Manitoba docs give tentative thumbs-up to ‘historic’ physician services agreement

Manitoba doctors have moved closer to accepting a new Physician Services Agreement that the province has touted as “historic” in its level of additional funding to retain and recruit more doctors. “The Doctors Manitoba board of directors is pleased with this tentative agreement and we have recommended it to physicians for their approval,” Dr. Michael Boroditsky, president of Doctors Manitoba, said in a news relese. “The significant funding increases offered by the government is an essential part of retaining and recruiting more doctors to our province, which will help to turn around the physician shortage. For Manitobans, this should mean improved access to physician care, whether it’s seeing a family doctor or visiting an ER, accessing surgical or diagnostic procedures, and accessing care in Winnipeg or in rural and northern communities.” Review and ratification of the tentative agreement is now underway and is expected to finish by Aug. 14. The funding increase of $268 million over four years will be put towards a diverse range of services and projects, including specialty and hospital services; a new funding model for longitudinal family medicine that blends existing volume-based payments with funding for patient panels and time-based stipends; recruitment and retention incentives for rural and northern communities; a new visit type for family physicians and pediatricians for patients with more than one medical concern; and a permanent funding model for virtual appointments. Read: Increases, inflation and inequities: A western perspective for Ontario doctors mulling a new fee agreement According to the news release, the tentative agreement—which has an expiry date of March 2027—also includes increased funding with market adjustments as well as a special retention payment in the first year, followed by compounding annual general increases of 2% in the three remaining years of the agreement. It also provides increased funding to improve physician coverage in remote First Nations communities. “These unprecedented investments recognize the critical importance of our physicians and will maintain Manitoba’s competitiveness with other jurisdictions while improving access to the vital medical services physicians provide for all Manitobans,” Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson said, in a news release. “ In addition to competitive general increases for physician services, the government and Doctors Manitoba targeted new funding to shared priority areas for improving patient care.” Read: Vacations! Gym passes! Frisbees! Doctors Manitoba giving out prizes for getting healthy

Manitoba docs give tentative thumbs-up to ‘historic’ physician services agreement

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