Mid-West Toronto Family Practice Network Newsletter
Summer 2025
Three Weeks in the Life of the Co-Chairs
Faye Goldman
Co-Chair
Michelle Naimer
Co-Chair
Over the past few weeks, the Mid-West Toronto Family Practice Network (MWT-FPN) has been hard at work responding to the province’s Request for Proposals for Interprofessional Primary Care Team (IPCT) Expansion. With only three weeks to prepare and with specific eligibility criteria to fulfill, it was a fast-paced and collaborative process and one we feel proud to share with you.
This call for proposal was the first in what is expected to be several calls for proposals to address the province’s Primary Care Action Team’s goal of attaching all Ontario residents to a primary care clinician. The proposals had to be coordinated through the Mid-West Toronto Ontario Health Team (MWT-OHT) and endorsed by the MWT-FPN.
For this initial request, we were tasked with developing a funding proposal focused on four key postal codes in our region, (identified by the province), based on high unattached patient rates, with the focus on increasing team-based care with a firm commitment to be up and running as of this July and to attach patients over the next two years.
From the outset, our goal was clear: submit a proposal that would benefit all our members—particularly solo and small group community-based practices without access to team or administrative support. A number of concerns were raised regarding this initial call for proposal and we looked for creative ways to address these concerns.
Most significantly, this proposal excluded the majority of family physicians who work in Fee-for-Service (FFS) or Family Health Organization (FHO) models. Although new team creation was possible in the wording of the proposal, the administrative complexity and short timeline to implementation excluded this option. Additionally, we know that team-based and administrative help are necessary to support our community primary care clinicians in their care of their current patient practice in order to strengthen the resilience of the backbone of our healthcare system and to prevent the de-attachment of many thousands of patients if a primary care practice decided they could no longer manage with the current level of resources.
We are proud to say that we had the full support of the MWT-OHT and its many MWT partners (CHCs, FHTs and other community organizations) in acknowledging these concerns and endorsing the underlying principle that the supports requested for the expansion of existing teams (both administrative and clinical supports, including the MWT-developed concierge role) would also be available and benefit community primary care practices to bolster the care of their current patient roster and to support additional patient attachment where possible.
During this process, the MWT-FPN reached out to you, our members, to keep you informed and to ask for feedback and interest in participation. We were encouraged by the level of engagement from our members who reached out to us interested in being involved in this current proposal.
We heard from a number of clinics who were eager to accept new patients. Some were hiring new physicians while others were expanding the roster size of current physicians returning from maternity leave and other leaves. Others expressed interest in taking on small numbers of patients if additional support—especially help with onboarding new patients and additional team-based care—were available.
During this process, we met with a number of our members through one-to-one meetings and learned from each of you. And along with the recent Primary Care Census and our MWT Strategic Planning exercise currently underway, we look to further deepen our connection and engagement with you, our members, in order to better understand the needs of family practices in our region and to support you in your ability to continue to provide excellent care to your patients.
The final proposal that was submitted (actually 3 separate proposals to address the 4 high priority postal codes) included:
an expanded inter-professional team available to community family practices.
patient concierge roles to provide administrative and clinical support in order to ease the burden of onboarding new patients to community practices.
expansions of existing FHTs and CHCs.
The submission of the proposal was made possible by the outstanding efforts of the MWT-OHT Secretariat. They played a central role in this effort—arranging meetings and huddles, coordinating contributions, estimating budgets, compiling and crafting the proposals, all the while ensuring full collaboration at each step of the process.
Now that the proposal has been submitted, we have had a moment to pause and reflect. Regardless of the outcome, we feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment. This process showed us what is possible when we collaborate—not just within the FPN or the OHT, but across the entire local primary care landscape.
We rallied around shared values: equitable access, integrated care, and sustainable support for family practices. And while we await news of the funding decision, we remain committed to this work—knowing that future opportunities will arise and that we will be better prepared than ever to respond. Thank you to everyone who contributed their time, insight, and energy on the IPCT proposal.
We hope to see you on June 10th at the AGM so we can hear your feedback around our strategic plan, elect our newest Board members, and have a chance to connect with one another.
Michelle Naimer and Faye Goldman
Co-Chairs, Mid-West Toronto Family Practice Network
Events
Join Us for the MWT-FPN Annual General Meeting – June 10 (In Person)
Tuesday, June 10, 2025
5:30 – 9:00 PM
The Faculty Club, 41 Willcocks Street
You're invited to the MWT-FPN Annual General Meeting — an evening to connect with colleagues, hear updates on our work, and help shape the year ahead.
