I understand that you have expressed frustration with the way I operate my practice.

Please know that I pride myself on offering some of the most accessible, highest quality, primary care in the province.

While I am not perfect, I feel compelled to point out just how fortunate my patients are.

The healthcare system is in crisis. Over 2 million people in Ontario do not have a family doctor, and that number is growing as family doctors burn out and retire.

For those who are lucky enough to have a family doctor, I estimate that at least half of patients wait several weeks for an appointment. When they call their family doctors, the soonest available appointments they are offered are typically 3-4 weeks away. And no further advice is given to the patient until they come in for a visit. No relayed messages. No phone advice. No emails. They must simply wait for their visit.

If you are patient of mine, however, you have become accustomed to getting your concerns addressed the very same day – often in less than a couple hours. This is NOT common.

My practice is exceptional and innovative. My team and I provide superior accessibility, unmatched by anywhere else in the province. My quality of care often exceeds local and provincial metrics, despite practicing in an area with some of the lowest social determinants of health.

• For those who truly need seen in person, I am generally in the office seeing patients every day of the work week, Monday to Friday.

 

• I offer “Same Day / Next Day” booking. This means patients who contact me for an appointment get seen that very same day. In the rare case when my day has filled up, the patient is offered an appointment with me the very next day. (Of course, if the concern is not urgent, patients can prebook at a later date too).

 

• My clinic is equipped to communicate with patients via email and secure messaging. (I’m often monitoring and addressing concerns in the evenings and on weekends).

 

• My patients can submit their concerns online via my website, which offers efficiency and includes self-management education.

 

• My staff and I respond to nearly all questions and requests the very same day, often instantly or within a couple of hours. This includes prescription renewals, forms, or any general questions.

 

• I leverage technology that allows for population health recalls and notices. My entire patient population has their investigations and preventative care automatically kept up to date.

 

• Our group provides After-Hours Clinics every night of the week (Monday through Thursday) as well as Saturday mornings. Patients can walk-in for urgent concerns. No prebooking appointments required.

 

• Our group of physicians covers each other with a “Doc of Day” system when one of us is away. Even if I am away, there is a doctor assigned to cover all the questions, prescription renewals, and results that come in. Again, that very same day.

 

You probably do not appreciate that this is not common practice. It is superb and exceptional.

The reason I can provide such superior accessibility and quality of care is BECAUSE of the way I operate my practice.

If I did things in a traditional way, you would likely be waiting 3-4 weeks for an appointment or any sort of advice, just like many other patients in Ontario wait for their family doctors.

Most patients are extremely appreciative of my accessibility and care. Patients and colleagues commend my practice.

However, I can appreciate that nothing is perfect. If you are unsatisfied with my care and service, then you are more than welcome to leave my practice and find another family doctor who can better meet your expectations. Please let me know if you wish to leave my practice *.

Respectfully,

Dr. Adam Stewart

January 4^th, 2024

* To obtain another physician or primary health-care provider, you may wish to contact Health Care Connect, a government program that helps patients find a family doctor. The phone number is 1-800-445-1822.