News provided by
Share this article
Share toX
TORONTO, Oct. 7, 2025 /CNW/ - OntarioMD (OMD) is pleased to announce the appointment of three health care leaders and physicians to its Board of Directors : Dr. Khalid Azzam, Dr. William Cherniak, and Dr. Rosemarie Lall. These appointments reflect OMD's ongoing commitment to physician leadership and advancing digital health in Ontario. "OntarioMD is privileged to welcome these physician leaders to our Board of Directors," said Debbie Fischer, OMD Board Chair. "Each new Director brings a wealth of frontline clinical expertise, depth of knowledge in digital health, leadership in health system transformation, and a shared commitment to harnessing innovation to optimize clinician practices and improve patient care across the province. Their collective insight will strengthen OntarioMD's work in supporting clinicians and the broader health care system through digital health tools and services." About the New Directors:
Dr. Khalid Azzam has been appointed by OMD's parent organization, the Ontario Medical Association. Dr. Azzam currently holds the position of the physician-in-chief at Hamilton Health Sciences. In addition to his medical training, he holds an MSc. in Healthcare Quality and Safety Management and a Certified Physician Executive designation from the American Association for Physician Leadership. Dr. Azzam has over two decades of experience driving transformative changes across academic institutions and healthcare systems with a focus on enhancing physician engagement, operational efficiency, system performance, health equity and patient outcomes. Dr. William Cherniak is an emergency physician with training in family medicine and global public health. Over the last 15 years, he has held leadership roles in organizations around the world, learning about structural avenues for building and designing health systems, the technologies that can underpin rapid change to improve physician practices, and novel innovations to enhance access to care. Dr. Cherniak is the co-founder of the Bridge to Health Medical and Dental charity and Rocket Doctor, a digital health company. Dr. Rosemarie Lall  has medical and public health education as well as leadership certificates from the Ontario College of Family Physicians Leadership Academy and the Rotman School of Management. She is the Medical Lead at the Platinum Medical Family Health Organization in Scarborough and was previously a Peer Leader with OntarioMD. She has been deeply committed to system improvement and education for over two decades and plays key roles in numerous digital health working groups, provincial advisory panels, and high-profile digital health initiatives. Dr. Lall is the incoming Chair of the Ontario Primary Care Collaborative, the Co-Chair of the Scarborough Family Physicians Network, and a committee member of Patients Before Paperwork, all of which focus on strengthening primary care across the region. The terms of two Board Directors concluded as of October 6, 2025. Dr. Rachel Bevanand Dr. Kevin Glasgow have served on the OMD Board since 2017. OMD sincerely thanks both Drs. Bevan and Glasgow for their extensive experience and enthusiastic promotion of OMD's mandate for supporting digital health to Ontario's clinicians. About OntarioMD: OntarioMD (OMD) is a national leader in advancing artificial intelligence (AI) and other innovative technologies for primary care. The organization has more than 20 years of proven success in developing and deploying digital health solutions that improve patient care. OMD also provides change management support to clinicians to help them use the solutions effectively. OMD is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Ontario Medical Association. It receives funding from the Province of Ontario, through its agency Ontario Health, to enable the development of digital tools for family physicians, specialists, nurse practitioners and their staff to digitally optimize their practices. SOURCE OntarioMD Inc.

