Many Ontario doctors will be forced to shutter offices and clinics temporarily because their compensation has taken a dive during the COVID-19 pandemic, the president of the Ontario Medical Association warns.

Patient volumes are way down because elective surgeries have been cancelled and because doctors are honouring public health recommendations for physical distancing, Dr. Sohail Gandhi said on Thursday.

That, in turn, means they are making fewer fee-for-service claims to OHIP and getting paid less.

Also affecting their compensation is a lag time in getting paid for virtual visits with patients, Gandhi noted.

The government, last month, introduced new billing codes for communicating with patients by phone or video, but those payments are not expected to be issued until July. The government said an antiquated computer system that manages OHIP payments is the reason for the delay.

Meantime, doctors are struggling to cover the cost of overhead expenses, such as staff salaries, rent and equipment leases, Gandhi said.

The organization that represents the province’s doctors, who number more than 32,300, surveyed members about the issue over five days, ending on Thursday, Gandhi said.

Of about 5,000 doctors who responded, 49 per cent said they would be forced to close their clinics for between one of three months, he said, adding that “a number” said they were headed for permanent closure.

“That will be a disaster for healthcare,” warned Gandhi, who added that he is hearing from some doctors who have said that their OHIP compensation is down by 50 per cent to 100 per cent.

“The concern is that, if those clinics close, we are going to have patients who don’t get the care that they need.”

Affected doctors include those paid by fee for service, a set amount for each procedure or consultation. They include family doctors, surgeons, internal medicine specialists, rheumatologist and physicians who operate diagnostic testing clinics.

A government source said affected doctors could apply for financial assistance under the federal government’s emergency wage subsidy program. The program provides a 75-per-cent wage subsidy, up to a maximum of $847 per employer per week for the period of March 15 to June 6. To be eligible, employers must have experienced a drop in revenue of 30 per cent for the months of April and May, and 15 per cent for the month of March.

The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, because he was not authorized to give an interview on the issue, said that most physicians are incorporated, and, as proprietors of small businesses, they would be eligible to seek assistance under the program.

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The government has also put in place new measures during the pandemic to pay physicians working in intensive care by salary, rather than by fee-for-service, the source noted.

Gandhi said the OMA wants to negotiate a deal with government that would give doctors affected by the pay slump a percentage of their average monthly billings. Other provinces have made such arrangements, he noted, adding that Ontario did something similar during the SARS pandemic.