3/06 |
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GOVERNMENT
TO PUT
“Hands in Our Pockets”...AGAIN!
Proposed
Changes to PHIPA Bad News for Doctors
May
3/06 - The Coalition
of Family Physicians of Ontario has serious concerns regarding
proposed amendments to the Personal Health Information
Protection Act 2004 (PHIPA).
Continued...
Full
Bulletin (HTML)
Full
Bulletin (PDF) |
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New
For COFP Members Only - A Complete Financial Check-Up
April
24/06- Queensbury Strategies Inc has specifically developed
a fully integrated Financial Planning and Investment Management
Program for COFP members.
Benefits
of the program include:
•
A
fully-integrated
personal financial plan comprised of:
1 Lifestyle/Retirement Planning
2 Cash Flow Analysis
3 Investment Review and
Recommendations
4 Estate and Insurance Analysis
5 Tax Minimization Strategies
•
25% discount on financial
planning fee (savings of up to $750.00)
•
No annual fee for individual
RRSP/RRIF accounts through MRS Trust Inc. www.mrs.com
(a savings of $133.75 per year).
•
No purchase or selling commissions for mutual funds, investment
counsel services, and managed accounts (does not include
individual stock trading)
This
special program is being offered exclusively by Rona Birenbaum,
President, and Clifford Boland who are both financial and
investment advisors at
Queensbury Strategies Inc. Their advice is entirely independent
and non-proprietary. Please review their backgrounds and
services on their website, www.caringforclients.com
Continued...
Full
Bulletin (HTML)
Full
Bulletin (PDF) |
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Physicians
on the Front Lines - Conscripted, Coerced and Unprotected
March
8/06- The
COFP believes you should be aware of the potential infringement
on your personal and professional rights if Bill
56, The Emergency Management Statute Law Amendment Act
, is passed this summer. This bill has raised the consternation
of many professional health groups.
Bill
56 (click
here to view online)gives the Ontario Government the
right to ”authorize” any person
reasonably qualified to provide services in a declared emergency
such as a pandemic in a geographic area deemed in need of
said services. Although the bill does not specifically cite
physicians, it nonetheless raises important questions about
what the government's plans are for Ontario physicians in
times of crises. Continued...
Full
Bulletin (HTML)
Full
Bulletin (PDF) |
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Navigating
the Storm Together - Take Charge of Your Future
January
25/06- Family
Medicine in Ontario, as in the rest of Canada, is in crisis,
with fewer and fewer doctors choosing it as their career
path. There exist both catalysts and obstructions
to meaningful change, with time quickly running out as doctors
retire or simply leave the profession. In June 2005,
the Supreme Court of Canada decision on the Chaoulli/Zeliotis
case was a catalyst for necessary change. In Ontario,
however, the government's highly restrictive Bill 8, the
Commitment to the Future of Medicare Act, is a severe obstruction
to such change. By concentrating power in the hands
of government, it prevents much-needed innovation and punishes
those doctors who attempt it. It is ironic that this
Bill, touted to improve the rights of individuals, actually
violates a myriad of civil rights including those of physicians
and patients alike. Continued...
Full
Bulletin (HTML)
Full
Bulletin (PDF) |
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Navigating
the Perfect Storm -
COFP
Celebrates its 10th Anniversary by Launching our 2006 Membership
Drive
December
7/05 - Ten years ago,
we embarked on a voyage together. We travelled through the
storms and gales of government policies created to control
our professional lives. We were uncertain where these transformations
would lead and whether we would successfully navigate through
these tides of change.
Continued...
Full
Bulletin (HTML)
Full
Bulletin (PDF) |
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A
Balanced Approach -
Transforming
the Government's Transformation Agenda
Nov
30/05 - Moving forward with transforming the health-care
system requires a balanced approach. We can appreciate positive
change, but we must remain vigilant for pitfalls while advocating
for solutions that will lead to improvement for both physicians
and patients alike.
Continued...
Full
Bulletin (HTML)
Full
Bulletin (PDF) |
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COFP
Endorses CallerMD
December 7/05
- The Coalition has decided to lead by example and encourage
family physicians to offer these services, not covered by
OHIP, to their patients at reasonable rates. They include
telephone advice, prescription renewals, sick notes, missed
appointments, and insurance forms. By providing a simple
means of paying for these services, patients can have access
to family physicians on their terms, instead of having their
healthcare controlled by nameless, faceless bureaucrats.
This will restore the value of the work you do and provide
needed services to patients.
