The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) is advocating for the federal government to streamline administrative processes and eliminate obstacles for family physicians in order to enhance patient care quality. Dr. Sarah Cook, the president of CFPC, emphasized the importance of Canadians having access to a dedicated family doctor who provides continuous, coordinated care. She highlighted that around six million Canadians currently lack access to a family physician, characterizing this as a systemic issue rather than a minor concern.
Dr. Cook proposed three key actions for the government to support family doctors and improve healthcare access: reducing administrative burdens, enhancing digital connectivity, and making family medicine more accessible to new physicians. She reiterated the government’s commitment of $505 million over five years to enhance digital health tools and data indicators, stressing the need to fulfill this promise to alleviate the administrative workload on family physicians.
Additionally, Dr. Cook revealed that family physicians spend an average of 10 to 19 hours weekly on administrative tasks, emphasizing the importance of giving them more time to focus on patient care. She criticized the current practice of family doctors being gatekeepers for patients seeking the Disability Tax Credit, citing the extensive paperwork involved and the potential for increased administrative demands with the implementation of the Canada Disability Benefit.
Dr. Cook called for sustained funding for AI transcription tools in family medicine, which can save significant time for physicians and enable more direct patient engagement during consultations. She also stressed the urgency of the Connected Care for Canadians Act (Bill S-5) to mandate interoperability of health information systems nationwide, facilitating seamless access to medical records regardless of the care location.
The CFPC president urged swift adoption of Bill S-5 by federal policymakers, supported by robust regulations to drive tangible improvements in healthcare delivery. She highlighted that policy decisions can address the unmet healthcare needs of millions of Canadians and emphasized the role of policymakers in effecting positive change in the healthcare system. Dr. Cook mentioned her upcoming meeting with Health Minister’s parliamentary secretary, Maggie Chi, to further discuss these critical healthcare issues.