We'll kick things off with drinks and appetizers on the patio, followed by a brief presentation on what we’ve been working on this past year and how we’ve been advocating on behalf of our members.
The evening will feature a presentation by Sonja Nerad, our strategic planning consultant, who will walk us through the draft of the MWT-FPN’s three-year strategic plan. We’d love your feedback and input as we finalize it.
Finally, members will vote to approve the 2025–2026 Budget and Board of Directors slate. We will be recommending the following new directors to the board: Vibhuti Gupta, (Bloom Clinic, FHO), Adriana Di Stefano (Parkdale Queen West, CHC) and Dara Maker (Women’s College Hospital, FHT). If you are unable to attend, we would encourage you to participate in the vote for the Board slate and the Audited Financial Statements through assigning a proxy to vote on your behalf. Click here to complete the proxy form by June 8th.
Please RSVP to Melanie Yang at myang@kensingtonhealth.org by May 30, 2025.
We hope to see you there!
eConsult
Reminder for Accuro EMR Users:
The Accuro EMR integration for sending eConsults was discontinued on February 28, 2025. You can continue to access specialist advice using the Ocean-based eConsult integration, which allows you to submit eConsults using the same familiar workflow as Ocean eReferral.
If you are already using Ocean eReferral, your Accuro EMR is likely integrated with Ocean, enabling you to:
Seamlessly initiate eConsults
Automatically populate key data fields
Include relevant attachments
Watch this short video to learn more
New Specialist Group Now Accepting eConsults:
Unify Health, a multidisciplinary clinic in East York, Toronto, is now accepting eConsults on OTNhub for cardiology related issues only. Their team of general cardiologists and cardiac electrophysiologists provides advice on both general cardiology concerns and cardiac arrhythmias, or in-person referrals for more complex cases.
Not sure who to ask your eReferral or eConsult questions to?
Visit digitalhealthdesk.ca for support with adopting provincially-funded digital health tools.
Thank you to all the clinics who participated in OAB this year. Clinics will be contacted and reimbursements for 2024–25 will be issued shortly at the beginning of June. While funding for next year is likely, it is not yet confirmed by Ontario Health. Stay tuned!
AI Scribe Licenses Available for Primary Care Clinicians
Canada Health Infoway is launching a new AI Scribe Program to help reduce documentation time and administrative burden for primary care providers—freeing up more time for direct patient care.
Through this program, up to 10,000 eligible clinicians across Canada will receive a funded one-year license for an approved AI scribe tool.
Infoway is working with each province and territory to tailor the program to local needs, so availability and enrollment processes may vary by region.
Enrolment is set to open for Ontario Primary Care Clinicians on June 10th.
Want to stay informed? Sign up to receive updates from Canada Health Infoway and be notified when enrollment opens in Ontario.
OntarioMD Digital Health Conference: Sept 18–19, 2025
Registration is now open for OntarioMD’s Digital Health Conference, taking place September 18–19 at the Toronto Congress Centre.
This in-person event will explore the latest in digital tools for community practice, including:
AI scribes and clinical documentation tools
Ontario’s new AI Scribe Program
EMR optimization, smart coding, and data-informed care
Hands-on insights for family doctors, specialists, and interprofessional teams
Register at the early bird rate before August 8th.
For more information or questions, contact dfcm.commsasst@utoronto.ca
Digital Update
What's New with eReferral and eConsult
eReferral
The Toronto Region Deployment Team continues to support existing Ocean eReferral users in Mid-West Toronto. Visit digitalhealthdesk.ca to request free re-engagement support or refresher training for your team!
New eReferral Site Now Live:
Toronto ABI Network now accepts eReferrals, making it easier to access acquired brain injury (ABI) services, including outpatient rehab, clinics, and community programs.
