Primary Focus with Dr. Tara Kiran

Why are Dutch GPs called “huisarts” — house doctors? In Part Two of her visit to a Nijmegen clinic, Dr. Tara Kiran talks with Dr. Suzanne Ligthart about the Dutch tradition of home visits. She then meets Kris Arts, a practice assistant, and learns how these highly trained team members serve as the doctor’s right hand — expertly triaging patients, coordinating follow-up, and keeping the clinic running smoothly. Dr. Kiran ends the episode with reflections on what Canada might learn from the Dutch approach to primary care. Stay tuned for Part 3 where Tara takes listeners behind-the-scenes to explore the Dutch after-hours care system.
Mainpro+ Credits
Family doctors in Canada can now earn Mainpro+ credits by listening to Primary Focus Podcast episodes published after May 1, 2026. 
This self-learning Group Learning program has been certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Ontario Chapter for up to 30 Mainpro+ credits, with 1 credit available per eligible episode. To claim your credit, listen to the episode, review the show notes and complete the self-learning survey. Your certificate will be emailed to you. Find more information at OurCare.ca/podcast 
Resources
If you missed Part One of the documentary series on the Netherlands, click here to catch up. 
See a gallery of Dr. Kiran’s photos from her trip to the Netherlands.
Hear Dr. Kiran speaking about her trip on CBC’s White Coat, Black Art
Read Dr. Kiran’s 4-part series for the Canadian Health Network on her trip
Read an article about Tara’s host, Dr. Tim Olde Hartman: A Giant Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
Subscribe to our Substack newsletter to get bonus content.
Do you have an idea for an episode? Email primary.focus@unityhealth.to 
Dr. Tara Kiran is a family physician and researcher who is passionate about building a stronger, more equitable primary care system in Canada. She practices at St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto where she is also a scientist at MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions. In 2022, Dr. Kiran launched OurCare, a national initiative to engage the public in shaping the future of primary care in Canada. You can learn more about Dr. Kiran’s research here: https://maphealth.ca/kiran/ 
Primary Focus is supported by a grant from the St. Michael’s Foundation. Dr. Tara Kiran is supported as the Fidani Chair in Improvement and Innovation at the University of Toronto and a Scientist in the Departments of Family and Community Medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital and the University of Toronto.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit primaryfocus.substack.com

How is it that 99% of people in the Netherlands have access to primary care? How can Dutch doctors look after large numbers of patients while still providing primary care? Those are some of the questions Dr. Kiran is set on answering when she visits the Netherlands to learn more about their primary care system. In the first of this four part series, Dr. Kiran brings you with her as she visits a GP practice in Nijmegen. She shadows Dr. Tim Olde Hartman and Dr. Suzanne Ligthart to understand a typical work day. She meets key members of their team and unpacks how they all work together. In Part Two, Dr. Kiran introduces you to what she called “the secret sauce” of the Dutch primary care system. Stay tuned!
Mainpro+ Credits
Family doctors in Canada can now earn Mainpro+ credits by listening to Primary Focus Podcast episodes published after May 1, 2026. 
This self-learning Group Learning program has been certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Ontario Chapter for up to 30 Mainpro+ credits, with 1 credit available per eligible episode. To claim your credit, listen to the episode, review the show notes and complete the self-learning survey. Your certificate will be emailed to you. Find more information at OurCare.ca/podcast 
Resources
See a gallery of Dr. Kiran’s photos from her trip to the Netherlands.
Read Dr. Kiran’s 4-part series on the Netherlands published in the Medical Post and the insights she shared with Andre Picard at the Globe and Mail.Listen to Dr. Kiran speaking about her trip on CBC’s White Coat, Black ArtRead an article about Tara’s host, Dr. Tim Olde Hartman: A Giant Standing on the Shoulders of GiantsSubscribe to our Substack newsletter to get bonus content.
Do you have an idea for an episode? Email primary.focus@unityhealth.to 

Dr. Tara Kiran is a family physician and researcher who is passionate about building a stronger, more equitable primary care system in Canada. She practices at St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto where she is also a scientist at MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions. In 2022, Dr. Kiran launched OurCare, a national initiative to engage the public in shaping the future of primary care in Canada. You can learn more about Dr. Kiran’s research here: https://maphealth.ca/kiran/ 
Primary Focus is supported by a grant from the St. Michael’s Foundation. Dr. Tara Kiran is supported as the Fidani Chair in Improvement and Innovation at the University of Toronto and a Scientist in the Departments of Family and Community Medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital and the University of Toronto.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit primaryfocus.substack.com

Is the primary care access problem the cause for ED overcrowding?

