Open Positions
Our team of expert physicians are dedicated to providing high-quality, evidence-based clinical care to our patients in-person and conveniently through telemedicine where needed. With memberships in CSAM (Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine) and ASAM (American Society of Addiction Medicine), our physician group maintains a world-class education in addiction care. CATC has over 75 physicians working in our Centres across Canada and we look to connect our patients with a physician that fits with their recovery goals and their personality. The patient’s relationship with their addiction physician is critically important to their success and as such, we want to make certain that we get it right. Our team of physicians is committed to ensuring that all patients receive care when they need it, offering a 365-day On Call model to address urgent and emerging issues that come up commonly in recovery.
To ensure our clinical practices are relevant and leading, our physicians work together to review our patient outcome data and adapt our practices to best meet the needs of an evolving and complex patient population. Our physicians are supported through a Regional Medical Leadership model that encourages collaboration, consultation, fellowship, and knowledge exchange. Our physicians participate in various groups such as the Physician Advisory Group, the Medical Advisory Committee, and the Quality and Best Practices Committee.
Job Title: CATC Patient Onboarding Physician
Division:
Physician Group
Position Type:
Contract
Revised Date:
February 2024
Overview
The CATC Patient Onboarding Physician is part of a group of physicians at CATC who will work collaboratively at defined times or shifts for the prime purpose of onboarding patients into the CATC Opioid Agonists Therapy (OAT) program (see CATC Onboarding document for definitions and description of program). For the most part, patient care will be provided virtually via the Ontario Telehealth Network (OTN) or other CATC-designated virtual care platforms.
This role will assess new patients and initiate them into the program and will also provide assistance for urgent patient care issues that arise in instances when the most responsible physician (MRP) or other physicians, are not readily available.
Accountabilities:
- Confirm the diagnosis of opiate use disorder and decide on an appropriate course of treatment. (New and restart patient assessment and initiation into the OAT onboarding program.)
- Adoption of appropriate CATC guidelines for the purpose of treatment selection, dose titration and follow-up visit cadence. Must be comfortable with prescribing all treatment options, according to patient need.
- Adoption of standardized templates for the purpose of documentation in the electronic medical record (EMR) as well as efficient general documentation in the EMR.
- Efficient follow-up scheduling of patient visits to comply with guidelines.
- Collaborate with a cohesive team of On Boarding Physicians to ensure new patients are enrolled in the onboarding program and that timely follow-up visits are aligned to treatment protocols.
- Regularly follow up on urine drug screen (UDS) analysis and other investigations for this cohort of patients in a timely manner.
- Determine when the onboarding process is complete (see appropriate guidance) and efficiently transition the patient from the onboarding program to a designated clinic physician who will become the MRP.
- Provide excellent, professional, and timely care for the patient onboarding process.
- Work closely with clinic staff and pharmacy to improve outcomes and patient retention.
- Look to use any/all methods of communication (OTN, phone or other to provide appropriate and convenient care to assist with patient achieving success of program
- Work closely with the onboarding support team, providing availability to work, as well as timely information regarding any reason a preassigned shift may not be able to be worked.
- Must agree to attend all scheduled shifts in full and participate in a rotating weekend coverage schedule with other onboarding physicians.
- In an environment of continuous quality improvement, monitor and suggest changes, enhancements or creative solutions that might improve the patient onboarding program.
- Periodic meeting with colleagues and management to discuss concerns and provide feedback regarding the program.
- When working a designated-onboarding shift, the physician will dedicate all clinical time to the work as described in the duties and will not plan to see other patients for prebooked routine appointments.
Other clinical duties:
- Urgent appointments/script changes when a patient’s MRP is not available (patients may be seen on OTN or phone call as appropriate)
- Review of patients who have missed days/doses of medication when the MRP is not available to assess.
- See patients that arrive later in the day who missed their appointment, and the MRP is not available (signed out for the day).
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Completion of required training to prescribe all OAT treatments.
- Strong commitment to working with individuals living with addiction and mental health issues, especially those who are most vulnerable and unstable.
- Efficient, empathetic, and patient centered work ethic with the goal of improving all patient outcomes.
- Professional and collaborative with fellow physicians, onboarding/triage team, clinic and pharmacy staff and management for the betterment of the program and patient outcomes.
- Efficient documentation skills.
- Up to date knowledge of OAT treatments and EMR experience. Knowledge of all CATC treatment guidance documents and experience with CATC’s EMR is an asset.
Qualifications and Training
- A qualified physician registered in good standing with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO).
- Previous experience in caring for patients with opioid use disorder in an out-patient setting is preferred
- Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) coverage.
- Work would be in accordance with CATC’s Associate Agreement.