CEO Report to Members

It has been a year of disruption, change and transformation that none of us will forget. OMA CEO Allan O’Dette’s Report to Members, outlines the Association’s fourth quarter achievements under the four Ms: Manage, Membership, Mandate and Modernize. 

Here’s how the OMA delivered the best possible value for members.  

Manage 

Manage and strengthen the relationship with decision-makers and other stakeholders. 

• Negotiations: Appointed a strong Negotiations Task Force (NTF) team with a mandate approved by the Board. Completed a robust member consultation and survey to guide the 2021 Physician Services Agreement. Launched the 2021 negotiations web page as a one-stop information source for members. Negotiated multiple agreements with government to support doctors and patients during the global pandemic, including the expansion of virtual care.  

• Meetings with Ministers and MPPs: OMA leadership and local doctors met with dozens of Ministers and MPPs together to send the message that a strong economic recovery depends on a strong health care system. Sent a clear message that community clinics are vital health care infrastructure.  

• Election Strategy: Started to execute a three-phase, 20-month election strategy to influence the platforms of the major political parties around commitments to improve the health care system to benefit physicians and patients.  

• Media Strategy: Carried out a successful media strategy focused on strengthening the brand of physicians. 

• Pre-Budget Submission: Made recommendations to government on wait times, COVID-19 outbreaks, virtual care, physician mental health, income stability and resources for community-based clinics. 

• Thought Leadership: Released five white papers on issues ranging from re-opening the economy safely to improving the development of Ontario Health Teams (OHTs). Produced podcasts for the public and launched an OMA Speakers Bureau. OMA leaders delivered major speeches and participated on panels as a trusted leader in health care.  

Membership  

Improve membership satisfaction and engagement through improved value to members. 

• COVID-19: Provided a wide range of information and new services during the global pandemic, including eight town halls on issues from infectious disease to business supports. Worked to identify and resolve critical PPE shortages, distributing more than 470,000 masks, 10,000 face shields and 1,000 litres of hand sanitizer across Ontario to help keep community clinics open. 

• OMA Insurance: Appointed a new OMA Insurance (OMAI) Board which will review the OMAI strategic plan and organizational structure. Launched insurance product working groups to assess the pricing and features of long-term disability, term life and health products.  

• President’s Tour: Expanded the Tour to create new opportunities to engage with members and constituency leaders. 

• Hospital E-Learning Program: Launched learning modules to help doctors better understand the complexities of hospital- based practice and be even more effective in their roles.  

• Gender Pay Gap Report: Released a report that found a 15.6% unexplained pay gap between male and female doctors, prompting Council recommendations to close the gap (see “Why do female doctors earn less”). Add link to article “Healing the Gender Gap” that begins on page 53 of print edition. 

• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI): Incorporated EDI lens into governance and leadership work as part of 2021 core objectives. Launched new Civility, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Promoted EDI as an employer.  

Mandate

Manage and clarify roles, goals and objectives between the CEO, Board of Directors, Council and membership to drive organizational effectiveness. 

• Governance Transformation: Approved major governance changes to make the OMA a more integrated, focused and better-performing organization. 

• Physician Leaders’ Day: Brought Council Delegates and senior leaders together virtually to discuss the top items on the agenda of the November 2020 Fall Council. Launched a Governance Transformation 2020 website to keep members informed.  

• Relativity Advisory Committee Education Session: Held a virtual education session with Council Delegates and Alternates to share information on the proposed Statistics Canada study of overhead data.  

Modernize

Build an agile, cross-functional, effective and efficient OMA to improve the lives of doctors and patients. 

• 2021 Goals: Set core objectives for 2021 based on priority- setting exercises and extensive research of member needs. 

• Member Connect: Launched a real-time system for managing member communications, marketing, and campaigns. 

• Cybersecurity: Worked to identify and mitigate cybersecurity risks, as hackers try to exploit the remote working environment during COVID-19.   

• OMA People and Culture: Worked on a new performance management system to simplify annual goal setting and provide a clear focus on aligning individual and departmental goals. Replaced mid-year performance reviews with informal, forward-looking performance conversations.   

What’s ahead for 2021?  

CEO Allan O’Dette outlines the Association’s eight priority areas in the CEO Update.