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Canada Newswire Mon Sep 29 2014

TORONTO, Sept. 29, 2014 /CNW/ - As Ontario's new Health Minister Dr. Eric Hoskins sits down with provincial and territorial Health Ministers for their fall meeting this week, experts and patient advocates hope that he'll carry a strong message. Across Canada advocates are calling on the B.C. Health Minister to hang tough on the Medicare court challenge which threatens open season on patient user fees for surgeries, diagnostics and other procedures. The case was scheduled to begin on September 8, but lawyers for both Brian Day, owner of one of the largest private clinics in Canada, and the B.C. government asked the court for a delay in order to negotiate a settlement. Negotiations are now happening behind closed doors and the court date is delayed until March 2015.

Following a provincial audit in 2012 which revealed that Day was charging hundreds of thousands of dollars in unlawful user fees to patients, Day filed a Charter Challenge to nullify the laws that he was violating. His case aims to bring down the laws that protect single-tier Medicare and forbid clinics like his from extra-billing patients and charging user fees for care that currently must be provided without charge under the public health care system. The litigation has far-reaching implications for the entire country. Day's clinics were first exposed by patients who complained they were unlawfully billed for medical procedures. The B.C. government responded by trying to audit the clinics. Day refused to let in auditors until forced by a court order, and even then the clinics did not fully comply with auditors. Auditors had access to only a portion of the clinics' billings and only one month's worth of data. Nevertheless, what they found was astonishing. In a period of about 30 days, patients were subject to almost half a million dollars in user charges. The five patients who brought the initial legal petition have had their trial delayed while Day's Charter Challenge to the laws upholding single-tier Medicare is heard. They are still waiting for redress.

by Will Falk (Show all posts by Will Falk) May 27, 2015

This is the “sharing economy”.

An under-appreciated feature of the return of sharing, however, is the impact on government— not only as regulator, but also as a deliverer of public services. Though a strict definition of the sharing economy does not translate perfectly into publicly provided programming, its key principles— creating trust through feedback, community collaboration, scheduling efficiency, asset optimization, and payment settlement— are well-suited to entrepreneurialism in public sector delivery models, including in healthcare.

Montreal Gazette Wed Jul 29 2015

The Quebec government is ordering hospitals and other health facilities to slash $150 million from their budgets for medical tests, imaging scans and procedures to patients that it has judged are not "pertinent to care," the Montreal Gazette has learned. In total, the Health Department is aiming to chop $583 million in spending through so-called optimization measures. And in a bizarre twist, the government has decided that it won't provide hospitals funding for next year's leap year day, Feb. 29, which will fall on a Monday, saving it $64 million.

t's up to hospitals to cover the shortfall on that day out of their own already diminished budgets. One of the biggest cutbacks will take place at the McGill University Health Centre, which last year was forced to cut $50 million from its budget. It must now reduce its spending by an extra $21 million. Of all the "optimization measures," the most controversial is compelling doctors to stop ordering tests the government now considers "unnecessary" in the context of austerity. Patient-rights advocates and managers in the health system are warning that this sets a dangerous precedent, opening the door to ageism and the prospect of clinicians no longer performing tests for people above a certain age. Reducing the number of tests in the public system could also result in an increase in the number of tests in private clinics. Health minister Gaétan Barrette has said he plans to propose legislation in August that would permit private clinics to start charging patients fees for some tests and procedures that would otherwise be covered under medicare in the public system.

The Leader-Post (Regina) Mon Oct 26 2015

In the final sitting of the legislature before the spring election, Premier Brad Wall's government plans to pass Bill 179 to facilitate private user-pay MRIs in Saskatchewan. As a longtime family doctor, I see this as a cynical political move that caters to public fears about long wait lists for imaging, but which will actually work to make things worse for patients who truly need an MRI.

