Contact Us Member Area

Search

In today’s message you will find:

Respiratory Precautions – Changes & Webinar

Earlier this week, new guidance and precautions were released for respiratory virus season, including changes to masking requirements and return-to-work guidance for health care workers. We are hosting a webinar about some of these changes (see details below). 

Mask Changes

Effective October 18, physicians and health care workers in hospitals, PCHs, and other Shared Health or RHA facilities will be required to wear a medical mask during direct interactions with patients, residents and clients. A point of care assessment will continue to guide precautions, including whether a medical mask or N95 should be used. Both options remain available. 

Masks will continue to be optional but recommended for patients and visitors at these sites, with masks available, and those who are symptomatic will continue to be asked to wear a mask for the safety of everyone. Masks will continue to be required for everyone in specific locations where care is provided to highly immunocompromised people, such as cancer units or within the transplant program. Signage will clearly indicate these requirements. 

Physicians working in a hospital or facility operated by Shared Health or an RHA, such as a PCH or Access Centre, must comply with the new masking requirements.

For independent doctors’ offices and clinics, the province and CPSM hasvemade it clear these operations will continue to assess their own risks and set their own precautions, including for masking. CPSM notes ​“the discretion to determine the use of masks in your clinic is to be made by clinics/​offices and should consider the well-being of your patients, staff, and other visitors. Entrusting this decision at the clinic level ensures your practice can adopt an approach that best serves your environment.”

Doctors Manitoba adds the following advice to clinics: In addition to considering the risks for your local patient and staff along with your clinic space and operational environment, consider your clinic reputation as well. We continue to see social media posts and receive messages from the public distraught that some clinics have relaxed masking rules, and at the other end of the spectrum, from those upset they are still being asked to wear a mask. While the worst of the pandemic is behind us, the risks from respiratory viruses and the concerns about pandemic precautions are still here. 

To assist you, please see:

We have also created new signage for clinics to print and post recommending masks to visitors during virus season. 

Shared Health has also updated their PPE resources and Infection Prevention and Control pages. 

Return to Work and Isolation

The return to universal masking in Shared Health/​RHA facilities is also triggering a change in their return to work guidance. Starting October 18, physicians and staff with respiratory illness will be able to return to work as soon as they are feeling well (fit to work) and are afebrile (no fever without fever-reducing medication). There is no requirement to test for COVID-19 unless indicated by public health, for example for immune-compromised individuals where a positive test could affect their course of treatment. 

Webinar – Respiratory Season and STBBIs

Join us on Thursday, October 26, for a special webinar on respiratory season, vaccines, testing, and precautions, as well as an STBBI update. The webinar will feature Dr. Brent Roussin, Chief Provincial Public Health Officer, and Dr. John Embil, Medical Director for Infection Prevention and Control with HSC and WRHA. We will also hear from Medical Officers of Health, including Dr. Carol Kurbis, Dr. Jazz Atwal, and Dr. Davinder Singh.

DATE: Thursday, October 26

TIME: 7:00 PM

REGISTRATION: Register here.

The webinar will include a forecast for the upcoming respiratory virus season, including COVID-19, influenza and RSV. It will also provide updates on related vaccines and testing, as well as masking and precautions. Public Health will also provide an update on STBBI surveillance and treatment. 

Ten New Tariffs for Minor Injuries and Illnesses

As of October 1, ten new tariffs are now available to support physicians treating minor injuries and illnesses in their clinic. These tariffs can help support treatment such as treatment of wounds, removal of staples/​sutures, local anesthesia or procedural sedation, and administration of Ventolin and drops, among others. Ranging in value from $15 to $75, these new tariffs are part of the general schedule, and they can be claimed along with a visit, where medically indicated, along with other supplemental tariffs such as extended hours (5530 or 5531) and the community-based practice support (8380).

The WRHA had said recently that nearly 40% of patient visits to ERs or Urgent Care could be seen in a community clinic setting. Hopefully, these tariffs enable more physicians to offer care to their patients as an alternative to emergency or urgent care. These new tariffs build on existing ones for issues such as suturing, casting, burn dressings, and foreign body removal. 

We’ve created a new billing guide here on these new Community-Based Clinical Services.

We would appreciate hearing from physicians about if and how these tariffs will impact the care they provide to Manitobans. Please send your feedback to practiceadvice@​doctorsmanitoba.​ca.

We will continue to feature more information about new tariffs in our newsletters this month. 

