🩺 Fixing Referrals & Axing the Fax // Family Day at The Forks // Attestation Extension

January 29, 2026

This week’s Vitals is 1,175 words or a 4 min read and we’ve got a special issue for you!

This week is Red Tape Awareness Week, with a focus both nationally and in Manitoba on reducing the paperwork and administrative burden that weighs physicians down.

Reducing your administrative burden is a top priority at Doctors Manitoba, and it’s a key part to improving doctor retention. This week, it’s the theme for our Vitals newsletter:

The week started with a news story about building a safe culture for doctors to raise concerns in the health system, in which we note only 40% of physicians feel they can raise concerns without fear of consequences.
The Winnipeg Free Press published an editorial supporting the need to focus on retaining doctors. The editors recognized that “while Manitoba is getting better at attracting doctors, it remains one of the worst places in the country at keeping them.” The editors cite Doctors Manitoba research to support their call to focus on retention.
On Monday, we drew attention to a national report out from the CMA with updated estimates on physicians’ deskwork time, and the priorities health systems should focus on to free up your time. You can read about it below.
On Wednesday, the government confirmed it is on track to eliminate sick notes with legislation this spring and made reducing administrative burden for physicians the centrepiece of their red tape reduction report.
And today? We just released a major report to overhaul how referrals and consultations work in Manitoba. We know this is the top burden most physicians report, and that fixing it will give you back time and reduce your distress and frustration. The Health Minister has already responded supportively. Read more below in our top story.

It’s 2026, and this must be the year that the health system focuses on improving doctor retention in Manitoba. That means reducing your administrative burden, it means consulting physicians about changes that impact their work, and it means investing in modern equipment and technology. All of this is essential to creating a better work environment so physicians can focus on their patients.

TOP STORIES

Referral and Consultation Report

Today, Doctors Manitoba released a major report and recommendations to modernize the referral and consultation system. The report is grounded by feedback from hundreds of physicians, follows our joint summit with CPSM and Shared Health last October, and aims to make improvements for both referring and consulting physicians.

🛠️ What’s new: Our report lays out a practical roadmap to modernize referrals and consultations. Key recommendations include:

A referral directory
Interoperable eReferral tools integrated with EMRs
Urgent fixes to address the backlog with diagnostic imaging, and a commitment to properly resource pooled and central intake models

What’s Next: The report has been submitted to the provincial government, Shared Health and CPSM and we look forward to collaborating further on these improvements.

In response to our advocacy, Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara posted a fun video today demonstrating they have heard physicians and plan to take steps to reduce administrative burdens and finally axe the fax.

Read our full analysis and view the report.

Full story: 444 words / 1.5 min read

Reclaiming Time Lost to Red Tape

A new Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB)–Canadian Medical Association (CMA) report finds Canadian doctors lose 20 million hours a year to unnecessary administrative work — equal to 9,000 full-time physicians.

We used the new national report to draw public and government attention to the issue in Manitoba:

326: The equivalent number of physicians that would be freed up if unnecessary administrative tasks were eliminated
9.7: Hours per week Manitoba physicians spend on admin work, above the 9.1-hour national average, but down about 30 minutes from our 10.1-hour estimate two years ago
47%: Share of admin tasks doctors say are unnecessary
667,000: Hours per year Manitoba doctors spend on unnecessary paperwork

Manitoba has cut 75,000 hours through early reforms, but deeper changes are needed.

In the news: Check out coverage on CBC, CTV News, Free Press, and CityNews

Learn more about the new report and its impact on Manitoba.

Attestation Relief?

We have heard from dozens of hospital-based physicians frustrated by the new online attestation requirement to maintain their privileges and have raised your frustrations with Shared Health’s Medical Administration Office.

This week they acknowledged the challenges and offered flexibility in a number of ways. We want to know what you think! Email us at practiceadvice@doctorsmanitoba.ca.

Read the proposed solutions here.