Directory Listing Updates:
Ocean has introduced several enhancements to the Directory Listings interface designed to make managing listings easier:
A modernized interface for managing and configuring listings
Smarter settings visibility — options to show or hide automatically based on the listing
Improved searchable dropdowns to quickly find and select user or site preferences
Clearer indication of whether a listing represents an individual provider or a group
Online Appointment Booking (OAB)
MWT FPN Primary Care/Specialist Collaborative – 2024–2025 Highlights
The Primary Care/Specialist Collaborative, supported by the Mid-West Toronto Family Practice Network and the Mid-West Toronto Ontario Health Team, is a dynamic group of family physicians, specialists, and patient partners working together to improve connection and collaboration between primary care and specialist care
In 2024–2025, the Collaborative focused on three critical priorities:
Improving referral-consultation processes
Expanding access to specialist care
Advancing centralized intake systems
Key highlights from the past year include:
A successful June 2024 event engaging providers in system-wide solutions
Defining 17 essential elements of a high-quality electronic consult note
A city-wide survey on neurology referrals to improve triage and transparency
New CME partnerships with CAMH and a co-managed mental health clinic in development
A pilot chronic disease consultation model with Women’s College Hospital
An in-depth scan of centralized intake models to reduce wait times
Missed the Update to the Management of Mood Disorder Event? You can catch the full session recording here.
What mental health topics would you like to see our CAMH colleagues feature next? Let us know by filling out this quick feedback form.
Together, we are building more connected, responsive care for patients across Mid-West Toronto.
MWT FPN Primary Care/Specialist Collaborative Full Report
The Primary Care/Specialist Collaborative is a focused initiative that includes six family doctors, six specialists, and three patient representatives who are committed to addressing recommendations from both our sectors to transform the way we work together. The Collaborative’s mission is to improve the coordination and communication between primary and secondary specialist care. The Collaborative is a key program supported by your Mid-West Toronto Family Practice Network and Mid-West Toronto Ontario Health Team.
Over the past year, the MWT FPN Primary Care/Specialist Collaborative has made significant strides toward achieving its mission in improving coordination and communication between primary and specialist care. All initiatives of the Collaborative fall under three priority areas:
Referral-Consultation Processes
Access to Specialist Care
Centralized Referral and Intake Systems
The initiatives described below are select achievements from the past year:
Strengthening Interprofessional Collaboration: In partnership with the Mid-West OHT, the Collaborative hosted a well-attended virtual event in June 2024 “Transforming the Way We Work Together” that brought together primary care providers and specialists. Keynote speakers emphasized the urgency of better-integrated care. Presentations showcased leading practices in referral-consultation processes, highlighted centralized referral models, and promoted innovations such as the UHN Primary Care Program and eConsult tools.
Improving the Quality of Consultation Notes: Recognizing growing concerns around the utility of consultation notes in digital systems, the Collaborative led a consensus-building meeting to define the essential content and structure of a high-quality electronic consult note. Physicians and learners agreed on 17 core elements, and feedback from patient partners added important perspectives. This work will inform system-level improvements to ensure notes are clear, concise, and actionable.
Streamlining Neurology Referrals: To address challenges in navigating neurology referrals, the Collaborative conducted a city-wide survey and interviews across hospital-based clinics. Findings revealed common reasons for referral rejections and reinforced the appropriateness of most referrals. The Collaborative is now working with neurologists to clarify subspecialty pathways, improve triage transparency, and reduce administrative burden.
Expanding Mental Health Support in Primary Care: In response to the increasing complexity of mental health care in primary care settings, the Collaborative partnered with CAMH to deliver the first in a series of CME sessions on managing mood disorders, attracting over 200 interested care providers. This partnership has also led to the establishment of a new co-management mental health clinic at CAMH to support patients with complex needs, set to launch later in 2025.
Expanding co-managed care for people with chronic conditions: In response to Mid-West primary care feedback that practitioners would benefit from more focused specialist support for their patients with chronic conditions, the Collaborative partnered with Dr. Tara O’Brien, Medical Director at the Acute Ambulatory Care Unit at Women’s College Hospital, to pilot a consultation model, starting with a smaller group of SCOPE family physicians, that would address unresolved issues for patients with select chronic conditions.
Advancing Centralized Referral and Intake Systems: The Collaborative completed a literature review and environmental scan exploring centralized intake systems as a strategy to improve access and reduce wait times. The resulting captures key benefits, implementation challenges, and lessons learned. It will be used to guide discussions among health system leaders and specialty groups across the Greater Toronto Area.
These achievements reflect the Collaborative’s commitment to meaningful, system-wide improvements in care delivery. All efforts are made possible through donor funding and strong partnerships with clinicians, patient representatives, and health system leaders.
Resources for You
Planning Summer Vacation? Post on the DFCM Locum Job Board
If you're thinking about taking time off this summer, consider posting your opportunity on the Department of Family & Community Medicine (DFCM) locum job board.
Learn about locum posting requirements here.
Submit your locum opportunity here.
View current locum postings here.
Questions? Contact dfcm.commsasst@utoronto.ca