🩺 CMPA Rebate Available Now // Collaborative Care Standard Analysis // Indigenous Advisory Circle

January 23, 2026

This week’s Vitals is 1,918 words, or a 7 minute read. If you only have 1 minute, here are the highlights:

Mourning the loss of our physician colleagues: We are remembering Dr. Barry Lavallee and Dr. Sherif Megalli Basali and their contributions to medicine in our province. We remind physicians of our Doc360 physician health resources.
Apply now for your CMPA Rebate: Eligible physicians can now apply for our CMPA rebate to offset costs of practicing. Get 100% back on CMPA fees over $1,000 and get paid faster through our Member Portal.
Analysis of CPSM Consultation on Collaborative Care: We have an analysis on CPSM’s new draft Standard to support you as you review the documents.
Anti-Indigenous Racism Advisory Circle: Doctors Manitoba is forming an Anti-Indigenous Racism Advisory Circle to help guide meaningful, accountable reconciliation actions. We are looking for Indigenous and non-Indigenous physicians and medical learners committed to equity, decolonization and belonging to participate.
Record U.S. Recruitment: Doctors Manitoba joins the government in welcoming 13 new U.S. physicians to our great province, though we continue to press for investments in retention to ensure the progress we have made is sustained.

Plus, are you interested in becoming a Director on the Doctors Manitoba Board? Join us January 26 at 7 p.m. for a special webinar to learn more about this rewarding professional role. Register here.

Scroll down to try out Medical Wordle, something fun and new we are testing!

TOP STORIES

Mourning the Loss of Physician Colleagues

Doctors Manitoba extends our condolences to the families, colleagues and loved ones of Dr. Barry Lavallee, Chief Executive Officer of Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin Inc., renowned for his work to improve Indigenous health in Manitoba, and Dr. Sherif Megalli Basali, a valued and respected Winnipeg family physician.

For physicians navigating a professional or personal loss, our confidential Doc360 physician health resources are available to you, a colleague or family member through the self-referral intake line anytime at 204−237−8320, toll free at 1 – 844 – 433-DRMB (1−844−433−3762). You can also use the online intake form.

Learn more about Dr. Lavallee and Dr. Basali’s contributions to the Manitoba medical community and their patients.

Full story: 248 / 1 min read

Apply Now for the CMPA Rebate

Eligible physicians can now apply for their your Canadian Medical Protection Association (CMPA) rebate for the 2025 calendar year, helping offset the cost of practicing medicine in Manitoba.

What’s new:

Coverage boost: The rebate covers 100% of CMPA fees over $1,000, following improvements negotiated in the current Physician Services Agreement.
Faster payment: Setting up direct deposit in the Member Portal helps avoid delays and ensures your rebate is deposited directly to your bank account.

🩺 How to apply:

Get ready: Have a void cheque or bank document with your account, transit, and institution numbers.
Apply online: Click here to apply (log in to member portal required).
Deadline: June 30, 2026. Applying early means faster payment to you.

If you have any questions regarding the details of your specific rebate, please contact us at 204-985-5865 or benefits@doctorsmanitoba.ca.

Analysis: CPSM Collaborative Care Standard

As announced last week, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba (CPSM) is calling for feedback from physicians and patients across the province on a proposed new Standard for Collaborative Care aimed at supporting clearer and more respectful communication between doctors as they collaborate on patient care. This includes referrals, consultations, on-call support, eConsults, transfers in care, discharges, etc.

Deep dive: A multi-disciplinary working group, including specialists, family physicians, and public representatives, spent more than two years updating the Standards.

➡️ To help navigate the documents as you review, Doctors Manitoba is providing further details on the changes you’ll see in the draft standard.

📝 We encourage you to review the new standards carefully and consider how they apply to your practice.

📣 Please share any responses you send to CPSM with us to help inform our response on behalf of the profession by emailing us at practiceadvice@doctorsmanitoba.ca.

Read our full analysis here.

Full story: 980 words / 4 min read

Doctors Manitoba Indigenous Advisory Circle

Doctors Manitoba is forming an Anti-Indigenous Racism Advisory Circle to help guide meaningful, accountable reconciliation actions. The circle will be co-led by Dr. Catherine Cook, whose deep experience as an advocate and advisor for Indigenous health will help shape this work. Dr. Cook’s leadership has included numerous influential roles, including vice-president of population and public health at the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) and provincial lead for Indigenous health at Shared Health Manitoba.

Indigenous and non-Indigenous physicians and medical learners committed to equity, decolonization and belonging are encouraged to participate.

📌 What to expect:

Timeframe: ~18 months to 2 years (or longer, as guided by the circle)
Meetings: Every 2–3 months (approximately)
Compensation: Provided for participants’ time

👉 Join us: If you’re interested in learning more, complete the short expression-of-interest form. Applicants will be reviewed by the co-chairs as they build a collaborative group to assist us in completing this important work.

Anti-Indigenous Racism Training Update

Doctors Manitoba would like to extend our gratitude to those who have completed cultural safety and anti-Indigenous racism training as part of the College of Physicians and Surgeons’ mandate introduced last year.

Positive feedback on The Path: In particular, we are very pleased to share that 575 registrants have completed The Path, a 6-module online course on the history and contemporary realities of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples in Canada, with overwhelmingly positive reactions. In fact, more than 96% of participants recommend it to colleagues.

