Chair's Report - Winter 2025

Dear colleagues,

As we approach the end of 2025, I’m proud to reflect on how far we’ve come as a section and how much we’ve accomplished together. The past few months have brought significant advocacy milestones, renewed engagement from our members, and growing alignment with our partners at the OMA and our government.

Before diving into a full review of the past year, I want to remind everyone that elections for OA executives are now open. I encourage each of you to consider putting your name forward or supporting a colleague to apply. Your participation and leadership are essential to shaping the direction of our section and strengthening our collective voice. Please complete the constituency group leader form before Dec. 17, 2025, 5 p.m. ET.

Strengthening the Future of Anesthesia Care in Ontario
We are pleased to share that as exemplified in the successful arbitration earlier this year, anesthesiology remains a clearly defined provincial priority within Ontario’s ongoing physician services planning. The arbitration award’s $60 million investment in in-hospital anesthesia stabilization represents a significant milestone, one that underscores the OMA’s advocacy and the Negotiations Task Force (NTF)’s unwavering commitment to addressing our specialty’s critical workforce challenges.

We extend our sincere gratitude to the OMA and the NTF for their leadership, engagement, and steadfast support. Their recognition of anesthesia’s central role in ensuring safe and timely surgical care has been instrumental in achieving this success.

At the same time, the OA executive continues to raise awareness of the province-wide anesthesia health human resources crisis. From academic hospitals to large community, rural, and northern sites, departments across Ontario are grappling with critical recruitment and retention challenges, jeopardizing safe call coverage and timely surgical access.

To help address these pressures, we have been informed that the Ministry of Health has formally acknowledged and committed to establishing the MOH–OMA Bilateral Committee on team-based anesthesia care (TBAC). The Ministry is in the process of identifying representatives to begin structured discussions on sustainable, anesthesiologist-led care models that can stabilize and strengthen access across the province.

While the committee’s role is advisory and the April 1, 2026 implementation target remains aspirational, its formation marks a meaningful step forward. We are optimistic that this collaboration will help operationalize the sessional stipend and advance the broader implementation of TBAC, which is a key strategy to sustain high-quality anesthesia services for Ontario’s growing population.

Our message remains clear: Ontario’s anesthesiologists are ready to lead the change, but implementation must match the urgency of the crisis.

Targeted Investments Overview
These investments reflect the province’s ongoing commitment to addressing critical health system needs and supporting hospital-based care delivery.

In addition to investments in anesthesia to strengthen coverage and access to timely care, other key areas of focus include $88.6 million for emergency medicine, $120 million for new and expanding Alternate Payment Plans (APPs). Further details can be found in the tariff update you received at the end of November.

Together, these targeted investments signal a collaborative effort between the OMA and MOH to enhance physician stability, improve patient access, and ensure that hospital and community-based services remain sustainable for years to come.

Member Engagement and Professional Dialogue
Our members have remained deeply engaged through ongoing dialogue and collaboration this year. The 70th annual Ontario Anesthesia Meeting, held this past September in Ottawa, was a resounding success, drawing clinicians, educators, and leaders from across the province. Discussions on TBAC, workforce data, and system reform were among the most well-received in recent memory. A particular highlight was the Chiefs’ Luncheon, where department heads shared innovative staffing strategies and candid reflections on the challenges and opportunities of implementing TBAC to help address current workforce shortages.

Building on that momentum, in October, we hosted our first virtual town hall on the design of ACT 2025. This live, interactive forum engaged members in shaping Ontario’s future approach to anesthesia care delivery. The event featured insightful presentations from Drs. Sylvie Aucoin, Colin McCartney, and David Neilipovitz, who explored Ontario’s own data on safety and implementation, lessons learnt from other jurisdictions, workforce projections, and policy implications of ACT 2025. The section was pleased to see the strong participation this session generated, with over 80 attendees engaging in thoughtful discussion, posing questions, and offering constructive input on model design and implementation.

That dialogue was thoughtful and forward-looking, underscoring that the anesthesia care team is never an individual achievement; it is, and has always been, a team sport. Member feedback reinforced strong support for anesthesiologist-led, team-based models that prioritize safety, sustainability, and innovation in meeting Ontario’s growing surgical and procedural care needs.

Leadership Renewal and OMA Elections
The current slate of OA executives has done an outstanding job representing our members and advancing the interests of Ontario’s anesthesiologists. They have made this progress possible and made this work deeply meaningful. I truly could not have done it alone; my deepest thanks go to each of our executive members, both individually and collectively, for your wisdom, dedication, and tireless work:

• Dr. Sylvie Aucoin – Vice-chair

• Dr. Rohit Kumar – Past Chair

• Dr. Eric Goldszmidt – Tariff Lead

• Dr. Emily Chan – Secretary

• Dr. Soniya Sharma – Treasurer

• Dr. Jason Taam – Member-at-large

• Dr. Sarah McIsaac – Member-at-large

• Dr. Daniel Cordovani – Member-at-large

• Dr. Stuart McCluskey – Member-at-large

As I highlighted earlier, nominations for the next executive cycle are currently open until Dec. 17. We are seeking nominations for the positions of chair, secretary, treasurer, and three members-at-large. All roles are for two years, with new terms beginning in May 2026.

If you are passionate about advocacy, system leadership, and shaping the future of anesthesiology in Ontario, I encourage you to consider stepping forward. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to any member of the current executive for more information or to discuss the roles in greater detail. Your engagement ensures that our section continues to thrive, evolve, and reflect the incredible diversity and strength of our community.

A Way Forward
As we navigate this critical juncture for our profession, our section remains steadfast in leading meaningful change with a shared focus on safety, sustainability, and equitable access to anesthesia care across Ontario. Ongoing engagement and dialogue with the OMA, our partners, and the public through social media have reinforced the importance of balancing system accountability with predictable, physician-led workforce planning. We have been reassured that implementation planning remains on track for April 1, 2026, with key initiatives progressing as envisioned. The OA executive will continue working closely alongside the NTF and OMA leadership to ensure this momentum results in tangible, timely, and positive impact for both our members and the patients we care for.

As always, our advocacy priorities continue to center on fair compensation, sustainable staffing models, and protecting safe access to care for Ontario’s evolving patient population. We are deeply grateful for the continued support, participation, and insights from our membership. Your engagement is the foundation of our section’s strength, credibility, and ability to influence system-level progress.

Thank you for being part of this journey, for leaning into change with thoughtfulness and collaboration, and for your unwavering commitment to patients and our profession.

Sincerely yours,

Cindy Wang
Chair, Ontario’s Anesthesiologists, A Section of the OMA

Chair's Report - Spring 2025

Dear Colleagues,

It’s hard to believe but we’re already well into 2025, a year that seems to be flying by. Your executive has been busy advocating for us and our profession and working to build a section that allows our members to thrive. Below are a few key highlights of the past few months.
 
Funding Updates

Recently, the Negotiations Task Force (NTF) announced two confirmed targeted investments, including additional funding for Emergency Medicine and Northern Ontario physicians. While these investments are encouraging and reflect growing recognition of urgent system needs, our anesthesia proposals to address our critical anesthesiologist shortage need to remain a top priority. We reiterated this to them in a formal letter submitted to the OMA CEO and the NTF on May 23, 2025. We will continue to stay actively engaged to ensure that anesthesiology remains at the forefront of the province’s health human resources planning and that further funding decisions reflect the urgency of our specialty’s needs.