Read
More |
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Don't
Be Fooled by Political Rhetoric - Family Physicians Know
'Which Way the Wind Blows'
November
23/05 - Prevailing winds have the potential to alter one's
course; it can be difficult
to steer in the right direction. In the context of Ontario's
changing medical climate, physicians can sometimes feel
overwhelmed by political bluster. Now, with the increasing
daily pressures of practice, physicians must demonstrate
solidarity and find the means to enable and support each
other. Physicians and patients will depend on this.
Continued...
Full
Bulletin (HTML)
Full
Bulletin (PDF) |
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Time
for Leadership - Energized to Lead the Fight for Embattled
Family Physicians
November
16/05 - Leadership: you know it when you see it. But leadership
is in short supply when it comes to health-care transformation.
You need to know what to look for and where to find it.
Continued...
Full
Bulletin (HTML)
Full
Bulletin (PDF) |
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The
Justice Cory Report - A Civil Rights Proposal for Ontario
Doctors - The
Full Cory Report (PDF)
May 4/05 - The
Coalition of Family Physicians of Ontario is truly grateful
that Justice Cory's report has recognized and addressed
all the injustices inherent in the former MRC structure.
The contributions of the COFP and several dedicated organizations
and individuals lead to the Ontario government's moratorium
on the Medical Review Committee (MRC) audits and Justice
Peter Cory's review and report on Ontario's doctor audit
system. Continued...
Full
Bulletin (HTML)
Full
Bulletin (PDF)
Link
to The Honourable Peter Cory Website |
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The Future of Family Practice -
Reality After the New
Deal
April 26/05 -
The endorsement of the second OMA-MOHLTC Master Agreement
must be respected and accepted as the will of the majority
of Ontario Physicians. We were instrumental, along
with other groups, in successfully bringing about a rejection
of the first contract offer because it did not fulfill the
needs of Ontario physicians and our patients. The
result was that Ontario physicians received a better second
offer. Continued...
Full
Bulletin (HTML)
Full
Bulletin (PDF) |
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The
COFP Does Not Endorse the 2005 OMA/MOHLTC Deal
March
17/05 - The
Coalition
of Family Physicians of Ontario (COFP) has decided not to
endorse the recent deal between the Ontario Medical Association
(OMA) and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC).
Continued...
Full
Bulletin (HTML)
Full
Bulletin (PDF)
Media
Release (HTML)
Canadian
Press Article (HTML)
Other Related
Bulletins:
Mar
7/05 We
Are Very Concerned(PDF)
Mar
22/05 The
Abyss(PDF)
Mar
28/05 It'sTime
to Speak Up(PDF) |
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2005
OMA/MOHLTC Offer
Summary
Document - 13pgs (PDF)
Full
Document - 124 pgs (PDF) |
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Public
Campaign Continues
Feb
21 /05 - The COFP has printed 1 million information
Patient Pamphlets that are arriving in members' offices.
Full
Bulletin (HTML)
Full
Bulletin (PDF) |
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Media
Release
Feb
8 /05 - COFP Announces Launch of Province-Wide Public
Education Program to Draw Attention to Serious Shortage
of Family Doctors
Full
Media Release (HTML)
Full
Media Release (PDF)
Listen
to Our Public Campaign Radio Ads:
Ad Number 1 Ad
Number 2 |
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Media
Release
Jan
7/05 - COFP Meets with OMA Negotiating Team
Click
here to read news release in PDF |
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2004
OMA/MOHLTC Offer
As you know, this lengthy and complex
contract offer was resoundly rejected by Ontario's physicians.
To understand some of the reasons for this, please read
the series of our bulletins below.
Oct
12/04 - COFP
Reject Deal (PDF)
Oct
26/04 -COFP
Response to OCFP
Nov
1/04 Read
full legal opinion (PDF)
Nov
4/04 - Flaw
in Agreement (PDF)
Nov
9/04 - National
Post Article (PDF)
Nov
10/04 - Needed
Vote Result(PDF)
Nov
26/04 - OMA
Rejects Deal |
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Art
of the Deal Bulletins
An
Overview of the 2004 Contract Offer
This is a series of informative bulletins
(Part
1)(Part2)(Part
3)(Part
4) (Part
5) |
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Media
Release
Mar
10/04 - An Open Letter To Premier McGuinty From the
COFP
Read
More
Media Release (PDF) |
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*MRC
Information Pages* |
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*Bill
8 Information Pages* |
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