Four million, five hundred and eighteen thousand minutes. 

That’s 75,300 hours, the estimated savings uncovered by the Joint Task Force to Reduce Administrative Burdens for Physicians, as revealed in the Task Force’s latest progress report. The improvements include eliminating start/​stop times for virtual visits, expanding access to ​“tap n go” in select hospitals to reduce the login burden, eliminating face sheets at discharge, eliminating vaccine reporting requirements, and reducing medical reassessments for EIA Disability clients.

The savings surpass the initial goal of 63,300 hours, set at 10% of the unnecessary administrative burdens for doctors in Manitoba. These savings arrive with the help of 38 organizations and departments the Task Force has met with that were identified by physicians as ​“burden owners.” 

“Our Task Force has been encouraged by the interest and support from partner organizations who own some of the unnecessary administrative burdens physicians face, including many who have been open to helping lighten the load,” said Dr. Randy Guzman, a physician member of the Task Force and the President-Elect for Doctors Manitoba. ​“This is a good start, but much more progress is needed to make meaningful reductions in the administrative time and complexity in physicians’ work.” 

In fact, Nova Scotia moved past its initial goal and is now targeting a reduction of 400,000 hours, suggesting there is far more to be done here in Manitoba. 

To that end, the Task Force has made two interim recommendations including adopting a burden reduction lens to administrative tasks involving physicians, and consulting physicians when a change will affect their administrative tasks. The Task Force has created resources to support both recommendations, including an administrative burden measurement tool and playbook with suggestions for physician engagement. 

You can read the full February 2024 Progress Report including details on burden reduction projects, both completed and under development at the Doctors Manitoba hub on reducing administrative burden. The hub is also where you will find additional information about the Task Force’s composition, consultations and deliverables. 

Earlier this year, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business recognized Manitoba and Nova Scotia for​“leading the way on reducing administrative burdens for physicians, having achieved significantly more progress than the rest of the country.”

Physicians are invited to send concerns or ideas about administrative burdens anytime to adminburden@​doctorsmanitoba.​ca.