Download the full Ontario Specialists Association Charter.

Our purpose:

  • Represent the negotiation interests of and advocates for Ontario specialists effectively

  • Serve and meet the needs of Ontario patients by enabling OSA members to ensure the viability of their medical practice, promoting modern medical science, and the prevention of disease and advancing improved access to high quality, specialized medical care

  • Recognise and respect the increasing complexity and different needs among specialists

Our vision:

  • Ontario specialists as acknowledged leaders in the delivery and advancement of specialized health care

  • Specialists are the decision-makers and experts in patient care delivery

  • Transition health care delivery to front line specialist physician experts

  • Unite, defend and support the unique needs of medical specialists with government to deliver the best services possible to Ontario patients

“Specialists of Ontario need to be heard. They need to be able to freely choose who represents them, just as the primary care physicians should be able to do the same. ”
— Dr. David Jacobs, Radiologist & Former OMA Board Member

Core organizational values:

  • Effective Negotiation

  • Trust

  • Integrity

  • Transparency

  • Accountability

  • Leadership

  • Equality

  • Unity

  • Empowerment

  • Support

OBJECTIVES & PRIORITIES:

Negotiate directly with Ontario Government as a group independent from all other medical associations to implement a Physician Services Agreement that accurately and fairly represents the unique needs of Ontario’s specialist physicians

  • Advocate for patients and their families to access high quality medical practices throughout the continuum of disease detection, evaluation, treatment, and care 

  • Advocate and act on key physician issues affecting specialists

  • Ensure payment for professional and technical medical services provided by OSA members is fair and reflects the resources and costs associated with providing patient care services

  • Apply a proven evidence-based relativity system to address fees for undervalued services and affected specialties using new funding.  Relativity will only be used to positively impact sections

  • Membership in the OSA is based on the support of 50.1% of the voting members of a medical/surgical section.  A section may withdraw from the OSA on the same basis

  • Premised on a voluntary membership-funded organisation with dues set annually by the OSA Board that represents all specialists. Members will not be subject to the RAND formula

  • Strengthen the medical specialist profession through ongoing equal partnership, communication, cooperation and collaboration

  • Create a governance structure that represents all OSA specialists fairly using a constructive bottom-up approach

  • EXTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS:

  • Engage and collaborate with the provincial government to ensure patients are accessing the best care in a timely fashion

  • Act as a critical component in decision-making and implementation of health care policy and delivery

  • Serve as the expert body to government and other key stakeholders on matters pertaining to the effective delivery of specialty care in Ontario

  • Collaborate with specialist professional organisations to address specialty needs 

MEMBERSHIP:

  • Membership is open only to practising specialists with an independent license to practice in Ontario, including restrictive academic licenced physicians

  • Foster meaningful member experience and engagement

  • Increase the effectiveness of member involvement

  • Facilitate information and best practices amongst individual medical sections 

  • Develop effective and consistent strategies to communicate with members