The Status Quo Until Now

Individuals register via our website, then sit on a first-come, first-served wait list. As physicians have space in their practices and schedules to take on more patients within the next couple months, people from the top of the list are assigned to a specific physician, and invited to schedule with that particular physician.

This was a good plan when we first started, but over time and as we have grown, it’s stopped working well.

It’s time for a change.

The Problems

Our wait list is just getting longer and longer and longer, despite the fact that we currently have multiple physicians accepting patients.

People are sitting so long on the wait list that the information they provided many months ago is no longer accurate, introducing errors and communication challenges.

Many people have found an alternative family physician in the meantime; if they switch to a Magenta Health physician now, that’s wasted health care resources. We also have to slowly trickle out the invitations, introducing delays, as we’re not sure how many people will actually schedule once invited to do so.

People who have already been invited to join a specific doctor can’t readily schedule with another family physician with better availability.

We have no ability to provide people with good guidance as to wait-times, or any transparency in terms of why there is such a wait.

All of the above creates a significant administrative workload that is taking away from actual patient care and better handling of the significant challenges that COVID has created.

The New Plan

Long story short, we’re copying how some restaurants handle reservations when demand exceeds supply. Instead of attempting to manage an unmanageable wait list, we’re removing the notion of a wait list entirely.

We’re excited about this change, as we believe people who need a family doctor will be able to more effectively access one in a timely way.

Individuals who register will be processed as quickly as possible and invited to schedule.
Individuals will be able to book with any physician who is accepting patients in the ordinary course.
New appointments will be released on a regular schedule on the 15th of each month, so that people know when to check back, if a suitable appointment time isn’t immediately available.

What about people already on the wait list?

You do not need to register again! We are going to automatically transfer everyone over. We’re fortunately in a position wherein a multitude of new physicians have joined us or will be joining us in the very near future, so we’ll have as much availability now as we ever will. This is one of the reasons why we believe now is a good time to make a change.

This being said, we want to be transparent that there still likely will not be enough available appointments right away to accommodate everyone who has been invited.

What if I’ve been on the wait list for months?

We completely understand that for those of you who have been waiting several months, this might be frustrating. This is one aspect of what has held us back from making a big change, but keeping the current status quo, and continuing with wait lists, is just going to become a larger and larger problem.

Ripping off the band-aid now, in one fell swoop, is the best transition strategy that we have come up with. That said, we understand your frustration and we apologize; we’re doing our best in difficult circumstances.

So what exactly do I need to do?

All registered individuals have been assigned to a physician, and have been invited to schedule with that physician.

Realistically, we know

more individuals have been assigned than there are available appointment times.
we have NOT accommodated any special requests that people included in their original registration.

We regret the above, but doing so was the only way to make this transition - to rip off the band-aid so to speak.

Unfortunately, it remains the case that our physicians cannot provide medical care until you have had an intake appointment, even if you have a more pressing medical issue. If you’re not able to schedule an intake appointment in a timely way, we recommend seeing your current family doctor, or visiting a walk-in clinic, as appropriate for your needs.

Option #1: if you see a convenient time, great - we recommend you book in quickly.

Option #2: if you want to see the available times of other physicians at your preferred clinic location, there will be a link on the assigned physician’s intake booking page. Follow that link and see if there’s someone else that you are able to see more quickly.

Option #3: if there’s no suitable time at your preferred clinic location, please check back later. More appointments will be regularly released, as well as appointments with more physicians in the very near future. For example, 5 new physicians will be joining us in the next 2 months and that will help alleviate the capacity issue.

Unfortunately we are not able to provide more specific time estimates (as we are waiting on government approval outside our control), nor do our staff have access to earlier/additional appointment times not already listed online.