Governance Updates

Two New Executives
I’m absolutely delighted to welcome two exceptional leaders to our executive team! Back in February, Dr. Sylvie Aucoin was acclaimed as our new Vice-Chair, and Dr. Jason Taam was elected as a Member-at-Large. While their terms formally began on May 2, they hit the ground running and have been actively collaborating with the executive since day minus one hundred. Their energy, insight, and commitment will have a meaningful impact, and I couldn’t be more excited to have them at the table.

Dr. Sylvie Aucoin brings a wealth of experience as an anesthesiologist based in Ottawa. She has been a long-standing leader in both academic and clinical anesthesia, and her passion for system improvement and mentorship shines through in everything she does. Sylvie has emerged as a leading voice in shaping the future of anesthesiology in Canada. Last year she delivered a national presentation at the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society (CAS) Annual Meeting’s closing ceremony on the timely and evolving topic of “Task Shifting and Task Sharing in Evolving Canadian Anesthesiology Care.” This thought-provoking presentation is helping to inform and inspire how we approach workforce sustainability and innovation across the country. Her leadership and forward-thinking approach are a tremendous asset to our section.

Dr. Jason Taam is a Toronto-based anesthesiologist who brings valuable experience from both academic and community hospital settings. His interests include perioperative care, physician wellness, and advancing strategic workforce solutions. Jason is known for his thoughtful, balanced leadership style and his ability to foster productive dialogue across diverse perspectives. His contributions to our executive have already strengthened our work and our capacity to deliver value to members.

Please join me in giving Sylvie and Jason a warm and enthusiastic welcome. We’re incredibly fortunate to have such talented, passionate individuals helping lead our profession forward!

OMA AGM and Priority and Leadership Meeting
On May 1, the OMA held its Annual General Meeting, a celebration of leadership, progress, and the collective voice of Ontario physicians. At the meeting, which I had the privilege of attending, we expressed our sincere gratitude to Dr. Dominik Nowak, the outgoing OMA President, for his thoughtful and steadfast leadership. During his tenure, Dr. Nowak took a personal interest in the HHR challenges facing anesthesiology and offered his support for our ongoing advocacy around Team-Based Anesthesia Care. His willingness to engage with our section and amplify the urgency of our message at the provincial level did not go unnoticed, and we thank him sincerely for standing with us.

We also enthusiastically welcomed Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman as the new OMA President for 2025–26. A pediatric allergist from the GTA, Dr. Abdurrahman brings passion, fresh energy, and a strong focus on equity and system transformation, values that deeply resonate with our specialty. We look forward to building a strong working relationship with her and continuing our collaboration with the OMA under her leadership, especially as we push forward with solutions to Ontario’s anesthesia care access crisis.

The 2025 AGM was a powerful reminder of what’s possible when specialties unite around shared priorities. Ontario’s Anesthesiologists is proud to contribute to this collective momentum, elevating urgent conversations around workforce sustainability, innovative models like Team-Based Anesthesia Care (TBAC), and the need to modernize compensation frameworks to reflect today’s realities. TBAC, our updated model based on the original Anesthesia Care Team (ACT) pilot from the early 2000s, empowers anesthesiologists to lead multidisciplinary teams with trained health-care professionals, such as anesthesia assistants to increase surgical capacity safely. At the AGM, I had the opportunity to speak directly with current and incoming OMA board members and leadership to spotlight the deepening anesthesia shortages across Ontario from teaching hospitals to rural and remote communities, and to share first-hand stories from our members on the front lines. Overall, the AGM was a meaningful chance to express the pressures our members experience every day, and to celebrate the inauguration of Dr. Abdurrahman.

In late May 2025, some of your OA executives attended the OMA’s Priority and Leadership Group meeting. This biannual meeting brings together physician leaders from across the province to receive updates from and question the OMA senior leadership, and to collaborate on advancing key issues and priorities for the association.

Your executives attend to ensure that our collective voices are represented in the room, ensuring our specialty’s unique challenges and perspectives, particularly around workforce shortages, sustainable care models, and relativity, remain part of the broader leadership conversation. It was an opportunity to connect directly with colleagues from all corners of the system and reinforce the importance of maintaining anesthesia as a visible advocacy priority. The energy and collaboration in the room were a reminder of the strength we have when specialties work together toward shared goals.

Member Services
Let’s shift gears for a moment and celebrate you, our amazing members!

First off, a huge thank-you to everyone who has already paid their voluntary section dues. Your support fuels everything we do. It’s what allows Ontario’s Anesthesiologists to speak up for you at the Ministry, at the OMA, and across the province. Every dollar goes right back into advocating for our specialty and elevating our profession.

If you haven’t had a chance to pay yet, no worries! You can do it anytime through your OMA account. And as a bonus, paid members enjoy 20% off registration for the Ontario Anesthesia Meeting. That’s a sweet deal and a great reason to get involved.

We’re also thrilled to share that our Leadership Development Grant Program has been refreshed and is now open for applications! If you’ve been thinking about stepping into a leadership role or just want to build your skills, this is a great way to get started. Applications are open until September 5, and we’d love to see your name in the mix.

Finally, let’s celebrate a few of the incredible folks in our community:

• Dr. Connor Brenna received the 2024 Resident Award at our virtual Transition-to-Practice event on November 8.

• Dr. Natalie Clavel was featured in December’s Member Spotlight.

• Dr. Jonathan Hooper was featured in January’s blog post.

• Dr. Viren Naik was featured in our new blog series on anesthesia human resources.

• Dr. Peter Menikefs was featured in our April Member Spotlight.

• Dr. Jason Taam was featured in our May Member Spotlight.

• Dr. Barbara Bertram was featured in our latest AHR blog post.

If you are active on social media, we encourage you to engage with our posts, including sharing them in your feed. Your stories, your impact, your leadership, it all matters. And we’re so proud to have each of you as part of our vibrant and growing community.

OAM Updates
Thank you to everyone who completed our survey on the future of the OAM. Your insights are helping to shape how we design and deliver a compelling 2026 experience.

But first—mark your calendars! Planning for the 2025 OAM is well underway, and we’re excited to invite you to the 70th edition of this leading academic gathering for anesthesiologists across the province. This year’s program promises dynamic discussions and hands-on learning, including plenary sessions:

- Dr. Mary Hanna (The Ottawa Hospital): Mass Casualties Triage from Urban to Remote: What You Need to Know + a Mock Code Orange Simulation

- Dr. Andrew Healey (St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton): The Gift Begins Here – From Death Determination to Organ Recovery

We are also bringing back the Top 5 Anesthesia Papers of the year and offering practical management pearls such as delirium prevention, insulin management and so much more. We hope to see you for another unforgettable meeting that blends clinical excellence, system leadership, and peer connection.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Tammy Byford and Dr. Sarah McIsaac for their outstanding leadership as the Chair and Academic Chair of the Ontario Anesthesiologists’ Meeting for the past five and two years respectively. Their dedication, insight, and vision have been instrumental in elevating the academic and organizational quality of the meeting, and we are deeply grateful for their contributions.