There is very clear evidence that, far from relieving pressures in the public system, offering a separate stream for the wealthy to jump the queue actually lengthens public wait lists. This has been shown over and over again, whether it be with cataract surgery, diagnostic imaging or surgical procedures. MRI is no different.

the guideline committees that make recommendations do not appear to consider cost-effectiveness, opportunity costs, and the potential harms of decisions to broaden screening guidelines

Not only are we screening with widespread laboratory testing at younger ages, but our definition of disease is also shifting.

In BC, there has been a 13.9% increase per year in treatment rates for 8 chronic diseases, beyond what would be expected for the changing demographic characteristics of the population

A public inquiry looking into the issue of queue-jumping in Alberta's health-care system got underway Monday with testimony from a health law expert, who suggested the availability of diagnostic tests at private clinics poses a concern to the principle of equality of access.William Lahey, a professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax

Section 3 of the Alberta Health Care Protection Act deals with queue-jumping by making it illegal to accept money or a service to provide priority access to an insured medical service.

The commission's lead counsel, Michele Hollins, described the testimony from Lahey and health consultant Jim Saunders as a way to "set the scene" before actual witness testimony begins Tuesday.

Some hospital procedures are paid by OHIP. Most are paid out of global budgets. Each and every procedure is paid for by OHIP in a private clinic — an incentive to do more than medically necessary.

government pays about 50 per cent more to have tests done in the private sector than in a hospital according to a 2008 consultants report.

Last year Ontario hospitals were being allocated $260 per hour to perform MRIs. Hospitals do an average of 1.5 MRIs per hour. Canada Diagnostics, a private for-profit MRI company that operates clinics in British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec, states on its website that it charges between $900 and $1,600 for an MRI.

a public inquiry into queue jumping in the public health-care system reveals all sorts of interesting data about a state-of-the-art colon cancer screening clinic associated with the University of Calgary’s medical school.

patients who were clients of a boutique private clinic, a privilege for which they paid $10,000 a year, were booked for screening colonoscopies almost instantaneously. Other patients usually waited two to three years for the widely promoted procedure.

In his book Seeking Sickness, Alan Cassels of the University of Victoria points out that colon cancer screening by stool sample or colonoscopy only reduces deaths from 8.83 per thousand to 5.88 per thousand, or about 3 per thousand.

TORONTO — Provinces and territories will likely have to expand home care as a way to deal with the demographic deluge of aging Canadians, two premiers said Friday during a gathering of provincial health ministers.

Provinces and territories will likely have to expand home care as a way to deal with the demographic deluge of aging Canadians, two premiers said Friday during a gathering of provincial health ministers.

An aging population was at the top of the working group’s agenda as a major concern because it’s consuming more health-care dollars, said P.E.I. Premier Robert Ghiz.

The 58-year-old was one of more than 31 registered practical nurses and several registered nurses affected by the cutbacks.

The hospital are dealing with a $14-million deficit and must balance its books by 2014.

Sue McIntyre, president of CUPE Local 139, said non-nursing staff could be next.

However, Quebec radiologists are against universal coverage for the tests.

Patients should have access based on their health needs, not their financial means, Alain Vadeboncoeur, head of Quebec Doctors for Medicare (Médecins québécois pour le régime public)

the wait times for ultrasounds, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and CT scans can be as long as two years in hospitals, while the same services are available in less than 24 hours in private clinics. For patients without private insurance, MRIs done outside of a hospital can cost between $700 and $1,000.

The Peterborough Examiner Mon Oct 19 2015

QUINTE WEST -Natalie Mehra was blunt with her assessment of the proposed cost-cutting measures facing Trenton Memorial Hospital. On a scale of one to ten, Mehra rated the severity of cuts at nine. "They are setting the ground work for the demise of the hospital. There will be no future in it," said the executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition. But the Coalition wants Quinte West and Brighton to keep fighting back, even harder than in previous years. "I am a bit worried because people get tired of fighting back. But our (the Coalition) message is that when you push back hard enough we can often win. Every community should be demanding long term stability when it comes to their hospitals. The bottom line is there should be a basket of good services available in every hospital," said Mehra.

