Contract talks have stalled between the Ontario Medical Association and the province over wages and how much doctors should bill for different procedures.
Dr. Stewart Kennedy, OMA president, spoke at a press conference Tuesday, telling reporters the government has declined an offer from doctors to take a two-year wage freeze.
The province walked away from talks Tuesday morning, Kennedy said, and he urged them to return to the table with a better offer.
"I'm not here today because I want to be, in fact, I'd rather be back in Thunder Bay taking care of my patients where I'm needed," said Kennedy. "We need movement at the table for the patients of Ontario. We need movement to ensure we deliver increased access and increased quality."
However, Health Minister Deb Matthews disagreed with the doctors' association. She said the government is still at the table.
"What they are calling zero is $700 million dollars more over two year in doctors' pay," Matthews said. "That's not what I call zero."
Besides wages, another sticking point between the two sides is the savings the government hopes to find by reducing the costs of certain procedures.
At present, a doctor charges the government a fee for each procedure performed, from cataract surgery to radiology.
Advances in technologies mean some procedures performed by physicians now cost less, or take less time, but doctors are still charging the same rates of pay, argues Matthews.
The OMA said the government may impose fee rollbacks within days, but the province said it wants to keep negotiating.
The doctors' current contract with the province expired in March. Doctors are not unionized, so they do not have the option to strike, but the OMA said it is considering its legal options.
With files from CTV Toronto's Scott Lightfoot
