Health Care Connect

 

As part of Ontario’s plan to connect every resident with a primary care provider by 2029, individuals who were on the Health Care Connect waitlist as of January 1, 2025 can expect to be matched with a family doctor or nurse practitioner by Spring 2026.
 

Health Care Connect is a Ministry of Health program that helps individuals

without a family doctor or nurse practitioner find one in their community.

 

Through the program, people can register online or by phone

and are then assigned to a Care Connector — a nurse who works

to match them with a primary care provider in KW4 based on

availability and individual needs.

 

Having access to ongoing primary care makes a significant

difference in health outcomes. It helps people stay on top of preventive care like screenings and vaccinations, manage chronic conditions, and reduce unnecessary emergency department visits.

 

Health Care Connect supports our Ontario Health Team’s goals and provincial priorities around primary care attachment and equity. Priority populations include newcomers, seniors, individuals with chronic conditions, lower-income residents, and people experiencing homelessness or mental health and addiction challenges.

 

Get Connected:

Phone: 8-1-1
Email: HealthCareConnect@ontariohealthathome.ca
 

Register Here:

ontario.ca/healthcareconnect

 

 

 

 

Posters now available in multiple languages.

English

Arabic

German

Mandarin

Romanian

Dutch

Hindi

Polish

Serbian

Tigrinya

French

Korean

Punjabi

Spanish

 

If you are a Primary Care Provider

 

FAQ Section

For Patients
  • How can I specify my preferences for a primary care provider when registering for Health Care Connect?
    • Patients need to call HCC to indicate their preference for a primary care provider.
    • This option is NOT available during online registration at this time.
    • If there is a preferred language, you can ask for it when calling 8-1-1.
  • What are the options for patients to register with Health Care Connect?
    • There are two ways to register:
      • Register online for Health Care Connect at any time
      • Call 8-1-1, available 24/7
  • Is email a viable option for patient registration and communication?
    • No. Registration must be completed online or by phone.
    • Once registered, patients may provide consent to communicate via email.
  • How can I register my newborn with Health Care Connect?
    • Parents will be given a 10-digit temporary code for their newborn, which can be used to register. No version code is required.
  • Do I have to de-roster from my current primary care provider?
    • No, but patients should notify their current provider if leaving their practice.
  • Do I have to have a valid health card?
    • A valid Ontario Health Card and an up-to-date mailing address are required.
For Healthcare Providers
  • What is Health Care Connect?
    • Health Care Connect is a centralized provincial registry that helps people find a family physician, nurse practitioner, or primary care team.
  • What information is captured in Health Care Connect?
    • Age and complex-vulnerable status, based on self-reported health, chronic conditions, disabilities, mental health concerns, and obesity.
  • How am I compensated for taking patients off the Health Care Connect list?
    • Funding incentives may be available, including:
      • Complex-Vulnerable New Patient Fee
      • Mother Newborn New Patient Fee
      • Multiple/Newborn Fee
      • HCC Upgrade Patient Status
  • When does compensation begin?
    • New billing codes are not yet available. Physicians will be paid retroactively to July 1, 2025.
  • Is the Health Care Connect Coordinator part of the circle of care?
    • No. Patient consent is required before information can be shared with Health Care Connect.
  • Are Health Care Connect flyers available for my office?
    • Yes.
  • Can Health Care Connect provide wait times for patients?
    • Yes, approximate wait times are available.
  • Do patients have to de-roster before registering for Health Care Connect?
    • No, but patients should notify their current provider if switching practices.
  • Clinician Contact Information – Corporate Provider Database
    • Once a referral in Health Care Connect is processed, clinicians receive a letter that includes essential patient information such as the patient’s name, contact information, and age. Patients also receive a letter with the clinician’s contact information.
    • Clinician contact information included in Health Care Connect patient referral letters is pulled from the Ministry’s Corporate Provider Database.
    • Clinicians who wish to update their information, such as their phone number, are asked to use the Ministry’s Provider Registration/Change Request Form .
    • The Ministry has confirmed that updates to physician contact information in the Corporate Provider Database typically take 5–15 business days to be processed.
  • HCC Unattached Patient Incentives
    • Physicians in patient enrolment models may be eligible for unattached patient incentives.
    • Until new billing codes are implemented, physicians may use the existing Q20OA code and keep records of new patient attachments.
    • Once new codes are available, eligible claims may be resubmitted retroactively to July 1, 2025.
    • Physicians in other primary care models will continue to be compensated according to their funding agreements.
    • If a physician clinically assesses a patient as complex-vulnerable, they may upgrade the patient’s status at billing without further reassessment by Health Care Connect.