As their terms conclude, we are now seeking new, engaged members who are passionate about education, advocacy, and collaboration to take on these key leadership roles. If you're interested in shaping the future of OAM and building on the strong foundation they’ve laid, we welcome you to consider putting your name forward. Feel free to reach out to myself or any of our executives.
 
Advocacy & Stakeholder Relations Updates
 
I’m pleased to share some encouraging updates from your section as we continue to champion the expansion of Team-Based Anesthesia Care, also known as TBAC, across Ontario.

Working in partnership with the OMA, we’re gaining traction and there is clear momentum and alignment building. We truly believe we’re at a critical inflection point.

During last November’s Queen’s Park Day, we met directly with MPPs and emphasized the need for targeted investments in TBAC models to address the anesthesia workforce gap and improve access to care. I’m pleased to report that our message was well received, and several MPPs expressed a willingness to support and facilitate ongoing discussions on sustainable workforce solutions.

Our advocacy has also reached the highest levels. We had a very constructive meeting with Minister of Health, Sylvia Jones, where we discussed how TBAC can play a transformative role in expanding care capacity and ensuring timely access to surgical and procedural services. The Ministry committed to reviewing our joint TBAC proposal, which was submitted in collaboration with the OMA and supported by its analytics and economic experts, with further consultations planned. This is a significant step forward.

We also initiated key conversations with Ontario Health. We met directly with Dr. Christopher Simpson and Judy Linton, both are Executive Vice-Presidents and Chief Medical Executives at Ontario Health. We subsequently opened dialogue with Matt Anderson, President and CEO of Ontario Health. These engagements focused on integrating TBAC into the broader provincial health strategy, and we are optimistic about future collaboration to support province-wide implementation.

On the academic side, Dr. Aucoin and I have joined the Toronto Academic Health Science Network workforce planning committee as your Ontario’s Anesthesiologists liaisons. Encouragingly, Toronto’s academic hospitals are beginning to align on a more coordinated approach to TBAC, which bodes well for training, leadership, and system readiness.

We were proud to see our efforts highlighted during the recent OMA Town Hall, featuring the OMA and CMA presidents, an indication that our work is gaining broader recognition and support.

Thank you to all the department chiefs and clinical leaders who took the time to complete our recent HHR survey. Your engagement is not only appreciated, it is essential. The insights you’ve provided continue to shape our advocacy and form the foundation of our proposals, whether to the OMA or MOH.

Most importantly, your active engagement is deeply valued by our counterparts at both the OMA and the MOH. It sends a powerful message: Ontario’s Anesthesiologists are united, engaged, and solution-focused. This cohesion helps us gain traction in collaborative discussions and ensures our specialty remains top-of-mind in broader system planning. Together, we are helping define the future of anesthesia care in Ontario; one that is better resourced, more innovative, and built on the collective strength of your voices.

 Environmental Sustainability Working Group Update

Our ESWG members continue educating anesthesia departments on the benefits of ditching the des, nixing the nitrous and greening ORs. A few of their other activities:
 

- Dr. Anita Rao, our ESWG Lead, presented as part of the “Climate Rounds: Desflurane Needs to Des-appear” webinar hosted by the Canadian Medical Association and Choosing Wisely Canada.

- Dr. Rao and ESWG member Mike Apostol presented a Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care webinar, “Rethinking Nitrous Oxide in Health Care: An Environmental and Economic Initiative.”

-  In an abstract titled, “IPAC and Anesthesiology: Collaborating for Sustainability”, which was co-authored by Madeleine Ashcroft and Drs. Melissa Ho, Lisa Hutchinson and David Ohrling and accepted as a poster at IPAC Canada’s conference, it was highlighted that initial discussions with ESWG members Drs. Ohrling, Ho and Hutchinson, “sparked much-needed focus on sustainability in IPAC, leading to the development of IPAC Canada’s position statement on environmental stewardship, sustainability, and planetary health related to IPAC, and paved the way for collaboration on additional sustainability applications. Creation of a guidance document to reduce the vast amount of plastic waste from anesthetic circuit tubing was the first such example.” IPAC’s Position Statement on Environmental Stewardship, Sustainability, and Planetary Health Related to IPAC has been finalized and may be distributed to your IPAC team and colleagues.
 

Looking Ahead: Consider Getting Involved

While nominations for executive roles are not open until November, we invite all members who are passionate about advocacy, leadership, and the future of our specialty to start thinking about how they might contribute. Whether you’re interested in helping shape system-wide solutions like Team-Based Anesthesia Care (TBAC), amplifying physician voices, or supporting the sustainability of anesthesia services across Ontario, your engagement matters.

Our section thrives on the insight and experience of anesthesiologists from all practice types and regions. If you're curious about how to get involved, now is a great time to reach out, learn more about the work of the executive, and consider where your unique perspective can add value. Together, we can continue to elevate the profile of our profession and build a strong future for anesthesia in Ontario.

Before closing, I want to sincerely thank each and every one of you for your unwavering dedication and hard work. I know this continues to be a demanding time for all of us, and I want you to know that your Ontario’s Anesthesiologists executive team is fully committed to supporting you. We are focused on making sure you have what you need to thrive, today and into the future.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or any member of the executive team if you have questions, ideas, or simply need support. We are here for you.

Wishing each of you a restful and joyful summer, you’ve certainly earned it.

Sincerely,
Dr. Cindy Wang
Chair, Ontario's Anesthesiologists, A Section of the Ontario Medical Association

Chair's Report - Fall 2024

Dear colleagues,

Now that we are into the final quarter of 2024, I want to share a comprehensive update on some key developments, achievements, and ongoing initiatives that are shaping our field and our organization’s advocacy efforts. For details regarding the newly arbitrated year 1 award and other important economics that affect our specialties, stay tuned for our relentless Dr. Goldszmidt’s tariff report to come mid-November.

Recent Advocacy Efforts Following Year 1 Award
Ontario’s Anesthesiologists, on behalf of all anesthesiologists of Ontario, submitted a formal letter to Dr. Cathy Faulds and the OMA Board emphasizing the urgent need for targeted investments in anesthesiology, especially given the current human resource shortages impacting surgical services across Ontario. Our letter highlighted the importance of non-relativity-based increases, support for Anesthesia Care Teams, and the need for fair compensation adjustments to improve recruitment and retention. Dr. Faulds acknowledged the seriousness of these issues, and we followed up with data to further reinforce our position and ensure that the unique challenges faced by anesthesiologists are prioritized during the decision-making process regarding how to implement the year 1 award. This was further discussed during the chair’s update at our Ontario Anesthesia Meeting. Following her address to our members, several members and executives were able to advocate further to her on this matter.

We remain committed to ensuring that anesthesiologists receive the necessary support to address the current staffing shortages and workload pressures, and we encourage all members to stay involved as these advocacy efforts progress.

Anesthesiology and Human Resources Shortage
The shortage of anesthesia human resources in Ontario is a pressing issue that profoundly affects patient care and surgical capacity. As the demand for anesthesia services continues to rise, our advocacy efforts have never been more crucial. Through our ongoing advocacy with patients, the OMA, MOH and the government, this concern has become a top priority, prominently featured in OMA’s “Stop the Crisis” campaign. This focus was reinforced during the recent priority and advocacy training for OMA physician delegates at Queen’s Park Day.

