Joint Statement from Medical Society of PEI, Department of Health and Wellness, and Health PEI on agreement to move forward with mediation to resolve outstanding items on Physician Service Agreement

Today, after agreeing to begin the mediation process with respect to the Physician Services Agreement, the Medical Society of PEI, Department of Health and Wellness, and Health PEI jointly issued the following statement: 

“Over the past number of days, Health PEI, the Department of Health and Wellness, and the Medical Society of Prince Edward Island have engaged in meaningful and constructive dialogue. This is a positive step forward for our healthcare system, the dedicated healthcare professionals who work within it, and all Islanders.

We are united in our belief that the new Physician Services Agreement is a transformative milestone—not only for physicians, but for the entire healthcare system in Prince Edward Island. This Agreement is the first of its kind in Canada and lays a strong foundation for building a more resilient, accessible, and sustainable healthcare system – one that when implemented , will help to retain the physicians we already have, while also being an instrumental tool in recruiting future physicians to live and practice on Prince Edward Island.

The parties are in the implementation stage of the Agreement and mediation will assist the parties in effectively moving forward, and with our shared commitment to continued collaboration and transparency, all parties are confident that the goals of the Agreement will be met. 

A key pillar of this Agreement is the shared understanding and commitment that accountability must exist at every level of the healthcare system. All parties anticipate that successful mediation will lead to clarity around the development and implementation of KPI’s and their associated benchmarks. This will ensure that we are capturing the right data to make informed, evidence-based decisions that strengthen primary care for all Islanders, now and into the future.

In recognition of the significant transformation underway, including the province-wide implementation of Patient Medical Homes, once those benchmarks and key performance indicators are defined, the first year of implementation will focus on capturing data and monitoring KPIs and associated benchmarks. This approach will allow us to gather essential baseline data while supporting physicians as they lead the country in adopting this innovative, collaborative model of care.  This data will then be used to make evidence-based decisions to make our healthcare system a more efficient, effective, and accessible system and physicians will have a clear understanding of how they are expected to contribute to the overall healthcare system.   

Importantly, while the mediation process unfolds, government, Health PEI and MSPEI will work together so Islanders will continue to gain access to primary care services—including those who are currently on the patient registry.  The proposed key performance indicators will be paused until resolved through mediation. All parties have also agreed to an interim patient affiliation plan.  This ensures continuity of care and reinforces our shared commitment of improving access for all Islanders.

In the meantime, all parties agree to put forward our collective best efforts to continue to help position PEI as a nationally competitive and attractive place to practice medicine so we can continue to recruit new longitudinal family physicians to PEI. 

We are confident that this Agreement, and the spirit of collaboration that underpins it, will lead to lasting, positive change. Together, we are building a stronger, more responsive healthcare system—one that puts patients first and supports the dedicated professionals who provide them with care.”

Media Contacts:

Autumn Tremere
Department of Health and Wellness
agtremere@gov.pe.ca

Dave Atkinson
Health PEI
datkinson@ihis.org

Sam Holmes
Medical Society of Prince Edward Island
sam@mspei.org