Visiting specialists Using MyPractice Report data, rates of visits (expressed per 1,000 patients in a practice) to five specialist doctor groups were examined. Visits to psychiatrists were the highest with an average of 432 visits per 1,000 patients. This rate was higher than the Ontario average of 154 visits per 1,000 patients. This was followed by 107 cardiologist visits, 75 internal medicine specialist visits, 70 endocrinologist visits and 61 respirologist visits per 1000 patients. This was similar to provincial averages which were 82, 88, 44, 34 visits per 1000 patients respectively.
Implications for potential improvements in the future Family doctors and their practices need to provide primary care that corresponds to the needs of their patients. Policies should focus on the population needs of family doctors’ practices, which include supporting patients with chronic diseases and poor mental health. If this is done, higher quality primary care will be achieved and the performance of the health care system will improve.
Dr. Liisa Jaakkimainen is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation and a family doctor at the Sunnybrook Academic Family Health Team 18 | Chapter 3