Ahead of the latest round of mediation on implementation of the year 1 PSA award, we launched an email campaign encouraging our members to advocate directly to their local MPPs for increased investment in anesthesia human resources. This campaign is vital in ensuring that our elected representatives understand the challenges facing our specialty and how they impact patient care across the province. These also build the foundation to allow for fruitful discussions that our executives have had and will continue to have as they engage with MPPs. So far, 61 emails have been sent to MPPs, the Premier and Minister of Health. Thank you to everyone who has already participated; your efforts are making a difference! For those who haven’t yet sent their message, there’s still time! You can easily send an email to your MPP using the link provided in the OMA-issued email sent on October 9. You can also access the letter directly on our website. I encourage everyone to not only send the letter but to share the link with your colleagues, friends, and family members. The more voices that reach MPPs, the more likely we are to create impactful change.

Our advocacy initiatives have taken many forms, including direct discussions with key decision-makers, collaboration with fellow physicians, and public awareness campaigns via social media to educate the community about the critical state of our sector. By actively engaging with policymakers, we strive to ensure that the perspectives and needs of anesthesiologists are acknowledged and that meaningful actions are implemented to tackle this escalating challenge within our healthcare system.

The Role of Anesthesia Care Teams (ACTs)
Another of our key advocacy focuses is the expansion of Anesthesia Care Teams. The ACT model is designed to extend the care that anesthesiologists can provide by allowing them to oversee and lead a team of highly skilled anesthesia assistants. This structure enables anesthesiologists to triage patients more effectively, focusing on those with the most urgent needs while maintaining high standards of care throughout the surgical process. By increasing the availability of ACTs, we can significantly improve access to anesthesia services, especially in underserved areas where recruiting anesthesiologists has been challenging. This approach helps to reduce surgical wait times, enhances patient safety and outcomes, and contributes to greater job satisfaction for our colleagues.

With the OMA placing significant emphasis on the anesthesia human resources shortage and recognizing the important work done by our OA executives and members to find sustainable solutions, we were able to engage in a meeting with Health Minister Sylvia Jones at the OMA’s October 21 Queen's Park Day. Along with senior OMA leadership including CEO Kim Moran, President Dr. Dominik Nowak, EVP for Advocacy, Communications and Marketing, Craig DuHamel, and General Counsel, Interim EVP Economics, Policy & Research, Adam Farber, I presented our ACT plan, underscoring the urgent need for investments in anesthesia resources. During the conversation, we highlighted the significant impact that the ongoing anesthesiology shortages have on surgical wait times and overall hospital efficiency. We advocated for strategic investments in anesthesia care teams, emphasizing the role they can play in improving OR throughput and patient care in high-demand areas such as obstetrics and trauma care. Minister Jones expressed genuine interest in addressing the issue, applauded our thoughtful solution-oriented approach and committed to exploring further discussions on the data from previous pilot programs. This meeting marks a promising step forward in addressing our specialty's critical needs.

Our recent participation in the OMA’s Queen's Park Day emphasized the critical role ACTs play in addressing the healthcare challenges facing our province. During this event, myself along with OA executives including Drs. Soniya Sharma, Stuart McCluskey, Daniel Cordovani, Environmental Sustainability Working Group members, Drs. Anita Rao, Peter Menikefs, David Ohrling and many of our front-line anesthesiologists and FP-A’s had the opportunity to engage directly with MPPs and shared our insights on the ACT model and its potential to alleviate pressure on the healthcare system. We highlighted how ACTs can optimize the use of existing resources and improve patient care, making a compelling case for increased support and investment in this model.

The discussions at Queen's Park were encouraging, as many decision-makers recognized the importance of team-based care in improving health-care outcomes. By advocating for ACTs, we aim to not only address the immediate staffing shortages but also foster a more collaborative and efficient healthcare delivery model across Ontario. Our ongoing advocacy efforts, including face-to-face conversations with key decision-makers and educational campaigns, will continue to emphasize the benefits of the ACT model and the vital role anesthesiologists play in providing high-quality care to patients.

In addition to these efforts, we recently engaged in a productive discussion with Matt Anderson, CEO and President of Ontario Health. We look forward to continued dialogue with Ontario Health as we work collectively on this critical shortage which directly impacts our ability to care for our Ontarians.

As we move forward, we remain committed to ensuring that the ACT model is integrated into the broader healthcare strategy in Ontario, reinforcing our dedication to enhancing patient care and addressing the challenges within our specialty.

I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the many anesthesiologists and OA executives, both past and present, who have dedicated countless hours to laying the foundation for our current advocacy efforts. Their tireless work in fostering strong relationships with the OMA, the Ministry of Health, and our patients has been crucial in driving our initiatives forward. Without their vision, commitment, and perseverance, we would not have achieved the progress we’ve made, from securing key conversations with policymakers to advancing the ACT model. Their efforts have set the stage for the meaningful changes we are striving to bring to our profession.

As we move forward, we will continue to build on the strong foundation already established, striving for improved working conditions, fair compensation, and better patient care for all of Ontario’s anesthesiologists. Together, we can make significant strides toward a stronger future for our profession.

Successful Ontario Anesthesia Meeting and AGM, September 2024
I am delighted to share that our September 2024 Ontario Anesthesia Meeting and AGM was a great success. It was wonderful to see so many of you in attendance. We had the opportunity to discuss important updates in our field, share insights on recent research, and socialize with colleagues from across the province. A special thank you to everyone who participated, and for your valuable contributions to our discussions. We were also able to advocate directly with OMA Board Chair, Dr. Cathy Faulds, during which we emphasized the critical needs of our specialty and the need for our voices to be heard in ongoing negotiations. Another particular highlight was the presentation of the Distinguished Service Award to Dr. Jon Hooper, which recognized his exceptional leadership and contributions to the field of anesthesiology, and honoured the fundraising efforts of him and his late wife Sindy towards the research of pancreatic cancer. You can read more about Dr. Hooper. 

As we move towards wrapping this year up, I want to thank you for your dedication and hard work. As we navigate these complex issues, it is through our collective efforts that we continue to make progress. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need further information.

Looking forward to a productive and successful end to the year!

Sincerely,

Dr. Cindy Wang
Chair, Ontario's Anesthesiologists, A Section of the Ontario Medical Association

Chair's Report - Spring 2024

Dear colleagues,

Serving as chair of Ontario’s Anesthesiologists (OA) for the past two and half years has been a privilege, and I am grateful for the trust you placed in me. I am as passionate as ever about the work we do as anesthesiologists, the service we provide to patients and our role across the health system.

Your section is your voice when it comes to negotiations, matters of tariff and compensation, and engaging with system players who influence our work. For that reason, we need a strong OA section. An association that will stand strong in its representation of our interests and the interests of our patients. It’s much more challenging for us to take care of our patients if we don’t feel secure or valued.

Our Vision and Mission speak to this. Our Vision is for anesthesiologists to be leading partners, delivering the highest standards of innovative, safe, and sustainable patient care. Our Mission is to advocate for and represent the best interests of our members and to strengthen our leadership role within the health system. 