Do emergency rooms have to be the safety net in our system - or is there another way?
How can primary care and emergency medicine better collaborate?
While the Primary Focus team takes a brief summer break, we are sharing a special crossover episode from Emergency Medicine Cases. Host Dr. Anton Helman sits down with Dr. Tara Kiran and Dr. Danielle Martin to talk about the place where primary and emergency care meet. Together, they unpack common myths and discuss how  integrated call-first triage, shared digital records, and an educated public can help us build a better system for everyone.
(Note: This episode was recorded in October 2025, prior to Dr. Danielle Martin’s election as Member of Parliament for University-Rosedale.The views and opinions expressed by Dr. Martin in this discussion were her own at the time of recording and do not represent or reflect the views, policies, or positions of the Government of Canada.)
Listen to the full conversation on EM Cases on their podcast feed (search “Emergency Medicine Cases” on your favourite app.
View a one-page summary of the conversation produced by EM Cases
Listen to our previous interview with Dr. Danielle Martin
Read more about the Dutch model of primary care or listen to our 4-part series on primary care in The Netherlands
More about Primary Focus:
Subscribe to our Substack newsletter
Have an idea for an episode? Email primary.focus@unityhealth.to
Tara Kiran is a family physician and researcher who is passionate about building a stronger, more equitable primary care system in Canada. She practices at St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto where she is also a scientist at MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions. In 2022, Dr. Kiran launched OurCare, a national initiative to engage the public in shaping the future of primary care in Canada. 
Primary Focus receives financial support from the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, the St. Michael’s Foundation, and the Max Bell Foundation. Dr. Tara Kiran is supported as the Fidani Chair in Improvement and Innovation at the University of Toronto and a Scientist in the Departments of Family and Community Medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital and the University of Toronto.

Original Emergency Medicine Cases Show Notes:
There are few things more frustrating for an Emergency Physician than caring for patient after patient who lands in the ED not because it’s necessarily the best place for their care, but because every other door in the health care system was closed, confusing or impossible to find. Emergency Medicine and Primary Care often operate in different worlds—one built around rapid diagnosis and uncertainty, the other around continuity and prevention—but our patients move constantly between the two. In this special EM Cases podcast, EM–Primary Care Health Systems Strategies, we step outside the usual ED lens with Dr. Tara Kiran (host of the Primary Focus podcast) and Dr. Danielle Martin to ask how we can deliver the right care, in the right place, at the right time. We challenge assumptions about what drives ED use and explore team-based primary care, after-hours cooperatives, call-first triage, virtual care, information sharing and warm handoffs. Drawing on models from Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark and elsewhere, we finish with practical strategies to reduce fragmentation, improve continuity and make the system work better for patients and providers. 
Please consider a donation to EM Cases to support our mission of providing high quality free open access medical education here: https://emergencymedicinecases.com/donation/. 
Disclaimer: This episode was recorded in October 2025, prior to Dr. Danielle Martin becoming a candidate for government office. The views and opinions expressed by Dr. Martin in this discussion were her own at the time of recording and do not represent or reflect the views, policies, or positions of the Government of Canada.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit primaryfocus.substack.com

Can you imagine driving down the highway and seeing street signs directing you to your local primary care clinic instead of a hospital? In this episode, Dr. Tara Kiran hops in a car with health economist Tino Marti for a healthcare road trip across Catalonia, Spain, to tour three different clinics. They serve different populations in different settings under different governance models. But all three deliver care to every resident in their surrounding community.
First, they visit CAP Vilafranca North, a clinic run by the public agency that runs 80% of Catalonia’s primary care centres, where rotating "health points" ensure even small rural villages of 1,000 people can get care in their community. Next, they tour CAP Castelldefels, a joint venture between the government and local municipalities that embraces the philosophy of "subsidiarity"—allowing nurses and administrative teams to independently treat minor issues so family doctors can focus on complex care. Finally, they head to CAP Sardenya, an entrepreneurial, clinician-owned cooperative that integrates university research and gives doctors more schedule flexibility. 
Listen in to see how the Spanish model combines performance bonuses, quality dashboards, and community engagement to build a system where nobody falls through the cracks.
Learn more about Spanish primary health care:
Read this four-page summary on primary care teams in Catalonia
Review this comprehensive policy paper to dive deeper into primary care transformation in Spain 