The Coalition and Our TMH are planning a massive day of protest set for Friday, Nov. 13 at Trenton's Centennial Park beginning at 12- noon. Mehra said the protest will include the involvement from people from across eastern Ontario from Perth to Brockville and west to Quinte West and the Peterborough region. "We're asking community volunteers, residents, nurses, and medical staff to be there. It's extremely important," said Mehra. Trenton Memorial isn't the only small hospital that's being hit.

Oct 25, 2016

The CUPE Saskatchewan Health Care Council Medical Diagnostic Technologists and Technicians Committee has developed a survey to get more information about how workload and staffing issues are affecting members at work and at home. 

Waterloo Region Record Tue Nov 1 2016

We're paying some of the highest costs in the world for health care and we've got a middle-of-the-road health-care system." - Jane Philpott

On Oct. 18, the provincial health ministers met in Toronto and pushed for restoration of the previous six per cent annual increase in federal transfers in a renewed Health Accord. Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott refused, but promised extra funding targeted to home care, mental health and system innovation. But many provinces balked. As Quebec Health Minister Gaetan Barrette stated, "We are being asked to do more with less. All provinces and territories will have to make difficult choices."

The firm will look at whether services are being provided at a reasonable cost, if they're producing good results and if expectations are being met. (File Photo)

November 1, 2016

WINNIPEG – The consulting firm KPMG LLP has been awarded a government contract to find ways to eliminate waste in Manitoba's health care system and improve its efficiency and responsiveness. The province says the government, regional health authorities, Diagnostic Services of Manitoba, Cancer Care Manitoba and the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba will be included in the Health Care Sustainability and Innovation Review.

Immigration, energy and health-care among hot topics at gathering in Annapolis Royal

May 16, 2016

The four Atlantic premiers have found a way to save money by joining forces to buy diagnostic health-care equipment, but say what they really need is a new deal with Ottawa to ensure adequate health services. During a meeting that wrapped up Monday in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Royal, the premiers discussed topics such as immigration and energy as well as the need to address health care in the region.

Manitoba Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen is considering allowing Manitoba to become the sixth province in Canada to let people buy MRI scans — and other diagnostic tests like CT scans — directly from private clinics.

Goertzen visited Saskatchewan last week on a fact finding mission to get a closer look at some of the health care reforms they've made in recent years. And one of the things that piqued the rookie health minister's interest was the move by the Saskatchewan government to allow private clinics to sell MRI scans to patients, while still providing services to the public sector.

"If there's evidence that's provided that says that that can work in Manitoba, I would be doing Manitobans a disservice not to look at it," said Goertzen. Critics opposed to private clinics say it's unfair for anyone to get quicker service for a medically necessary test just because they have the ability to pay. That's ideology. That's not evidence-based decision making.

September 8, 2016

Canadians saw the worst-case scenario of a disjointed health care system in 2012, when Greg Price died after a series of missed communications. One of the key problems was a missed test result. After a doctor at a walk-in clinic found a mass in his abdomen that he worried could be cancer, he ordered an urgent CT scan.

Continuity of Patient Care study from The Health Quality Council of Alberta

Dec 11, 2013

Alberta Health Services is going ahead with its plan to privatize all of its diagnostic lab services in Edmonton. The health authority announced Wednesday that a request for proposal has been issued for a private provider to establish a single $3 billion lab for the Edmonton Zone. The new lab will replace hospital labs operated by AHS and Covenant Health as well as the services provided by DynaLIFE.

increased for-profit delivery has led to decreased transparency

Using for-profit laboratories increases the cost of diagnostic testing and hinders the integration of health care services

In 2012, Canadian governments will pay private corporations over a billion dollars (a conservative extrapolation from recent spending in Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan)1 for medical laboratory services, making them among the most privatized of Canada’s essential medical services.