What We’ve Been Hearing From You

Dear SGFP Members,

One of the most meaningful parts of this role is the chance to hear directly from you. This spring, through our second round of SGFP On‑Call sessions, board members and executive staff connected with members from across the province: urban and rural, early‑career and long‑established, solo and group practice. Thank you for your candour and your trust. I want to share back what we heard, and how it is shaping our work.

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You are carrying an extraordinary administrative load, and it’s not the medicine that’s exhausting you.

Across conversations, you told us that the clinical work remains the part you love. What’s wearing you down are the layers around it: forms, disconnected IT systems, bounced referrals, HR responsibilities, and tasks that could be delegated. This is not a reflection of individual practices, it’s a structural problem, and it is central to SGFP’s advocacy on advancing system structures for reform that actually supports family physicians.

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Payment models are creating pressures that don’t match how family medicine actually works.

Physicians with focused practices, in areas such as dermatology, addictions, and sports medicine, shared concerns about shadow‑billing that makes their work financially unsustainable. Northern physicians highlighted the unique challenge of mandatory hospital work that falls outside the basket, leaving them penalized for fulfilling essential community roles. Many of you practising in FHO+ also described financial strain that undermines team‑based care and forces inefficient workarounds. These issues are part of the evidence and narrative we are preparing for upcoming OMA negotiations.

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Digital health continues to be a source of both promise and frustration.

You told us clearly that tools meant to streamline care are often adding steps instead. The cancellation of PrescribeIT and the re‑emergence of fax‑based workflows were raised repeatedly as steps backward. At the same time, many of you see the potential of AI and integrated systems to reduce workload. Your experiences are directly informing our advocacy with the OMA and government related to our SGFP Digital Health Roadmap.

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Rural and Northern physicians are facing compounding pressures.

You also told us about the compounding pressures of practising outside major centres, from compensation models that don’t reflect rural realities, to recruitment challenges, to limited access to specialists and diagnostics. These are not isolated issues; they are systemic barriers that shape how care is delivered in many communities. SGFP is committed to ensuring these realities are reflected in our advocacy and in the solutions we push for.

Your experiences are not just feedback, they are the foundation of our advocacy. Thank you for sharing them with us. More On‑Call sessions are planned for the fall, watch for dates coming in August.

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Before I sign off, two quick reminders:

• Digital Health Survey: Thank you to everyone who has already completed the SGFP Primary Care Medical Record survey. If you haven’t had a moment yet, we would appreciate your input before June 5. Your feedback directly shapes our priorities and advocacy. Complete it here: https://insights.oma.ca/c/r/SGFP_PCMR_Survey 
• Billing Webinar: Our next Let’s Talk Billing session, with a short feature on addiction medicine, takes place June 17 from 12–1 p.m. This session is open to all practice models and all billing questions. It will be facilitated by Drs. Jonathan Bertram & Naveed Nawab. Register in advance.

Warm Regards,

Dr. Dave Barber, Chair, SGFP