You’re Invited — Top 40 Party

Last week, we unveiled our Top 40 Under 40 in medicine, a truly remarkable group of early career physicians, residents and medical students. 

You are invited to help us recognize and celebrate the top 40 under 40 at a celebration event on Friday, November 3. The event will feature a short program, hors d’oeuvres, with a chance to connect with other physicians and learners. The event features DJ Jamil presented by Doctors Manitoba, a photobooth presented by Bokhaut CPA, and a fun blackjack event sponsored by MD Financial and Scotiabank. Tickets are only $50, and available here.

Our President, Dr. Michael Boroditsky, described the group as inspiring, giving him hope about the future of medicine. ​“The top 40 are a truly amazing group from our medical community who give me hope about the future of our profession and the care Manitobans will be able to count on. They share an inspirational commitment to pushing the boundaries of medicine in ways that improve patient care, develop and introduce new ways to diagnose and treat patients, and advocate for physicians’ and patients’ well-being.”

You can see the full list of our Top 40 Under 40 in Medicine here. 

Help Shape Doctors Manitoba’s Future

Our current strategic plan ends in 2024. The last four years have seen many challenges and changes in our profession, as we confronted a pandemic and under-resourced health system, negotiated a new Physician Services Agreement with government, and then saw a new government elected on a health care mandate. This is the opportune time for us to take a step back and examine who Doctors Manitoba is and how we need to grow to best serve physicians and medical learners in a changing health care environment. 

We need your help to make us the medical association you and your colleagues need today and into the future. 

We have hired an independent consultant to engage a wide range of physicians and stakeholders, to provide us with honest feedback and perspectives. This information will help us understand where we are today and what we need to do to create a focused strategy that meets the need of our membership so that you can thrive and succeed in your role, providing the best possible care to your patients.

We invite you to an engaging research workshop the evening of Thursday, November 23. To accommodate our membership province-wide we are providing the option to join in-person or virtually:

In-person

· Location: Masonic Memorial Centre, 420 Corydon Avenue (free parking available)

· Doors open and Light dinner: 5:00pm

· Workshop: 6:00 – 9:00pm

Virtual:

· Location: via Zoom

· Workshop: 6:00 – 9:00pm

Access link to be provided after registration.

You will be joined by other physicians, residents, and medical students, and Doctors Manitoba staff, and leadership. Your commitment to attending is very important to us. Participants will be working in small groups and discussing provocative questions that explore the Doctor’s Manitoba strategy from many angles and identify different paths to move forward. All information gathered will be kept confidential and anonymous. 

Registration:

Please RSVP by clicking this link and registering for the event: https://​www​.research​.net/​r​/​3​M​X9QZ5

Health Care Tops Agenda for New Government

Yesterday, Wab Kinew was officially sworn in as Manitoba’s 25th Premier and first First Nations Premier. 

His cabinet was also sworn in, including the new Minister of Health, Seniors and Long Term Care, Uzoma Asagwara. During the historic ceremony, it was made clear several times that health care is the top of their agenda.

Minister Asagwara, who served as the health critic when the governing NDP were in opposition, was also made deputy premier to reinforce the importance of health care. Before being elected in 2019 as the first non-binary MLA, they were a psychiatric nurse, addictions specialist and community advocate. 

Premier Kinew, in his remarks following the ceremony, started by emphasizing his government’s commitment to health care. 

“Our government’s first commitment to you is to fix health care in Manitoba. We were elected to staff up the health care system. We were elected to improve the culture in the work place for those who work in health care, and we were elected to bring services closer to home for you, the people of Manitoba. I want to say to those working in the health care system, we need you. To the physician who is feeling overwhelmed today… help is coming. We need you to stay on the front lines, and in the coming days our government is going to join you to do the thing that we all want, which is to deliver the best quality of health care right here in Manitoba for the people who need it.” (Watch Premier Kinew’s full remarks on health care here).

Our Doctors Manitoba team is already reaching out to the new Premier and Health Minister to offer physicians’ help to fix the health care system, making it clear that positive and constructive change can only be accomplished through collaboration with physicians and other front line providers. 

