Rural patients ready to queue for spots on doctor's roster

Patients of a departing family physician inRussell, Ont., southeast of Ottawa, are preparing to lineup and even campout in order to secure a coveted spot with their doctor's successor.

General practioner Danielle De Bannis leaving her practicethis fall, and leaving behind more than 1,700 patients. Her replacement, Dr. AnnaBoutillier, is only able to take 1,200 of them.

DeBann'spatientshave been informed that on Sept. 9they'll have to register in person at the Russell Medical Centre for a spot on Boutillier's roster.

"Some of us in the community have joked about, do we pitch a tent? Is this like the Miley Cyrus concert?" said Deirdre Cooke, a patient of De Bann'sformore than 20 years.

"It will be a very hard reality to accept if in fact we don't make it on the roster," Cooke said. "Ido worry about it."

Elderly patients will be automatically addedto the new doctor's roster, and won't beforced to join the queue.

De Bannknowsit could be achaotic scene that Saturday, and has warned OPP in case they need to direct traffic. She's also concerned about those patients who won't make it onto the new list.

"There's no easy way of trimming down a practice," she said. "It's a very difficult situation and one that I feel terrible about."

Excessive workload

De Bannisn't blaming the incoming doctor for not taking on all 1,700 of her patients. She knows she took on too many, and saidthat's why she's leaving.

"The workload has become excessive," De Bannsaid. "I've known that I've had too many patients for about 10years."

I've known that I've had too many patients for about 10years.- Dr. Danielle DeBann

De Bannsaidshe likes to go the extra mile, checking in with patients on weekends and following up with specialists.

"I just can't do it any more," she said.

DeBannsaid she may pitch in with her daughter-in-law's medical practice, and may explore working in palliative care.

The 58-year-old had hoped to retain some of her patients and work part time. But under the province's Family Health Organization system, which regulates how some physicians are paid, splitting the practice wasn't possible because Russell isn't considered a high-needs area.

That means a new doctor can't join a practice unless the old one leaves.

Shortage could worsen

Statistics provided by the Ontario Medical Associationshow that 66,000 adults ineastern Ontario didnot have a family doctor in 2016.

The trend of patients competing forplaces on doctors' rosters may increaseas more and moredoctors of the baby boom generationretire.

"These are family physicians who have large practices that have developed over time, and who are simply not going to be able to find younger physicians who are able to take on those practices," said Sarah Simkin, a doctor who studied the issue of physician retirement at the University of Ottawa.

"Younger physicians are not working as much as older physicians used to," Simkin said.

Simkinsaid the generation ofdoctors now retiring may have had support at home, allowing them to work long hours. Younger doctors tend to share family responsibilities with spouses who are themselves working.

Simkin said it's prudent for doctors to limit their practices to what they can handle.

"I think most doctors want to provide the best possible care to their patients, and so if you have a practice that is so big that it's unmanageable, then your patients can't get access to you and you can't provide good care."