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Revisions aim to support equitable access to care.
December 2024
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CPSO is consulting on a draft policy that supports equitable access to care while helping physicians effectively manage their practice.
The Accepting New Patients draft sets out considerations for physicians when accepting or refusing to accept new patients into their practice. While many elements of the current policy have been retained, some key proposed revisions include:
- Removing the expectation that physicians use a “first-come, first-served” approach to accepting patients, and instead, allowing physicians to establish scope-based criteria for accepting new patients;
- Expanding the patient populations for whom physicians can prioritize access to care to include groups such as people experiencing poverty or homelessness, older people and those living in rural or remote areas; and
- Setting out new guidance on how and when physicians can use introductory meetings (“meet and greets”).
The Advice document has been expanded to address physician and patient concerns relating to catchment areas, patients seeking second opinions, and physicians’ responsibilities when using self-managed waitlists.
Your input is important to the development of our policies. Please provide your feedback through our consultation page.