PHYSICIAN FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We provide visibility into when medical assistants and nursing staff are available, along with typical clinic flow and peak times. From there, physicians have the freedom to build their schedules directly in our scheduling software, Veribook.
Our booking system allows you to determine your own appointment lengths, pacing, breaks, and catch-up time. You decide which days you work, when you take time off, and how your clinical week is structured.
Our model supports in-person, virtual, or hybrid care, giving you the autonomy to practice in a way that fits both your professional goals and your life outside the clinic.
How does appointment scheduling work at Magenta Health?
Yes. Physicians have full control over the pace and structure of their clinical work, making part-time practice fully compatible with our model.
Locum opportunities are also available, offering additional options for temporary coverage work or gradual transitions into practice.
Can I work part time?
How do vacations work? What happens when I want to take time off?
Our management team coordinates coverage when you take time off, assigning another physician to oversee correspondence and offer urgent appointments to your roster while you’re away.
Physicians participate in a collaborative cross-coverage system that ensures patients continue receiving timely care even when their primary physician is unavailable. Colleagues monitor inboxes, address urgent needs, and provide direct patient care as needed.
Coverage responsibilities are shared equitably, generally reflecting practice size and how frequently coverage support is requested across the group.
Alternatively, physicians may arrange coverage directly with a colleague if the standard vacation process does not suit their specific needs.
When you’re off, you can fully disconnect knowing your patients remain supported.
Physicians take part in a shared rotation, supporting evening and weekend urgent care access for patients.
After-hours clinics are scheduled three months in advance and typically take place at your Home Clinic or another preferred clinic location. Each physician participates in approximately one to three after-hours shifts per month.
After-hours clinic times:
Weekdays: 17:00–20:00
Weekends: 09:00–12:00
In addition to scheduled after-hours shifts, physicians offer three overlapping regular appointment slots for their own patients during each after-hours clinic they work.
Physicians are asked to provide their availability three months in advance, and our internal scheduler builds the after-hours rotation accordingly. We work hard to keep weekend coverage equitable for all physicians.
If scheduling conflicts arise, coverage arrangements are generally coordinated directly between colleagues.
How does after-hours coverage work? How often do physicians participate?
These policies ensure that the vacation and after-hours responsibilities are distributed fairly among physicians.
The amount of vacation coverage you provide and the number of after-hours shifts you work are proportional to how frequently your patients use these services, which we’ve found to be the most equitable way to share workload.
This approach grew from experiences locuming at different clinics, where uneven coverage often led to frustration or resentment among physicians. By addressing this upfront, we aim to keep workloads balanced and ensure patients receive timely access to care.
Why are the vacation and after-hours policies structured this way?
What procedures can physicians perform at Magenta Health?
Most standard minor procedures can be performed across clinics, including:
IUD insertions
Endometrial biopsies
Skin biopsies
Minor lump and bump procedures
Nexplanon insertions
Liquid nitrogen treatments
What practice sizes are supported?
We support a wide range of practice sizes to suit different physician preferences and working styles.
Rosters typically range from approximately 750 to 1,700 patients, and physicians can adjust their roster size to match their desired pace and scope of practice. The maximum practice size currently supported by Magenta Health is 2400 patients.
Which EMR does Magenta Health use?
We use a highly customized version of OSCAR.
At Magenta Health, investing in reliable digital infrastructure has been a longstanding priority because a well-designed EMR is central to the operation of a primary care clinic.
We have a dedicated team of software developers who continuously improve the EMR, which grounds this work in our commitment to high-quality patient care. Learn more about how <Bettercare/> advances family medicine for physicians and patients across Canada.
Physicians have the flexibility to manage how quickly they want to grow their practice and how frequently they accept new patient intakes.
In some clinics, physicians handle every step of intake themselves. At Magenta Health, the intake process is managed for you. We have systems in place to invite patients for intake appointments, ensure documentation is complete, and send reminders as needed. Administrative support may also assist with these steps as needed.
Because you control your schedule and availability, you can grow your practice at the pace you choose, with plenty of opportunity to build a strong patient roster.
Will there be enough patients? Do I need to recruit my own patients?
Established practices may periodically become available for transition to incoming physicians.
Physicians interested in exploring current opportunities are encouraged to contact Dr. Marco Lo* directly to learn more.
Is there an existing practice available to take over?
What is Income Stabilization?
Income Stabilization is a Ministry of Health program designed to support physicians who are building a new patient roster within a Family Health Organization (FHO).
When starting a new practice, roster growth takes time. The program provides temporary income stability during this early phase by offering guaranteed payments for up to 12 months while enrollment targets are being met.
Eligibility generally applies to physicians establishing a new roster rather than assuming an existing one, and who are actively enrolling patients within the FHO model. Internationally trained physicians may also qualify if program criteria are met. Additionally, you cannot have ever been a full signatory member of another FHO organization.
FHO+ introduces changes to how family physicians are compensated, recognizing that patient care extends beyond scheduled visits.
Key changes include:
An additional $80 hourly rate for direct and indirect patient care, administrative tasks, and roster management
The removal of “outside use” penalties
Higher shadow billing rates
Increased after-hours premiums
Enhanced incentives tied to patient attachment
These updates aim to recognize the administrative and indirect clinical work that has historically gone uncompensated.
Because these activities are already part of day-to-day practice, FHO+ may improve overall practice revenue without requiring significant changes to how care is delivered. The FHO+ changes are rolling out on April 1st, 2026.
For a detailed breakdown of FHO+ compensation changes, please refer to the Ontario Medical Association’s FHO+ resource page.