We’ve got to find a way to remove the DTC form burden from family doctors

As a family physician, I know all too well the frustration of spending hours on paperwork instead of caring for my patients.Filling out federal paperwork such as the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) form takes upwards of an hour to complete and results in an estimated one million lost patient visits. And at a time when more than six million Canadians don’t have access to a regular family physician, excessive time spent on forms reduces the availability of direct patient care.The impact is profound.Last month, we heard directly from family doctors across the country who said they are feeling burned out, demoralized, and, frankly, unsupported. One doctor wrote, “This form takes up a lot of my days off around tax season. It’s exhausting. I love being a family doctor, but this administrative burden is making it hard to enjoy my job.”Many said this form is pushing them out of family practice. “I know four doctors in our rural community who’ve left family medicine because of it,” said one family physician. “I’ve stayed out of comprehensive care myself because the after-hours administrative burden is too high. Eliminating this form would make a huge difference.”These individual stories from my family physician colleagues are powerful. This isn’t why we chose to become a family doctor. We chose family medicine to build relationships with patients and support their health, not to become a gatekeeper for federal benefits.That’s why the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) is calling on the federal government to revise legislation that requires family doctors to complete the DTC form. We urge the Canada Revenue Agency to create a citizen-focused process for completing the paperwork and while the change is being set up, the government must at least compensate family doctors for filling out these forms.To date, more than 1,300 CFPC family physician members have written to their elected officials calling for changes to the DTC form and addressing the current expectation of family physicians to police them. On October 22nd, the CFPC is hosting its annual “Hill Day” with federal MPs and Senators, where we will continue to push for change on this issue. Freeing family physicians from paperwork such as the DTC form will increase the appeal of a career in family medicine and ultimately improve primary care access for all Canadians.Dr. Michael (Mike) Allan is the chief executive officer and executive director of the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Foundation for Advancing Family Medicine.

We’ve got to find a way to remove the DTC form burden from family doctors

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