Doctors want blood. They got hit again, and no one seems to care.
The Liberals cut 4.45% this year already, with more to come. But patients have not seen a change in service.
Patients will feel the rigid cap on spending in 3-4 years, long after Premier Wynne leaves for a new social agenda.
Doctors want action, now.
Doctors’ Action Plan
Many doctors ask, What can I do?
Buried in dozens of emails, I try to share this general message:
- Be bold.
- Take action.
- Accept risk.
- Build alliances.
- Inspire others.
Be Bold
Bold does not mean angry or stupid. Bold means not fearful or hesitant in the face of possible or actual danger.
Anger and stupidity blind us to danger. Boldness steps forward with eyes open. Doctors need to know what they are stepping into. Talk to others. Listen to stories about other fights with government. Know the danger. But do not hesitate.
Take Action
We are all different. Some people write. Others talk. Doctors need to find that kind of action most suited to their identity, their character.
Some doctors write research papers for fun. For them, writing a scathing academic analysis seems like a great ‘job action’.
We cannot expect all doctors to take the same action. It would feel odd. The first action should look different than the final action. Save some cards to play later.
Action does not mean harming patients or lying in the streets. Doctors cannot strike.
Accept Risk
Failure, even the thought of failure, immobilizes most doctors.
Activism does not come with a multiple choice test at the end. You cannot plan to get an A+.
You will stumble. You will make mistakes, offend others by accident and generally cause yourself pain.
There are no perfect messages or perfect ways to attract attention. Just get as much advice as you can, then be bold and take action.
Build Alliances
We achieve more together. Political parties, rock bands, churches and social movements rarely survive as one group. They divide and sub-divide.
We do not need to agree on everything. Alliances topple regimes. We need a strong alliance (union?) to fight tyranny.
Inspire Others
Pick 1 or 2 things that really bug you. Double-check your facts. Second guess your motives. Then make your simple message public.
People love authenticity; they cannot look away.
Use your message to inspire others. Don’t bother inspiring people you do not like. Inspire those close to you, people you’d want to see anyways.
Doctors are angry. Now we need to focus. Re-check our vision. Look for advice and partnerships. Then act boldly knowing that we will not be perfect.
No one can tell you what one thing you must do. The OMA can hire lawyers and expert media firms. They need our support, but real change comes as we convince one person at a time.
We can start with those closest to us.
Do you want your care capped?
Do you support a rigid limit on how much medical care patients get?
If not, why not help us pressure the Liberals to negotiate with Ontario’s doctors?
photo credit: telegraph.co.uk
I would just like to make one suggestion if you are going to ask the public to “sign on” in an online protest. Use a program that does not insist on a lot of personal information. I believe Ontario Doctors used a good one a few months ago. I know I will not sign on (nor will many of the people I know) if we are asked for full address, phone number, etc. I wish you the best of luck in “pushing back”. It’s certainly time. And I am glad to see OMA is finally posting much more meaningful information on Facebook that patients can “chew on”. I am more than happy to share all of those posts.
Great suggestion, Valerie! Politicians need to know that caps and restrictions on the amount of care available to you will not be tolerated. But we need to make it easy to let your views be known!
Thanks for taking time to read and share!
Warm regards,
Shawn
Thanks for speaking up Shawn. We can ill afford to lose significant time with our physicians. Also wonder how the CMA can force referrals when it comes to euthanasia and assisted suicide? Where is our fundamental justice? Does it only apply to those wanting death on their own terms?
Wow, you’ve touched on a bizarre irony. On the one hand, Ontario caps the money it will spend on medical services. On the other, it insists on spending more on popular social issues. Not only that, it forces doctors to participate in them!
How much data is needed for voters to see that 100 of the smartest bureaucrats and politicians will never have as much information as 30,000 doctors?
Thanks so much for taking time to read and comment!
Best regards,
Shawn
This whole situation is unfamiliar territory for physicians who are relatively new to practice. It’s already far worse than what happened in 2012, which in itself caused enough stress and negativity. Guidance like this helps otherwise demoralized physicians, especially those of us who have felt nervous about starting to speak up to defend Ontario’s healthcare. Thank you!
Thank you, Kami! I think no one has seen anything quite this bad. I do not think the extra billing imbroglio carried a 30% cut, but I’m not certain (might need to look into it).
It will take years to get back to 2012, if we ever do.
Thanks so much for reading and taking time to comment!
Best regards,
Shawn
I think my specific assessment fee dropped about 24% in 1986 as I charged above the OMA rate for this particular fee code. Nevertheless, my income went up as after 10 years in practice I had to take a lot of days off because I did not have enough patients. Once my visits became “free” for the patients, I never booked a day off again for lack of patients.
But I have digressed. Only about 10% of billings in 1986 were above OHIP so overall impact of the current fee cuts and cap is much higher.
I knew you’d have the answer! I thought of you, Gerry, as I wrote the last response. You read my mind before I had a chance to ask you for this. Thank you! S
Hello Shawn,
Thank you for your insightful column once again. I understand the public can help us in general if they rise up (close to a provincial election). I doubt public protest (unless very overt and severe…marches, road closures, etc.) would do anything. The Liberals have a majority government and can do whatever they wish (look at the hydro fiasco and the salaries). The opposition can say what they want…the only thing that matter is the election year. Voters have very short memories and will forgive the liberals for all of this. There is only one action plan that will suffice, the legal one. There is ample evidence that the liberals are in gross violation of the charter. You cannot force someone to work and not pay what was agreed upon, remove their right to strike and not have them subject to labour laws….unless you allow binding arbitration when compensation is an issue. We are professionals that would never put our patients at risk. We are small businesses that can choose to work when we want. Family physicians can all choose the same week for vacation and send everyone to the ER if there are issues. Specialists can all resign from the hospital at the same time. This is not a strike. No one can force me to work. The issue is, physicians do not want any job action as this could potentially affect patients. As such, the charter is our only hope. I still cannot understand why the OMA rescinded the challenge in 2012 and why they haven’t brought this back. I have lost trust in them and believe there is a conflict of interest overall. There are a number of us that are considering our own charter challenges against the government without the OMA. I predict that a number of specialist and generalist groups are already assembling their arguments and it’s just a matter of time.
Great job at capturing the corner we’re in, Mark! I agree, the legal challenge seems our best option. I think we got what we could out of 2012, but it’s hard not to wonder if we could have got more had we held on longer. Most people just wanted it to go away. Your comments about vacation/furlough are sound. Done right, we could be seen as helping the government achieve their cap on medical spending in the same way that Rae days did.
Thanks so much for such a thoughtful comment. I hope it gets the attention it deserves!
Kind regards,
Shawn
Government knows exactly what they are doing, they don’t want private doctors, they want Auschwitz style doctors willing to kill their patients as what happened to my wife in washington state where DWD laws will protect them. On Sept 25, 2015 there is a summary judgement hearing in Whatcom County Superior Court, Robert Brown v. Peacehealth St. Josephs Hospital and not one group or lawyer has offered me assistance. I hope doctors realize this is not just about money, this is a complete annihilation of our freedoms. They have the bases loaded. We can’t sail off to a new land, we have to stay and fight.
Thanks for taking time to share this, Bobby. Very sorry to hear about your wife!! I sure hope we can block things going into such a depressing spot.
Sure appreciate you taking time to comment!
Best regards,
Shawn