Less Paperwork. More Care.

2024-06-20

Six million Canadians don’t have access to a regular family doctor. Completing paperwork such as the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) form means less time for family doctors to provide direct patient care. 

• Each DTC form takes up to an hour to complete. In 2022, 400,000 DTC forms were processed. That amounts to over one million lost patient visits.
• Family physicians aren’t paid for completing the DTC form and many are forced to pass on the cost to patients.
• Family physicians report federal health forms to be a significant or main source of their administrative burden and over 96 per cent want the federal government to make changes to the process.

The federal government must stop expecting family doctors to be gatekeepers for the benefits offered by the DTC. Family doctors must be able to do what they do best—provide care to patients.

The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) calls on the federal government to revise legislation, such as the Income Tax Act, Section 118.3, to relieve medical practitioners of this obligation.

The CFPC remains committed to seeking solutions that reduce administrative burden on family physicians, including the DTC and other federal health forms such as the Canada Pension Plan disability benefit. Less paperwork contributes to a sustainable and appealing career as a family doctor and better access to primary care for Canadians.
 
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