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Save Pain Clinics seeks answers on potential changes to OHIP-funded nerve blocks and interventional pain injections for chronic pain

TORONTO, Nov. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Patients and clinicians across Ontario are calling for clarity about the future of OHIP-funded chronic pain treatment.

Save Pain Clinics, an advocacy campaign bringing together patients, caregivers, and health care professionals, is raising concerns about the potential consequences of changes to OHIP coverage for disrupting ongoing care and limiting access to specialized treatment. The campaign is calling on the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) and the Ministry of Health to clarify whether changes are under consideration and to consult patients and physicians before any recommendations affecting access to care are finalized.

“For patients who depend on ongoing treatment, clarity about future access is essential to continuity of care and care planning,” said Dr. Christine Giordani. “Patients deserve transparency about the status of prior proposals and a meaningful opportunity to be heard before any decisions affecting their care are made.”

Dr. Giordani has been practising medicine since 2014 and has extensive experience treating thousands of patients living with chronic pain.

The importance of continued access to chronic pain treatment
Chronic pain can affect many parts of daily life, including work, sleep, mobility and everyday responsibilities. Ontario Health’s chronic pain quality standard calls for comprehensive assessments that consider patients’ functional status, mental health and social circumstances alongside pain intensity.

Chronic pain clinics provide individualized treatment plans that may include counselling, self-management support, medications and, when clinically appropriate, nerve blocks or therapeutic injections. Changes to funding for these services could disrupt established treatment plans and affect patients who rely on ongoing care to manage their conditions.

“The pain care clinic has changed my life … giving me the ability to further pursue other sorts of treatments, such as physiotherapy,” said Shannah Bigge.

Review of OHIP-funded chronic pain services
The Appropriateness Working Group (AWG), a joint initiative of the Ministry of Health and Ontario Medical Association (OMA), reviews selected OHIP-funded services using clinical evidence, best practices and expert opinion to assess their appropriateness and identify opportunities to improve patient care.

The AWG has previously examined changes to chronic pain services, including proposals in 2019 to limit coverage for peripheral nerve-block injections. Subsequent Ministry–OMA agreements identified a proposed transition toward multidisciplinary chronic pain care as an issue requiring further discussion.

More recently, an August 2025 draft report from the Physician Payment Committee indicated that deliberations on certain nerve-block fee-code proposals would continue pending further direction regarding the AWG’s work. These earlier discussions do not establish whether changes to OHIP coverage are currently under consideration.

“Changes to OHIP coverage, service rules or referral pathways could mean longer wait times, longer travel distances, or less access to specialized care,” said Dr. Giordani. “Any proposed changes must take into account the implications for patients who depend on continuing care, including whether decreased access to community pain clinics could increase demand for hospital services or other forms of pain management.”

What Save Pain Clinics is asking for
Save Pain Clinics is calling on the Ministry of Health and OMA to:

• Confirm the current status of any proposals affecting OHIP-funded chronic-pain injections and nerve blocks.
• Make any proposed changes, evidence considered, updates and decisions readily available so that all physicians can review them directly.
• Consult affected patients, pain physicians, and community clinics throughout the review process.
• Assess and publish the potential impact on patient access, continuity of care and access in rural and underserved communities.
  
  

For Ontarians living with chronic pain, the stakes extend beyond funding decisions to whether they can continue accessing the treatment they need, when and where they need it.

About Save Pain Clinics
Save Pain Clinics is an Ontario advocacy campaign bringing together patients, caregivers and health care professionals to oppose potential restrictions on OHIP-funded chronic pain treatments and protect access to medically necessary care.

Visit savepainclinics.ca.

For more information or to arrange a media interview, contact:
Ava Gottlieb
Brown & Cohen Communications & Public Affairs Inc.
ava@brown-cohen.com