I would like to reassure you that the executive understands very well that we are no further ahead in terms of remuneration than we were a decade ago. This is not acceptable. Our primary goal has been to protect your financial well-being, which we understand is our members’ number one priority. As a recent example of our efforts, we recently sent a letter to OMA’s CEO and Board Chair asking them to publicly advocate for increased remuneration for all physicians, including anesthesiologists and to bring attention to the anesthesiologist shortage and the need for further investment in Anesthesia Assistants and Anesthesia Care Teams.

As you know, every four years, the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) negotiates a Physician Services Budget (PSB) agreement with the government. The total amount gets divided amongst all specialties through the CANDI (Comparison of Adjusted Net Daily Income) formula. This has made it impossible for us to make meaningful increases to our billing codes and unit fee, and in reality, we have fallen behind.

Before, during and after the pandemic, the government has cited many reasons for not being able to pay doctors more. Budget pressures are not going away. If we rely only on the OMA for our increases through negotiation, the next decade does not look much better for us. We must actively hold the OMA to task on representing Anesthesiologists and specialists and for us to consider exploring ways outside of the OMA to influence the government.

When I wrote my first Chair’s Report in the fall of 2021, I expressed that we could not afford to be overlooked or be an afterthought when policy decisions are made that impact our ability to carry out our work. The players in the system need to recognize who we are and appreciate our value for us to be able to effectively fight for the monetary and non-monetary resources we need. To set us up for success and achieve our goals, we felt that it was important to focus on and strengthen five areas: Section Governance, Tariff and Compensation, Advocacy and Engagement with key Health System Players, Patient Care and Member Services, and the Ontario Anesthesia Meeting (OAM).

I will briefly summarize the progress we have made in each of these areas over the last couple of years.

Section Governance
- Strengthened executive leadership by recruiting members-at-large to represent diversity in practice and geography to complement the elected executive.
- Solidified oversight of policies and processes and embedded executive leads into our operations.
- Through the Beyond the Mask Campaign, we have attracted many volunteers to our working groups and committees.
- On-boarded Stephanie Field, our Executive Coordinator, and created an annual work calendar to ensure consistency in our workflow.

Tariff/Compensation
- Advocated for fee increases and stressed the increased burden on physicians during Negotiation Task Force (NTF) meetings.
- Submitted strong and strategic proposals to the Physician Payment Committee (PPC) based on member feedback.
- Responded successfully to multiple threats to our funding allocation from other groups related to the most recent PSB. One brief example is when Anesthesiologists practice and submit billings for subspecialty work such as Critical Care, Chronic Pain or Interventional procedures, the funding for that work comes from the anesthesia funding envelope. When those subspecialties propose an increase in their fees, it negatively impacts our funding distribution. We were able to successfully limit the impact on our allocation on several occasions.
- We provided feedback to the Relativity Advisory Committee (RAC) to limit the effects of relativity adjustments against us.

Advocacy and Engagement with Key Health System Players
- Successfully advocated within the OMA for the expedited re-establishment of the Surgical Network as an avenue of advocacy for perioperative services.
- Advocated within the OMA on matters important to Anesthesiologists including compensation and expansion of Anesthesia Care Teams as a model of care.
- Re-booted the Beyond the Mask campaign to increase our profile within the health system.
- Hired part-time administrative support, Lindsay Kneteman, to assist with communications and social media presence and engagement.
- Various aspects of our work have garnered media attention on TV, radio and print on several occasions. Media is starting to reach out to us directly on issues related to anesthesiology.
- Significantly increased our interactions with MPPs and government staff across many issues including:

Brought attention to the critical Anesthesia Health Human Resource (AHHR) issues via the AHHR Working Group, which brought together anesthesiologists across the province to create a Position Paper and Background Paper highlighting Anesthesiology as a medical role and to advocate for maintaining a physician-led model of care.

Mobilized quickly and collaborated with the government during the height of the pandemic when we had regional shortages of epidurals and other equipment, to ensure that our members had the equipment needed to provide care.

Participated in budget consultations with Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy.

Promoted the need for more Anesthesia Assistants and Anesthesia Care Teams and conveyed our suggested solutions to the surgical backlog.

Advocated for a series of changes to advance Environmentally Sustainable practices.

Patient Care
- Leveraged our expertise to provide advice on patient care (specifically the opioid epidemic, epidural catheter shortages, anesthesiologist shortages, and sustainable anesthesia care).
- SolvingPain.ca, which launched in June 2021, continues to feature evidence-based pain management best practices for over 50 common surgeries. The site aims to reduce the escalating opioid and pain management crisis in Canada through safer opioid prescribing practices and better pain control practices.
- Our Anesthesia Health Human Resources working group developed our Position Statement: Anesthesia Human Resources and a Background Paper, which as mentioned previously have attracted media and political attention.
- Our Environmental Sustainability Working Group has:

Developed new Environmental Sustainability resource pages on the OA website to guide implementations in hospitals.

Contributed to the first-ever environmental guidelines in the CAS Guidelines to the Practice of Anesthesia.

Collaborated with CASCADES on their Sustainable Perioperative Care Playbook.

Presented to several hospital groups on eliminating desflurane and greening the OR.

Developed a Circular Economy position statement, which garnered political and media interest.

Member Services and the Ontario Anesthesia Meeting
- Returned to an in-person OAM and revamped the program to elevate the quality of content presented. In 2023, we had over 100 more attendees than the previous year and one of our largest turnouts ever!
- Ensured geographic representation of speakers from all academic hospitals as well as rural and remote areas.
- Continued to run successful and engaging Leadership Development and Resident Transition to Practice days.
- Updated and promoted the Leadership Development Grant program.
- Continued to highlight the work our members are doing through blog posts.
- Our social media presence continues to grow allowing us to connect to audiences across multiple platforms to highlight the work we do and demonstrate our value.

We have more clearly defined our brand and we continue to raise our profile through public education, social media, media relations, and direct engagement with various health system players, including government.

As an association, we must push ourselves to think differently and consider innovative ways to advocate for additional funding in order to improve our working conditions. Increasing the number of Anesthesia Assistants and expanding Anesthesia Care Team (ACT) models is one avenue we continue to emphasize. Ensuring safe and sustainable work environments with reasonable compensation is key. Many of our colleagues have chosen to retire early or reduce their practice. Fair compensation and a healthy work environment would narrow the HHR gap by reducing attrition of practicing anesthesiologists; this needs to be accompanied by other long-term solutions to stabilize our workforce.

To effectively advocate and achieve these goals, we need your continued support. This work cannot be done without your paid membership support and involvement, ideas, and feedback. We have held our dues at $300 for many years. Raising our fees and increasing the number of members who pay could ensure funding to hire experts, build proposals and help us get them to the right people and tables. If we want to succeed, we must not only pressure the OMA to represent our interests, but we must be effective advocates for ourselves.

As I move into the past chair role, I look forward to what the next executive will accomplish. Once again, it has been very rewarding serving as your chair. I have done everything I can to elevate our profile, advocate for the work we do and position us as leaders. We have set up a solid base. Let’s take what we’ve done and build on it. Let’s think bigger. If you have thoughts or ideas on how we can further succeed, please share them with us.

Sincerely,

Dr. Rohit Kumar
Chair, Ontario’s Anesthesiologists, A Section of the Ontario Medical Association

Chair's Report - Fall 2023

After two years of progress, I’m wrapping up my term as Chair feeling incredibly proud of the foundation Ontario’s Anesthesiologists has built and the advances we have achieved together. 