Full story: 230 words / 1 min read

OTHER NEWS

Physician & Family Day at the Forks February 15

Join us Sunday, February 15 at The Forks in Winnipeg, and bring along your family for a winter wellness afternoon of skating, snacks, and connection! As a proud partner of The Forks’ Winter Wellness programming this year, we’re excited to offer you and your loved ones a day of fun and informal connection with colleagues though a great variety of activities including an outdoor fitness class, skating, a warming hut tour, some tasty treats from Tall Grass Prairie and much more!

🗓️ Sunday, February 15

⌚ 1 – 4 p.m.

⛸️ 1 Forks Market Rd, Winnipeg, MB

Learn more and register today. We can’t wait to see you!

Resident Doctors Appreciation Week is Almost Here!

We're looking forward to celebrating Resident Doctors Appreciation Week February 9 to 13, and the huge role they play in Manitoba’s health care system.

🍩 While residents are busy learning and caring for patients, we’ll be busy sharing treats, prize draws, and rolling out a few fun surprises to say thanks.

❤️ We’re excited to recognize the dedication, skill, and impact resident doctors bring to our hospitals and communities every day.

New Physician Leadership Courses

Doctors Manitoba is excited to offer several new leadership courses including Physician Leadership Institute trainings that focus on the development of physicians and interdisciplinary teams which will have a positive impact on the organizations and the patients they serve.

Leading Change: March 5 – 6, 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. each day, Virtual. Facilitated by Mamta Gautam, MD, and Scott Comber, PhD, participants will learn to develop a systematic approach to analyzing and addressing change challenges and opportunities. Learn more and register by February 3.
Managing Disruptive Behaviour: May 8, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., The Forks, Winnipeg. This free workshop is designed to help physician leaders recognize workplace behaviours that impact patient safety, understand contributing factors, and learn how to respond best. Learn more and register by April 24.
Crucial Conversations in Health Care: May 29 - 30, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. each day, Alt Hotel, Winnipeg. Participants will identify problems contributing to broken relationships, explore skills related to keeping composed when feeling angry, and access tools to support dialogue. Learn more and register by April 29.

MBiz Breakfast

Let’s talk health care. Join us February 11 from 7:30–9:30 a.m. at the RBC Convention Centre for a special State of Health Care in Manitoba breakfast, presented by Doctors Manitoba and hosted by the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce as part of their MBiz Breakfast series.

Hear straight from Doctors Manitoba President Dr. Nichelle Desilets as she delivers a keynote message, and CEO Theresa Oswald, alongside Dr. Kent Stobart, President and CEO of CancerCare Manitoba, and Jonathon Lyon, President and CEO of the Health Sciences Centre Foundation in the following panel discussion.

Have a question you want answered? Send it in by Friday, February 6 to practiceadvice@doctorsmanitoba.ca and help shape the discussion.

➡️ Learn more and register

WinterToba Contest Ends Sunday

Final call! ⏰ Small healthy steps = big winter wins. There’s still time to encourage entries into our WinterToba Challenge and be part of a healthier winter, one simple step at a time. Whether it’s moving more, sleeping better, managing stress, or trying something new outdoors, it all adds up.

🗓 Contest closes at 11:59 p.m. on January 31.

While the contest is coming to an end, Doctors Manitoba sponsorship of Winter Wellness programming at The Forks continues, helping make movement fun, accessible, and winteriffic!

💫Looking for ways to do more than just get through a cold snap? Read our latest posts:

Winter Doesn’t Have to be a Write-Off

Winter Adventure with Annie

Phenomenal Physician

Congratulations to Dr. David Perrin, 39, who has been named a Future 40 winner by CBC Manitoba. Dr. Perrin became Manitoba's first and only orthopedic oncologist in 2019.

HEALTH SYSTEM UPDATES

Victoria Hospital Upgrades

In August, surgical theatre four — an integrated suite that runs on equipment from 2015 — will be renovated to add more than $430,000 of new technology intended to improve the quality of visuals that surgeons rely on during operations.

Hip and Knee Surgery Record

The Manitoba government is delivering more hip and knee surgeries than ever before, with 7,056 joint replacement procedures completed across the province in 2025, the highest annual total on record, Manitoba Health announced this week. The province says nearly 70 per cent of joint replacements are now performed as outpatient procedures, allowing patients to recover at home and freeing up inpatient hospital beds.

Read the government announcement.