12:12 ET
			
				OntarioMD Welcomes Three New Directors to Its Board

Khalid Azzam, Dr. William Cherniak, and Dr. Rosemarie Lall. These appointments reflect OMD's ongoing commitment to physician leadership and advancing digital health in Ontario.  "OntarioMD is privileged to welcome these physician leaders to our Board of Directors," said Debbie Fischer, OMD Board Chair. "Each new Director brings a wealth of frontline clinical expertise, depth of knowledge in digital health, leadership in health system transformation, and a shared commitment to harnessing innovation to optimize clinician practices and improve patient care across the province. Their collective insight will strengthen OntarioMD's work in supporting clinicians and the broader health care system through digital health tools and services."  About the New Directors:  has been appointed by OMD's parent organization, the Ontario Medical Association. Dr. Azzam currently holds the position of the physician-in-chief at Hamilton Health Sciences. In addition to his medical training, he holds an MSc. in Healthcare Quality and Safety Management and a Certified Physician Executive designation from the American Association for Physician Leadership. Dr. Azzam has over two decades of experience driving transformative changes across academic institutions and healthcare systems with a focus on enhancing physician engagement, operational efficiency, system performance, health equity and patient outcomes.  is an emergency physician with training in family medicine and global public health. Over the last 15 years, he has held leadership roles in organizations around the world, learning about structural avenues for building and designing health systems, the technologies that can underpin rapid change to improve physician practices, and novel innovations to enhance access to care. Dr. Cherniak is the co-founder of the Bridge to Health Medical and Dental charity and Rocket Doctor, a digital health company.  has medical and public health education as well as leadership certificates from the Ontario College of Family Physicians Leadership Academy and the Rotman School of Management. She is the Medical Lead at the Platinum Medical Family Health Organization in Scarborough and was previously a Peer Leader with OntarioMD. She has been deeply committed to system improvement and education for over two decades and plays key roles in numerous digital health working groups, provincial advisory panels, and high-profile digital health initiatives. Dr. Lall is the incoming Chair of the Ontario Primary Care Collaborative, the Co-Chair of the Scarborough Family Physicians Network, and a committee member of Patients Before Paperwork, all of which focus on strengthening primary care across the region.  Learn more about the OMD Board Directors  The terms of two Board Directors concluded as of October 6, 2025 . Dr. Rachel Bevan and Dr. Kevin Glasgow have served on the OMD Board since 2017. OMD sincerely thanks both Drs. Bevan and Glasgow for their extensive experience and enthusiastic promotion of OMD's mandate for supporting digital health to Ontario's clinicians.  About OntarioMD: OntarioMD (OMD) is a national leader in advancing artificial intelligence (AI) and other innovative technologies for primary care. The organization has more than 20 years of proven success in developing and deploying digital health solutions that improve patient care. OMD also provides change management support to clinicians to help them use the solutions effectively. OMD is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Ontario Medical Association. It receives funding from the Province of Ontario, through its agency Ontario Health, to enable the development of digital tools for family physicians, specialists, nurse practitioners and their staff to digitally optimize their practices.  SOURCE OntarioMD Inc.  Back | Next story: Rubin Rudman Adds Kelly Aylward as a Partner in Trusts & Estates Group

OntarioMD Welcomes Three New Directors to Its Board

standout performers and celebrate their exemplary professional abilities and expertise.  Chris Sweeney , Managing Editor for Special Reports at HRD Canada , shared his insights on the selection process, stating, "It was inspiring to see so many organizations going above and beyond to support their people. OntarioMD truly earned this recognition through their exceptional engagement with staff and the wide array of initiatives they've implemented to help employees thrive in their careers."  HRD Canada's 30+ strong Intelligence Unit compiled the final winners list after the completion of a rigorous process, canvassing the opinions of objective industry experts and collating leading-edge research. The prestigious list of honourees was then matched with the Best Places to Work's precise criteria.  OntarioMD receives this honour with pleasure and is delighted to be included among the HR industry's top performers.  "We are incredibly proud to be recognized as one of HRD Canada's Best Places to Work in 2025. This honour reflects the dedication, passion, and collaborative spirit of our entire OntarioMD team. Every day, our staff show up with a deep commitment to supporting clinicians and improving digital health across the province. It's their innovation and heart that make OntarioMD not just a great place to work, but a great place to make a difference," said Robert Fox , Chief Executive Officer, OntarioMD.  This award is testament to the professionalism and commitment OntarioMD brings to the industry and additionally showcases their desire to maintain their first-rate standards.  www.ontariomd.ca  About OntarioMD: OntarioMD (OMD) is a national leader in advancing artificial intelligence (AI) and other innovative technologies for primary care. The organization has more than 20 years of proven success in developing and deploying digital health solutions that improve patient care. OMD also provides change management support to clinicians to help them use the solutions effectively. OMD is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Ontario Medical Association. It receives funding from the Province of Ontario to support family physicians, specialists, nurse practitioners and their staff to digitally optimize their practices.  About 2025 HRDC Best Places to Work:  The entry process for the 2025 Best Places to Work comprised two steps: an employer submission followed by an employee survey. First, organizations had to complete an in-depth questionnaire looking at key factors such as employee engagement, turnover rates, average tenure of staff, compensation and benefits, health and wellness programs, diversity initiatives, professional development, corporate culture, flexible work options, reward and recognition, and green programs.  Companies that successfully completed the submission phase were then sent a link to an online employee survey to be circulated internally. To ensure the integrity of the data collected, employees were requested to provide their company email addresses.  To be eligible for the Best Places to Work recognition, organizations had to meet a minimum number of responses based on company size. The survey asked employees to rate their company across a range of metrics that constituted drivers of employee satisfaction. An employer needed to achieve an overall satisfaction rating of at least 75 percent to be recognized as a Best Place to Work.  SOURCE OntarioMD Inc.  Back | Next story: CBB : Chad Brown Launches Med Spa Business Growth Program to Unlock Profits in $17.5 Billion Med Spa Industry

