Ontario Change Nearly Ends All Virtual Healthcare Services

Following the decisions made by the Ontario Ministry of Health and the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP)-funded virtual primary care and urgent care services will no longer be available from services including Rocket Doctor.

Image via Rocket Doctor

This year, the OMA announced the changes to the Physicians Service Agreement (PSA) that impacts the provision of virtual healthcare in Ontario.

Since December 1st, family and emergency doctors seeing a patient without an in-person visit are seeing their fees reduced by 50-65%. Similarly, pediatricians are seeing their fees cut by 75%.

As a result, Rocket Doctor is no longer be accepting appointments to see family doctors, emergency doctors, and pediatricians under OHIP.

“We do not have sufficient hours of family physicians, emergency physicians, or pediatricians to continue offering OHIP-funded services in Ontario,” said Rocket Doctor.

As a result of decisions made by @OntariosDoctors and @ONThealth, virtual care in Ontario is changing.

To find out about these changes and what we can do to save virtual care in Ontario, head to:https://t.co/xYmb2J2EbU

Sign the petition at: https://t.co/FjTuddfXhK pic.twitter.com/k8HoDa5JIt

— Rocket Doctor (@rocketdoctor) November 29, 2022

Patients without a family doctor and/or patients who are unable to be seen in person will likely no longer be able to obtain care virtually.

Rocket Doctor has, however, been working to reverse the decision of the PSA changes. To participate, you can sign the petition to gain support for virtual care from patients and doctors. Nearly 25,000 people have already signed it.

Click Here to sign the petition and share it on social media with your friends and family.