The OA Executive and I have worked hard to advocate on your behalf, represent your best interests, and empower you as leaders within Ontario’s health-care systems.

We are closer than we ever were to fulfilling our mission to strengthen our role as leading partners, which is important because the challenges today for anesthesiologists and our patients are significant. 

Wait times for surgeries remain long, yet we’re in the middle of a nationwide shortage of anesthesiologists. There is a marked strain on our human resources, with Canada clocking just 11 anesthesiologists per 100,000 people, compared to 23 in Australia, and 21 in the U.S. Three in four anesthesia chiefs across Ontario told us they had staffing challenges this year they couldn’t cover, putting pressure on the anesthesiologists we do have.

That’s why our patients need us to be there for them at Queen’s Park as well as the province’s operating rooms. 

Governance – Anesthesiologists are leading partners

By strengthening our presence within the health system we are establishing anesthesiologists as leading partners.

A key part of that is building a strong voice for our specialty at the OMA, where major strategies and policies for the profession are determined, including future negotiated agreements. 

Earlier this year, I met with OMA President Dr. Andrew Park to discuss ways the OMA and OA can support one another. There are opportunities for you to ensure our voices are heard and drive our most important issues forward as well. We have continued to form deeper relationships with government in order to ensure that your work is understood and valued appropriately. 

OMA elections will be held in the coming months and, under our membership organization’s new governance structure, all Executive positions are up for election. Nominations are now open and voting will take place early in the new year. 

Your voice can make all the difference. If you are passionate about the direction of Ontario’s Anesthesiologists and want to help advance our interests, I strongly encourage you to put your name forward. The supports you need are in place to help you. Reach out if you want to discuss the role you can play in advocating for anesthesiologists and our patients within the OMA and beyond.

Member Services – Strengthening our brand and our growing our team 

We continue to have significant support from our membership, growing in strength to more than 800 paid members. Section fees matter because they provide the financial support required to help us speak up within our authority as one of the largest medical specialities in the province. Help strengthen our collective voice by becoming a paid Section member.

Our Leadership Development Working Group is empowering each one of us as leaders inside and outside the health-care system. Our Leadership Development Grant program continues to offer financial support to those who want to pursue formal leadership training.

Members benefited from virtual leadership coaching sessions and our 2023 OAM Leadership Development Day provided us with training on advocacy, social media, and government relations.

The Anesthesia Chiefs Resource Hub has been updated, providing even better practical support and materials online to new Anesthesia Chiefs. 

We are telling our story and engaging in public and government dialogue in a more strategic way, raising our profile in the news and on social media.

Our ideas to address the shortage in our profession have earned national media coverage. This summer, we had a conversation with patients and government through several print, radio and TV interviews focused on the shortage of anesthesiologists, the impact on patients, and potential solutions.  

Also part of our 2023 Strategic Communications Plan, we are communicating the value and thought leadership anesthesiologists bring to the health-care system through a series of blog posts on issues of significance. Our social media presence continues to grow. We are connecting to audiences through profiles of members who are making a difference across our social media channels. 

Patient Care — Anesthesiologists providing expert advice 

We are meeting our objective to become more engaged with stakeholders by leveraging our expertise to provide advice on patient care.

Our Anesthesia Health Human Resources Group, led by Dr. Monica Olsen, has been weighing in on the anesthesiologist shortage. They’ve advocated for the Anesthesia Care Team, or ACT, model of care to boost our short-term capacity to care for patients by using more physician-supervised anesthesia assistants. In the longer term, they’re advocating for more anesthesia residency positions to increase the supply of anesthesiologists and regional or provincial licensure so anesthesiologists can go quickly to where care is needed most.

Our Environmental Sustainability Working Group, led by Dr. Anita Rao, is positioning us as leaders in the fight against climate change by making anesthesia more sustainable. Through their leadership, we’ve advocated to reduce and eliminate the use of desflurane, started to promote circular economy principles to guide how hospitals buy supplies, and developed environmental guidelines for anesthesia. We’ve collaborated with CASCADES Canada and the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care to reduce our greenhouse gasses and environmental impact.

Advocacy and Stakeholder Relations — Influencing decisions 

We’re taking our seat at the table and increasing our influence through advocacy and stakeholder relations.

This meant we were front and centre again this year at the OMA’s Queen’s Park Day. 

We’re raising our profile with the OMA and our peer specialities within it. Our advance work meant we had built the relationships we needed to welcome Members of Provincial Parliament following our Leadership Development Day. We are meeting politicians at the Ontario legislature, and in our own communities. We are making connections at the Ministry of Health and strengthening our ties with stakeholders like the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society.

And we are using that influence to advocate for our most important stakeholder — our patients. The next round of fee negotiations between the OMA and the provincial government has begun. We must have the personnel and supplies we need to serve our patients and we need to ensure anesthesiologists are compensated fairly and at a competitive rate so we can keep them here in Ontario.

We’re making that case on your behalf.

As your Chair, it has been my privilege to advocate for you and the work we do and to set us up for success.

We have the foundation and tools we need to strengthen our position as leaders.

Now it’s your turn. Take what we’ve done and build on it. Run for a position on the Executive. Join a working group. Be empowered to make a difference.

Because if I’ve learned anything over the last two years, it’s that we can accomplish so much more if we work together. 

Sincerely,

Dr. Rohit Kumar

Chair, Ontario’s Anesthesiologists

A Section of the Ontario Medical Association

Chair's Report - Spring 2023

Taking our seat at the table 

One of the hardest things for any advocacy organization to do is stand out from the noise of the crowd. There are so many organizations — good organizations with good causes — vying for a seat at the table.

Ontario’s Anesthesiologists is breaking through the clutter. 

In the fall, we were at Queen’s Park when doctors met more than three dozen cabinet ministers and MPPs during a day organized by the Ontario Medical Association. We participated in pre-budget consultations led by Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy. We shared our solutions for the surgical backlog and the health human resources shortage. We talked about the opioid crisis and environmental sustainability. We advocated for increased anesthesia assistant training and reducing the administrative burden for doctors.

We earned our audience with decision-makers by working together to raise our profile — at the OMA, in political circles, and in the public domain. 

We are increasing our visibility by telling our story, through public education, on digital platforms and government relations. These important activities exemplify the important role we play in perioperative care and the value we provide.

Together, we are achieving our mission to represent the best interests of Ontario's anesthesiologists and strengthen our leadership role within the health system.

I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved, and of the contributions of our executive, working group volunteers and members. 

I know there is much more to do and I am confident that we have built momentum that will continue to get us closer to our goals.

Governance – Building a foundation for success

We’re putting in place a strong governance structure and building an environment of trust to ensure the interests of all of our members are protected. Supported by this foundation, we can deliver on our strategy to serve the political and economic interests of our members. We can strengthen our reputation as leaders in the future of health care. We can make a positive long-term impact by influencing policy and advocating for our patients.

This year, we have solidified oversight of policies and processes and embedded our Executive leads into our operations. A member of our Executive now leads each working group. Our Treasurer oversees the Resident Subcommittee. Minutes from all working group and committee meetings are shared to ensure our Executive is well informed about section activities.