OntarioMD Recognized in the 2025 HRD Canada Best Places to Work

News provided by
Share this article
Share toX
TORONTO, July 21, 2025 /CNW/ - HRD Canada conducted a far-reaching analysis of the HR industry and is proud to recognize OntarioMD as one of the standout performers and celebrate their exemplary professional abilities and expertise. Chris Sweeney, Managing Editor for Special Reports at HRD Canada, shared his insights on the selection process, stating, "It was inspiring to see so many organizations going above and beyond to support their people. OntarioMD truly earned this recognition through their exceptional engagement with staff and the wide array of initiatives they've implemented to help employees thrive in their careers." HRD Canada's 30+ strong Intelligence Unit compiled the final winners list  after the completion of a rigorous process, canvassing the opinions of objective industry experts and collating leading-edge research. The prestigious list of honourees was then matched with the Best Places to Work's precise criteria. OntarioMD receives this honour with pleasure and is delighted to be included among the HR industry's top performers. "We are incredibly proud to be recognized as one of HRD Canada's Best Places to Work in 2025. This honour reflects the dedication, passion, and collaborative spirit of our entire OntarioMD team. Every day, our staff show up with a deep commitment to supporting clinicians and improving digital health across the province. It's their innovation and heart that make OntarioMD not just a great place to work, but a great place to make a difference," said Robert Fox, Chief Executive Officer, OntarioMD. This award is testament to the professionalism and commitment OntarioMD brings to the industry and additionally showcases their desire to maintain their first-rate standards. About OntarioMD:
OntarioMD (OMD) is a national leader in advancing artificial intelligence (AI) and other innovative technologies for primary care. The organization has more than 20 years of proven success in developing and deploying digital health solutions that improve patient care. OMD also provides change management support to clinicians to help them use the solutions effectively. OMD is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Ontario Medical Association. It receives funding from the Province of Ontario to support family physicians, specialists, nurse practitioners and their staff to digitally optimize their practices. About 2025 HRDC Best Places to Work:
The entry process for the 2025 Best Places to Work comprised two steps: an employer submission followed by an employee survey. First, organizations had to complete an in-depth questionnaire looking at key factors such as employee engagement, turnover rates, average tenure of staff, compensation and benefits, health and wellness programs, diversity initiatives, professional development, corporate culture, flexible work options, reward and recognition, and green programs. Companies that successfully completed the submission phase were then sent a link to an online employee survey to be circulated internally. To ensure the integrity of the data collected, employees were requested to provide their company email addresses. To be eligible for the Best Places to Work recognition, organizations had to meet a minimum number of responses based on company size. The survey asked employees to rate their company across a range of metrics that constituted drivers of employee satisfaction. An employer needed to achieve an overall satisfaction rating of at least 75 percent to be recognized as a Best Place to Work. SOURCE OntarioMD Inc.

