Editor's note: The following story has been updated from its original version to include comments from the Barrie Family Health Organization.
Dr. Tatiana Felipe Ramirez isn’t sure how the rumour got started that she was closing her practice, but has assured anyone in need of a doctor that she's not leaving the community.
Practising out of the Mapleview Medical Clinic in south-end Barrie, Ramirez has been serving the community for about 10 years.
Recently, rumours began swirling that she may be departing her practice, leaving all patients without another doctor in the area.
However, when contacted by BarrieToday, Ramirez said she was just in the process of changing her model of practice and not shuttering it at all.
“From Oct. 1, I will not be part of the Barrie Health Team and now we are just in the process of changing that,” the doctor said. “I’m still in the same office and we are working on the hours, depending on the needs of the patients.”
Ramirez didn’t appear to be very happy about the rumours and was asked how it affected her and her practice.
“I think that misleading information is very unhealthy and definitely harmful,” said Ramirez, who also added she is still taking walk-ins and seeing some of her regular patients.
The Barrie Family Health Organization (BFHO) says Ramirez had notified them within the required time frame set out by the Ministry of Health to indicate that she was leaving the organization effective Sept. 30. The organization was also advised that the local doctor had notified her patients that she would not be providing primary care effective that same date.
When asked what the differences were between being part of the organization and not, BFHO officials said the benefit to both the patients and physicians is “comprehensive, multidisciplinary care with each niche being filled by someone with particular experience and expertise.”
“If a physician chooses to leave the Barrie Family Health Organization and another physician does not take over the patient roster, then those patients will not have a family doctor, access to several of the (Barrie and Community Family Health Team) programs as well as access to our after-hours clinics,” BFHO officials said in an email to BarrieToday on Wednesday morning.
The Barrie Family Health Organization refers to a local group of family physicians who partner with the Barrie and Community Family Health Team for comprehensive, multidisciplinary patient care. This partnership allows physicians who are part of our organization to refer their patients into the Family Health Team programs, which include but are not limited to lung health, mental health, diabetes, chiropody, etc. This is where they can be seen by nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, mental health counsellors, diabetic educators, pharmacists, and other allied health professionals.
Ramirez said she has been in the community since 2012 and has served approximately 5,000 patients since then, including people who speak Spanish, Russian and Ukrainian, all of which she speaks.
Ramirez said she's still in the process of notifying her patients on her medical practice's new model, but said in the meantime she's “still serving the community.”
One local resident who was confused by the situation was Sarah Swayze, who recently gave birth to a little girl and said she was scrambling to find a new family doctor amid the uncertainty.
"Now I am stressed as a new mom and I have to find a family doctor for my newborn. It's very frustrating," she told BarrieToday.
However, the confusion appears to stem from a Sept. 19 message on the clinic’s voicemail, which said Ramirez’s office was suggesting some of her patients look for a new doctor.
“Hello, you have reached Mapleview Medical Clinic. Due to the upcoming changes to the practice, Dr. Felipe Ramirez would like to notify her patients she will be unable to provide primary care after the last week of September and you are strongly encouraged to seek a new primary care provider," the message states. "Please call Healthcare Connect. We understand that at this time it may be difficult to get through our phone lines due to various reasons.
"If you are experiencing difficulties, please email [email protected] and a secretary will get back to you within 24 business hours. Please note that an email is just to request an appointment, any urgent matters and you need to contact the clinic directly. Currently our office hours have converted to summer hours and are subject to change without notice," the message added.
— With files from Nikki Cole