Our first Leadership Group Coaching Session was held in January, and another is scheduled for May 1. Planning has begun for a Leadership Development Day on Oct. 26 to coincide with the Oct. 27-29 Ontario Anesthesia Meeting and Conference Weekend at the Marriott Downtown at CF Toronto Eaton Centre in Toronto. 

A leadership webinar is being discussed, and a leadership development resource section added to our website. Our Executive and interested working group members have been prepared to talk to the media, as a result of training led by the OMA.

We will continue to fine-tune our processes and ensure supports are in place to optimize the contributions of our Executive, working groups, committees, volunteers and members.

Member Services – Building our brand and working as a team 

With more than 1,900 anesthesiologists — 1,474 practicing — Ontario’s Anesthesiologists is one of the largest sections within the OMA. 

Telling our story and engaging in public and government dialogue is key to building our brand. Demonstrating what we do and how it is important for people’s health will ensure we are recognized as partners in health-care transformation. It will help us influence decisions that affect us and the patients we care for.

To promote awareness of who we are and what we have to offer, Lindsay Kneteman, our new Communications and Engagement Coordinator, has begun to implement our 2023 Strategic Communications Plan. You can expect to see a series of blog posts over the next year to help educate the public and stakeholders about the value and thought leadership anesthesiologists bring to the health-care system. Our social media presence will continue to grow and be measured through a more strategic approach to engagement. Because storytelling helps audiences connect more than statistics, we will profile our members who are making a difference across our social media channels including our website, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram accounts. 

At the same time, we continue to improve our communications directly to you. Member queries are answered promptly. Updates are provided regularly through our quarterly digital newsletters and bi-annual Chair’s Report. The OMA’s new OMA Connect mobile app provides a community for our discussions, event notifications and materials.

Patient Care — An anesthesiologist for every patient

As the voice of anesthesiologists in Ontario we are committed to empowering the practice of anesthesia to deliver the highest level of patient care possible. 

A great deal of it comes down to staffing and how we manage our growing workload. Anesthesiologists are faced with a critical staffing shortage at the same time as the scope of what we are asked to do expands.

Ontario is trying to wrestle with a growing surgical backlog by expanding private clinics, without clear details on how to increase staff or what it will mean for the rest of the system.

Manitoba’s reliance on out-of-hospital surgical facilities to address the backlog has drained anesthesiologists from hospitals and resulted in some hospitals assigning one anesthesiologist to cover two rooms running a general anesthetic by  using physician extenders. The movement towards Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists providing anesthetics in British Columbia hasn’t gone away.

We are united with the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society (CAS) in our position that anesthesia must be led by physicians and that a one-to-one model of anesthesia delivery is the only acceptable kind for deep sedation and general anesthetics. Under the CAS’s new CEO’s strategic plan, they have hired a government relations firm to boost advocacy and establish our presence at a pan-Canadian level. We are building a stronger bridge with this group and supporting this initiative.

Our Anesthesia Health Human Resources Working Group’s forthcoming background paper and position statement will help define us even more clearly as physician leaders of anesthesia care.

Advocacy and Stakeholder Relations — Influencing decisions 

Ontario’s Anesthesiologists were well represented at the OMA’s successful advocacy day in November, where I was one of about 90 physicians who attended more than 40 meetings at Queen’s Park with cabinet ministers and MPPs spanning all parties. 

The shortage of doctors across the system and the surgical backlog emerged as shared priorities and provided an opportunity to build relationships and alignment that yielded further engagement with decision-makers and influencers.

I discussed our SolvingPain public resource to help address the opioid crisis with MPP Michael Tibollo, the province’s Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. A briefing on our environmental work with Mike Shreiner, Leader of the Green party, resulted in a meeting with our Environmental Sustainability Working Group and a commitment to table a motion in the legislature to eliminate desflurane, a strong contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. 

We were front and centre during Ontario’s pre-budget consultations, engaging in a discussion on solutions to the surgical backlog and wait times with Minister Bethlenfalvy and MPPs Nina Tangri, Rudy Cuzetto and Deepak Anand. In a meeting with MPP Stephen Crawford, Parliamentary Assistant to the Finance Minister, we advocated for increased funding to address doctor and staffing shortages, the need for more team-based care, increased funding to train more anesthesia assistants, and ensuring resources to reduce administrative burden so doctors can be doctors. 

We continue to align our advocacy with the work of the OMA, which has asked for our input to ensure our perspectives are reflected in a 2023 update to its four-year advocacy platform, Prescription for Ontario: Doctors’ 5-Point Plan for Better Health Care. 

As your Chair, I will continue to represent your interests on every platform, in every venue. We can achieve even more by working together. I encourage you to reach out and get involved in any way you can. 

Sincerely,

Dr. Rohit Kumar
Chair, Ontario's Anesthesiologists
A Section of the Ontario Medical Association

Chair's Report - Fall 2022

Raising our profile, building our influence

When we came together in person at our 67th Annual Ontario’s Anesthesiologists Meeting in September, I took the opportunity to express my gratitude for the care you all provide every day for patients across our province.

I recognized the incredible work you have done before and through the pandemic. Often working under-resourced and understaffed as our work has become more demanding and patients sicker.

It’s important to talk about the many ways anesthesiologists bring comfort and peace to those who need it most - on every platform, in every venue.

Because by raising our profile, stakeholders within the OMA, government, and other areas of the health-care system will pay attention to us when we speak.

By telling our story and implementing our new Strategic Plan, we are positioning anesthesiologists within the OMA as trusted advisors, allowing us to influence policy and advocate for our patients.

Here are a few highlights of how we’re building influence:

Governance - Building strength in leadership

We’re building a network of leaders to represent your interests, and putting in place the financial foundation, processes and structure to deliver on our strategy.

Our executive has been strengthened through the leadership of doctors from all over Ontario; Dr. Druvtej Ambati of Smiths Falls, Dr. Vatsal Trivedi of Mississauga, Dr. Sarah McIsaac of Sudbury and Dr. Amanda Jasudavisuis of Kingston.

We have attracted a diversity of volunteers to our working groups and committees. And we’re working on strategies to empower all our members with the skills and tools to shape the future of health care and our field.

Together, we successfully responded to multiple threats to our funding allocation from other groups related to the most recent Physician Services Agreement, and we have and will continue to advocate for billing-related changes to benefit our profession.

Member Services - Bringing us together, telling our story

In September at the Ontario Anesthesia Meeting, we renewed our friendships, learned from each other, and harnessed our collective power through our first in-person annual conference in two years, and plans are underway for next year’s meeting.

We have defined our brand, and are raising our profile through public education, social media, media relations and government relations. Join our conversation on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram, and see the updates we’ve made to the SolvingPain.ca website.

We have communicated more to our patients and the public about who we are, what we do and why it is important for their health.

And we have improved our communications with you about our advocacy on your behalf. See our past Newsletters.

Leveraging all the channels available to us helps us to be recognized as valued partners and patient care experts. That means we will be more likely to have a seat at the table when important decisions are made that affect us directly.

Patient Care - Advocating for patients

We have become more engaged with stakeholders, providing them with expert advice on patient care.

Through our Environmental Sustainability Working Group, we have advocated to provincial and federal ministers for less medical waste and less use of high contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. We’ve created an online resource page for those interested in improving sustainability in their own hospitals.