11:56 ET
			
				OntarioMD Recognized in the 2025 HRD Canada Best Places to Work

By Jerry Zeidenberg
November 1, 2024
MISSISSAUGA, ONT. – Many of the discussions at the annual OntarioMD conference – held in September – focused on AI Scribes for doctors. Seems these newfangled solutions, powered by ChatGPT and other forms of generative AI, actually work! They’re saving doctors who try them hours of administrative toil, as they’ve got the smarts to do a lot on their own. A new study led by OntarioMD with partners at Women’s College Hospital and the eHealth Centre of Excellence, in Kitchener, Ont., confirmed these benefits. They quickly tested six AI Scribes and then rolled out three of the services to 152 family physicians and nurse practitioners, who worked with them for three months. “It resulted in a reduction in after-hours documentation time of three hours (per week). That’s an enormous benefit,” commented Dr. Onil Bhattacharyya, director of the Women’s College Hospital Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care – also known as WHIV. AI Scribes can listen-in on the encounters between doctors and patients. They automatically write-up draft notes for the encounter, complete with specialized medical terms. Doctors must then review these notes, edit them, and add them to their electronic patient records. In the three-month test, that process not only saved time, but it also resulted in more complete record-keeping. Dr. Bhattacharyya observed that in his own practice, before deploying an AI scribe, he used to catch up on notes at the end of the day. By 6:45 pm or 7 pm, however, he’d pack it in, so that he wouldn’t miss seeing his children that night. “I would plan on finishing the notes later, but what often happened is that months went by without doing this. Now, using an AI Scribe, the notes are complete.”
And by reducing the keystrokes a doctor makes during a patient encounter, AI Scribes are transforming the nature of the meeting – the encounter is more like the days before computers arrived in clinics. “Doctors are looking at patients again, they’re forming bonds,” said Dr. Bhattacharyya. Commenting on the time that’s being saved on administrative tasks like record-keeping, he mentioned that the generative AI systems are restoring work-life balance. “It’s remarkable,” he observed. “Physicians told us they’re volunteering again in their communities. And they’re getting closer to their kids.”
So even though the timesaving is just three hours a week, “those are very important hours,” he said. Highlights from the study include:
70 percent less time spent on clinical documentation and up to 4 hours a week freed from administrative tasks. 83 percent of participants said they would use an AI scribe in their practice long term. 82 percent of participants said they would recommend AI scribes to their colleagues. 79 percent of participants said they were able to spend more time on patient care. 76 percent of participants reported a reduction in mental effort during patient consultations. Part of the evaluation included the use of Robotic Process Automation (RPA), or bots, to automate actions documented by the AI scribe during patient visits, such as sending appointment reminders to patients. Benefits included faster follow up with patients to book appointments, a more streamlined booking process for patients, and improved continuity of care. Of course, not everything was resolved in the three-month study. Many issues remain, such as how much AI scribes are worth, in dollar terms, and whether the Ministry of Health will help doctors pay for them. Indeed, during a panel discussion on physician usage of AI, Dr. Rosemarie Lall, a family doctor in Scarborough, Ont., noted that she has tried several of the systems and has found them to be incredibly helpful. “AI scribes are saving my sanity,” she said. She commented that her AI scribes – she has used several different brands – are quite able to take on many of the administrative tasks she used to do. These tasks were on the verge of overloading her to the extent that she was contemplating leaving the profession, she averred. But with an AI scribe reducing the paperwork, “I was able to take Christmas off for the first time in many years. My kids were wondering what was going on!”
At the same time, she ventured that AI scribes are another cost for doctors, who are essentially small business operators. She already pays for an EMR, IT support, online booking, faxes, phone lines (her clinic has seven of them), email, security software and more. “I’m not complaining, but I kinda am,” quipped Dr. Lall. “At some point, we are going to reach the breaking point.”
Another issue, observed Ariane Siegel, OntarioMD’s general counsel and chief privacy officer, is the legal and business challenge of obtaining an AI scribe. “The physician has to enter into a contract, and it can be very complicated,” she said. While acknowledging the effectiveness of AI scribes, she also cautioned, “We don’t want to send doctors to the negotiating table.”
Dr. Lall concurred. “The contract for one of my AI scribes is 21 pages long. I signed, but I hoped I wasn’t signing away my first-born child.”
Ms. Siegel noted that OntarioMD is working with critical stakeholders, such as the Ministry of Health, Ontario Health and the Ontario Medical Association to consider ways of helping doctors reduce the burden of evaluating AI scribes and their contracts. Speaking at a different session, Dr. Payal Agarwal, a family doctor and the integrated chief information and innovation officer at Grand River Hospital and St. Mary’s Hospital, in Kitchener, Ont., commented that policy makers are aware of the challenges of deploying AI in physician practices. “They’ve been involved from the start with the study, and they’re working with the information and feedback,” she said. It’s possible they may come up with solutions to both the challenge of contracting with private-sector companies and the mounting costs of IT solutions for doctors. What was most valuable about the AI scribe study, however, is that it quickly established the value of the systems for doctors. And in the process, Dr. Agarwal said, “we developed a template for how to test things quickly.”
The partnership between OntarioMD, Women’s College Hospital and the eHealth Centre of Excellence worked extremely well. There’s now a methodology in place, she said, for testing other AI-driven solutions. Indeed, she noted that the partners are currently creating a “living laboratory” that will be able to evaluate other systems that could reduce the administrative logjams now facing doctors. The living laboratory is already at work on e-referrals – it’s applying a similar methodology to assessing solutions that are on the market. “We’re looking at factors like how many clicks are needed, and how much time is needed, versus paper workflows.”
She said the living laboratory will consist of three components: an artificial setting, like a traditional lab that can measure product performance and conduct things such as time/motion studies. A second part will consist of natural settings, where systems can be tested in “real-world” clinics. And a final component will assess how systems can be scaled up, so they can be used across the province. To learn more about AI scribes, visit OntarioMD’s website at https://www.ontariomd.ca/pages/ai-scribe-overview.aspx . To discuss adopting an AI scribe, please contact support@ontariomd.com .