Doctors Manitoba worked months before the election to help position health care as a top issue and consulted physicians to inform recommendations for all political parties. Our Prescription for Health Care was released in August and shared with all political parties, and they each adopted different parts of our advice. The NDP, who ultimately won the election, specifically adopted some of our top recommendations, including:

  • Recruiting 400 more physicians to help bring Manitoba closer to the Canadian average for doctors per capita, including expanding training and recruitment incentives. 
  • Adding 250 providers to physician-led clinics to expand team-based care.
  • Building up hospital capacity. The NDP specifically promised 130 more inpatient beds and added surgical capacity, along with more PCH beds and home care.
  • Addressing burnout and improving retention, by​“taking care of the health care workers that care for us.”
  • Improve the determinants of good health, starting with a focus on children. The NDP plan includes increasing the healthy child prenatal benefit and looking for other interventions to reduce infant and child mortality. 
  • Modernizing electronic health records and moving away from the reliance on paper and fax

Opportunity at Doctors Manitoba

In our ongoing efforts to better serve our members, we are expanding our team! We are currently recruiting for a new position, Practice Advisor, to a rewarding role that will work closely with physicians to support their professional and economic well-being. Please help us by sharing this opportunity with your contacts, including those with experience managing a physician practice or clinic, meeting and educating physicians, or those with expertise in medical remuneration and fee-for-service claims. The Practice Advisor will be responsible for developing and delivering resources for physicians. A key focus will include engagement and education for physicians about remuneration and billing as well as making it easier to fulfill other professional obligations and responsibilities including the business side of medicine, such as successfully running a physician practice and clinic management. 

Click here for the full job description, which you can share with contacts who may be interested. The deadline to apply is November 3, 2023. 

Physician of the Week


Dr. Anne Durcan, embodies the essence of an exceptional physician. With deep family ties to healthcare, her journey through medicine has been marked by compassion and commitment. Dr. Durcan’s career is defined by collaboration and high-quality patient care. She’s particularly proud of her role in establishing the interprofessional student-run WISH Clinic, a testament to her commitment to the next generation of healthcare professionals. Dr. Durcan advocates for timely access to detox and addiction treatment, benchmarks for prompt care, and improved access to psychotherapy. She believes that continuity of care deserves more recognition for its impact on patient well-being.

→ Suggest a colleague as Physician of the Week here.

→ Read Physician of the Week feature stories.

Leadership Starts with Self-Awareness — Webinar — Thursday, October 26 from 5:30 — 6:30 pm. 

Self-awareness is one of the key components of Emotional Intelligence. Everyone has a story, and that story is fueled by our thoughts and emotions which in turn influence how we relate to ourselves, others and the world. Becoming self aware allows us to better manage ourselves, how we relate to others and show up in the world. Part of the Physician Leadership Practical Skills Series. No cost to attend. Register Now!

DRMB Book Club!

The Doctors Manitoba Physician Health and Wellness committee is excited to invite you to an opportunity for building connection and community in medicine. Join us for the third virtual meeting of the Doctors Manitoba Book Club on Monday, November 20th from 7:00pm – 8:30pm. We will be reading the Barnes & Noble Exclusive Edition ​“Yellowface” by R.F Kuang. There will also be a chance for the group to discuss the book and share thoughts. Register Here!

Call for Abstracts – Annual Scientific Assembly

As we eagerly anticipate the year ahead, the Continuing Education and Research Committee of the Manitoba College of Family Physicians (MCFP) is thrilled to bring you some exciting updates and opportunities for 2024.

Mark your calendars for April 19, 2024! This year’s Annual Scientific Assembly (ASA) will be a fully virtual event, tailor-made to address the clinical content that you’ve been asking for — precisely what family doctors need in their practices. Abstract submissions for the ASA are now open, and you’ll find the ASA Abstract Submission Form here.

ASA abstract submissions will be accepted until November 3, 2023. To submit your abstracts, kindly email them to info@​mcfp.​mb.​ca. For any questions or clarifications regarding the call for abstracts, please feel free to reach out.

We are eagerly looking forward to receiving your submissions and to a dynamic year filled with enriching experiences and valuable opportunities. Together, we will continue to elevate the practice of Family Medicine in Manitoba

ICYMI

Here are a few of our most-read recent updates, in case you missed them:

Upcoming Events

Whether you’re looking to expand your knowledge, increase your awareness, or build leadership skills, we have many sessions planned!

Women in Medicine Retreat (Nov 3 – 5, Gimli) — This retreat, focusing on wellness and professional development, is open to practicing women physicians and residents. An initiative led by Dr. Astrid Guenther, the agenda includes Cultivating Self-Compassion to Heal from Shame (3.5 CME), yoga, mindfulness, networking, and is fully catered. For more information, contact astridsantin@​gmail.​com by October 13 (limited spots available).

Other Events

Need help?