Mainpro+ Credits
Family doctors in Canada can now earn Mainpro+ credits by listening to Primary Focus Podcast episodes published after May 1, 2026. 
This self-learning Group Learning program has been certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Ontario Chapter for up to 30 Mainpro+ credits, with 1 credit available per eligible episode. To claim your credit, listen to the episode, review the show notes and complete the self-learning survey. Your certificate will be emailed to you. Find more information at OurCare.ca/podcast 

Listen to More From Our Healthcare Infrastructure Series
In Spain: a primary care centre in every community (Part 1)
In Costa Rica: Integrating Public Health and Primary Care
In Vancouver: A Clinic Accountable to the Community It Serves

More About Primary Focus
Subscribe to our Substack newsletter
Have an idea for an episode? Email primary.focus@unityhealth.to
Tara Kiran is a family physician and researcher who is passionate about building a stronger, more equitable primary care system in Canada. She practices at St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto where she is also a scientist at MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions. In 2022, Dr. Kiran launched OurCare, a national initiative to engage the public in shaping the future of primary care in Canada. You can learn more about Dr. Kiran’s research here: https://maphealth.ca/kiran/ 
Primary Focus receives financial support from the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael’s Foundation, and the Max Bell Foundation. Dr. Tara Kiran is supported as the Fidani Chair in Improvement and Innovation at the University of Toronto and a Scientist in the Departments of Family and Community Medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital and the University of Toronto.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit primaryfocus.substack.com

Imagine living in a country where no resident struggles to access primary care. There are no wait lists. Everyone can be seen at the local health centre, even if they haven’t registered in advance. In this episode, Dr. Tara Kiran takes you on a journey to Spain—where the right to primary care is guaranteed in law and where every community has a local health centre. Walking through the streets and historic health ministries of Barcelona, Tara speaks with health economist Tino Marti and healthcare strategy director Dr. Rafael Ruiz to understand how neighbourhood hubs bring doctors, nurses, social workers, and even publicly-covered psychologists and physiotherapists under one roof to care for entire communities. Finally, Tara sits down with digital health leader Dr. Oscar Solans to learn about La Meva Salut—a  patient app that has given millions of Catalans easy digital access to lab tests, imaging, medications and more since 2009.Learn more about Spanish primary health care
Read this four-page summary on primary care teams in Catalonia
Review this comprehensive policy paper to dive deeper into primary care transformation in Spain 
Mainpro+ Credits
Family doctors in Canada can now earn Mainpro+ credits by listening to Primary Focus Podcast episodes published after May 1, 2026. 
This self-learning Group Learning program has been certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Ontario Chapter for up to 30 Mainpro+ credits, with 1 credit available per eligible episode. To claim your credit, listen to the episode, review the show notes and complete the self-learning survey. Your certificate will be emailed to you. Find more information at OurCare.ca/podcast 
Listen to More Episodes About Community-based Primary Care Models
If you want to learn more about how different jurisdictions organize community-oriented, team-based care models, listen to these related episodes:
In Costa Rica: How a middle-income country built a world-class primary care system
In Costa Rica: Integrating public health and primary care
In Durham: Community Wellness and Black Health
More about Primary Focus:
Subscribe to our Substack newsletter
Have an idea for an episode? Email primary.focus@unityhealth.to
Tara Kiran is a family physician and researcher who is passionate about building a stronger, more equitable primary care system in Canada. She practices at St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto where she is also a scientist at MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions. In 2022, Dr. Kiran launched OurCare, a national initiative to engage the public in shaping the future of primary care in Canada. You can learn more about Dr. Kiran’s research here: https://maphealth.ca/kiran/ 
Primary Focus receives financial support from the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael’s Foundation, and the Max Bell Foundation. Dr. Tara Kiran is supported as the Fidani Chair in Improvement and Innovation at the University of Toronto and a Scientist in the Departments of Family and Community Medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital and the University of Toronto.


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit primaryfocus.substack.com