Annual OntarioMD conference highlights the growing use of AI scribes

Ontario Telemedicine Network provides virtual care services within the healthcare sector. The company enables remote healthcare consultations and serves patients, primary care providers, specialists, and healthcare organizations. It was founded in 2006 and is based in Toronto, Ontario.

Ontario Telemedicine Network

Connecting Ontario physicians to provincial resources is a struggle , says the CEO of the Ontario Telemedicine Network , which is why Ontario Telemedicine Network is partnering up with OntarioMD .

OntarioMD partners up with Ontario Telemedicine Network

OntarioMD

Companies developing, offering, or using electronic and telecommunication technologies to facilitate the delivery of health & wellness services from a distance. *Columns updated as regularly as possible; priority given to companies with the most and/or most recent funding.

Telehealth

OntarioMD is a company that operates in the healthcare sector. It supports physicians in the selection, adoption, and optimization of electronic medical records (EMRs) and develops EMR-connected digital health applications to provide patient data and information. The company serves the healthcare industry, offering EMR services, including connectivity to provincial digital health applications, advice from EMR users, and consultation services for practice enhancement. It is based in Toronto, Ontario.

Name	Work History	Title	Status
Robert Fox		Chief Executive Officer	Current
Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more
Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more
Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more

Name	Robert Fox	Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more
Work History		Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more
Title	Chief Executive Officer	Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more
Status	Current	Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more

Name	Firm	Work History	Other Seats
Greg Athaide			OntarioMD, and OntarioMD
Huda Idrees			OntarioMD

Name	Greg Athaide	Huda Idrees
Firm
Work History
Other Seats	OntarioMD, and OntarioMD	OntarioMD

How VCs Use CB Insights

Professional Services

Platform Overview

OntarioMD

Executives

Board of Directors

OntarioMD Management Team

4 Team Members

OntarioMD Board of Directors