We’ve advocated for patients and our own well-being by bringing more focus to the critical staffing shortage that’s contributing to the surgical backlog and burnout in our profession.

The Anaesthesia Health Human Resources Working Group brought together anesthesiologists from across the province and collaborated with the Canadian Anesthesiologists Society to define our medical role and advocate for a physician-led model of care.

Through the Clinical Advisory Committee and Epidural Catheter Shortage Working Group, we mobilized quickly to engage with the government and ensure we have the materials we need to provide the best care to our patients.

Advocacy and Stakeholder Relations - Building our influence

We have stepped up our advocacy efforts to the government to build our reputation among decision-makers and organized ourselves to be more effective in our negotiations on your behalf.

As our colleagues in other specialties have done, we are building better relationships with the government and stakeholders.

Today, we have a close relationship with the Canadian Anesthesiologists Society and are working together on common issues. And we continue to engage with the OMA on tariffs and compensation and changes to the association’s governance that advantage you.

We’re building momentum, but there is much more to be done. As your Chair, I am committed to setting us up for success.

But we can do so much more by pulling together. If you have any questions or concerns, or if you would like to get involved, please do not hesitate to contact me personally.

Sincerely,

Dr. Rohit Kumar
Chair, Ontario's Anesthesiologists
A Section of the Ontario Medical Association

Chair's Report - Summer 2022

Dear Colleagues,

With summer upon us, I am excited to share the progress we have made in the last few months, what is top of mind heading into the summer and some of what we expect to deliver through the fall of 2022. To keep us targeted in our efforts and representation, this report will once again be divided into four key strategic areas of focus: Governance, Member Services, Patient Care and Advocacy & Stakeholder Engagement.

Governance, Tariff and Compensation

Sound governance is the foundation on which we can effectively represent you. We appreciate that one of our primary roles is to represent your financial interests in the matters of Tariff and Compensation. Earlier this year the Medical Services Payment Committee (MSPC) asked all sections and groups to submit proposals for changes to the Schedule of Benefits to simplify or delete obsolete codes, make intra-sectional relativity adjustments, and fee increases which would be considered depending on the amount of money allocated by the Physician Services Agreement.

Our submission included revenue neutral proposals to address common billing issues such as difficulty in payment for obstetrical care and a code to create a foundation for Acute Pain Services and Anesthesia Care Teams. The OMA has supported these proposals in principle and will discuss them with the Ministry of Health through a newly constituted bilateral committee, the Physician Payment Committee (PPC). We also carefully reviewed all submissions by other groups and provided strong feedback to the OMA-MSPC where payments for the services for anesthesia care would be negatively impacted. We expect continued engagement with the PPC over the summer in these areas.

I would like to thank Dr. Julian deBacker, the outgoing resident representative on the executive, and welcome Dr. Nicholas Timmerman who joins Dr. Isabel Theberge as his replacement. Our residents in training are our future and we look forward to strengthening our relationship with them. I would also like to welcome Dr. Druvtej Ambati, who replaces Dr. Paul Gill as the FP-A Member at Large. I would like to thank Dr. Gill for his dedicated and passionate service over the past 5+ years. He has not only represented the FP-A perspective but has been a valuable contributor to all matters related to our section.

Member Services

Ontario’s Anesthesiologists is the home base for anesthesiologists across Ontario. We will continue to highlight and provide opportunities for growth in education, research, advocacy, and advancement to elevate our specialty and to ensure our members are set up for success.

Planning for the Annual Ontario Anesthesia Meeting and Conference, to be held September 16 to 18, 2022 at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto, is well underway. To help promote a high standard of anesthesia care in Ontario, the meeting will include current and clinically relevant topics, as well as several interactive workshops. In addition, there will be a Leadership and Professional Development Day on September 15, 2022. Past leadership offerings have been very well attended and highly successful, so we encourage you to register early to get one of the limited spots. The complete conference program and registration will be available soon.

We recently helped Cancer Care Ontario promote a webinar on Blood and Albumin Transfusion Rates at the Time of Cancer Surgery across Ontario. Through the fall we are planning more presentations on clinical topics as well as content to promote your financial success, an introduction to social media, media relations, and stakeholder advocacy. Through our Leadership Development Working Group, we are in the early stages of planning small group video coffee chats with health system leaders and influencers to create partnerships and to share our perspectives.

Patient Care

Each day we all intend to provide the best anesthesia care for our patients. To help take us Beyond the Mask, the section is active in other ways to help drive better patient care.

Our Environmental Sustainability Working Group has rapidly grown to over 15 volunteers and is creating an online resource guide for departments and hospitals to incorporate environmentally sustainable perioperative practices within their hospitals. You can visit our website to learn how you can also make a difference. I am pleased to report that members of the Working Group have also met with Federal and Provincial Ministers to promote the inclusion of anesthetic gases in the greenhouse gas inventory. Doing so will require hospitals to track use of inhaled anesthetics and drive sustainable practices.

Health care workforce shortages are negatively impacting patient care delivery. For anesthesiologists this is of particular interest as there is a movement to permit Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists to provide anesthesia care in British Columbia. Across the country, each Provincial government will be looking to explore their own solutions to a growing surgical backlog and possible anesthesia shortage, both of which have multiple contributing factors. We do not see the cRNA model as a safe or economical option within our Canadian system. Our section recognizes the need to take a proactive approach in addressing this threat to our autonomy and to the safety of our patients. Thus, we have formed an Anesthesia Health Human Resources Working Group consisting of a mixture of academic and community anesthesiologists. The intent is to stay connected, combine our efforts and share resources to counter this movement. This group will explore solutions to ensure a safe and more robust anesthesia coverage across the province. One of the key short-term goals of this group, working closely with the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society, will be to create a position statement defining anesthesiology as a medical role and promoting the anesthesia care team model with a physician-led supervisory role.

The SolvingPain website continues to be a valuable resource for anesthesiologists, our other physician colleagues and health-care workers. If you have not had a chance to visit the website, I encourage you to, and to promote its use. It provides evidence-based pain management guidance for pre operative, intraoperative and postoperative care including safe prescribing practices to limit excess opioids in the community.

Advocacy and Stakeholder Management

This spring, we launched the Ontario Anesthesiologists’ Instagram account. Social media is incredibly important in showcasing and promoting the work you do. I encourage you to also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to stay informed, and to share our posts to amplify our presence.

We have had some early success in engaging stakeholders, including government, through work being done by the Environmental Sustainability and Anesthesia Health Human Resource Working Groups. As our work progresses, we will continue to engage and strengthen those and other ties. To have a voice and to be able to positively influence, we need to be seen, heard and understood. As mentioned, through the fall we are planning opportunities to equip our members with skills and tools to become more influential at all levels of the health-care system.

Our mission continues to be to advocate for and represent the best interests of anesthesiologists, and to strengthen our leadership role within the health-care system. Our vision is for anesthesiologists to be leading partners, delivering the highest standards of innovative, safe, and sustainable patient care.

I will end by reinforcing my commitment to representing you by elevating our voice and promoting our interests. I remain positive and hopeful that by working together and supporting each other, we can accomplish a lot. Please reach out any time with your thoughts and ideas. We value your feedback and suggestions.

Sincerely,
Dr. Rohit Kumar
Chair, Ontario's Anesthesiologists
A Section of the Ontario Medical Association