An anonymous survey revealed participants felt they gained:

An “increased appreciation and understanding of recent and generational trauma” within Indigenous communities
“More compassion, respect and patience” with regard to trauma-informed care
Increased awareness about personal, unconscious biases that affect patient care

If you pursue The Path, CPSM has arranged for payment to be made directly through Doctors Manitoba’s CPD funding, rather than being applied to your own CPD rebate. If you pursue alternative eligible training, you can claim costs under our CPD rebate program. Learn more about other ways your training can be covered financially.

MBiz Breakfast: We Want to Hear from You!

Join us on February 11 from 7:30 – 930 a.m. at Winnipeg’s RBC Convention Centre for a special event on The State of Health Care in Manitoba, presented by Doctors Manitoba and hosted by the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce as part of their popular MBiz Breakfast series. The morning event will feature Doctors Manitoba President Dr. Nichelle Desilets and CEO Theresa Oswald, along with Dr. Kent Stobart, President and CEO of CancerCare Manitoba, and Jonathon Lyon, President and CEO of Health Sciences Centre Foundation, to offer a check-up on our health care system.

Do you have a question you’d like to submit to the panel? Send us a note by Friday, February 6 at practiceadvice@doctorsmanitoba.ca.

➡️ Learn more and register today.

WINTERTOBA WELLNESS

The WinterToba Challenge is gaining momentum across the province, encouraging realistic, supportive actions to stay well through winter — without pressure or perfection.

The update: WINTER

Over 2,500 Manitobans have already made a WinterToba pledge, choosing small steps that fit their lives. Physicians can enter too!
The challenge runs until January 31, and anyone who pledges is entered to win prizes. One thousand dollars in free groceries and $500 in fitness gear are up for grabs! Our members are also eligible to win!

🩺 In the spotlight: Doctors Manitoba President Dr. Nichelle Desilets recently shared her own WinterToba pledge, while highlighting Doctors Manitoba’s sponsorship of Winter Wellness programming at The Forks.

📌 In practice:

Share the WinterToba Challenge with patients as a low-barrier, encouraging conversation starter.
Download clinic posters for waiting rooms and exam spaces.

HEALTH SYSTEM UPDATES

New Gamma Knife at HSC

Health Sciences Centre (HSC) Winnipeg, the HSC Foundation, and the Manitoba government unveiled a new Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery unit this week.

What’s new: The Elekta Esprit system was funded through the HSC Foundation’s Operation Excellence campaign, in partnership with the Province of Manitoba.

HSC was the first hospital in Canada to acquire a Gamma Knife system in 2003.
The new Elekta Esprit represents a major technological advance, with the ability to treat larger tumours, integrated CT imaging that reduces the need for same-day MRIs, and a new custom-fitted mask option for patient comfort and stabilization.

Read the full story at the HSC Foundation site.

Dialysis Services Report

This week, the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) released a report calling for system-level change to how Manitoba’s dialysis services are managed, and offered six recommendations for improvement. Physicians continue to provide excellent care despite working in a system under stress and caring for a growing population in need of these services. Shared Health issued a memo stating the report is under careful review and that work is underway in several areas related to provincial planning, integration and performance monitoring.

Doctors Manitoba is strongly advocating for physician involvement and consultation as these changes are being implemented. As we engage with health system and provincial leaders on this issue and to help inform our discussions, we encourage you to share your feedback with us by emailing practiceadvice@doctorsmanitoba.ca.

Read the auditor’s report.

CMA Proposes Updates to Code of Ethics

The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) has released draft changes to its Code of Ethics and Professionalism (the Code), with the goal of combatting racism and discrimination within health care. The update aims to clarify language on racism and discrimination, and to provide clear guidance for physicians, as well as clear expectations and standards for the public. The draft changes also underscore the need to create safer workplaces and learning environments for physicians who face racism and discrimination.

Doctors Manitoba will submit recommendations that incorporate your feedback.

📝 Review the draft of the revised Code in a PDF version here.

🖊️ Please submit your feedback to us at practiceadvice@doctorsmanitoba.ca.

Please write to us by Feb. 20, 2026.

Province Announces Recruitment of 13 U.S. Trained Physicians

Doctors Manitoba joins the government in welcoming 13 new U.S. physicians to our great province.

Record recruitment: This appears to be a record, more than double the best U.S. recruitment year on file, and much more than the average 1-2 American recruits that choose Manitoba in a typical year

We have long advocated for a focused approach to U.S. recruitment and we are excited to see the results.
We look forward to continuing support of U.S. physicians as they settle into life in Manitoba.

Retention risks remain: While recruitment is picking up generally, we remain concerned about retaining the doctors we have.

Manitoba performs among the worst in Canada when it comes to retaining our medical school graduates and on losing doctors to other provinces.
We look forward to working with health system leaders on strengthening our system to retain our expert doctors, including investing in the latest equipment, technology and team-based care, while reducing the paperwork burden that takes doctors away from patient care.

Do you have U.S. colleagues who want to move to Manitoba? Drop us a line at practiceadvice@doctorsmanitoba.ca and we’ll help connect them to the right resources.

Read the announcement here.

Message from Shared Health: Access Improvement Model

Shared Health’s Quality, Performance & Strategy is asking for your help in evaluating quality improvement supports to primary care teams. In a brief survey, the Provincial primary Care Quality Improvement survey explores these three key areas:

Perception: How do you and your team view QI in daily practice?
Hurdles/challenges: What are the factors limiting engagement in QI?
Solutions: What support(s) or incentives would move QI from a "task" to a useful "tool"?

Learn more and take the survey.

Full story: 238 words / 1 min read