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Bringing about a higher level of transparency and accountability in provincial and federal governments to help protect taxpayers from abuse

Bringing about a higher level of transparency and accountability in provincial and federal governments to help protect taxpayers from abuse.

Should Canada have a hybrid public-private healthcare system?

A constitutional challenge to B.C.’s ban on private health insurance is underway, reigniting a debate on whether Canada’s publicly-funded healthcare system should be open to some privatization.Landmark private healthcare lawsuit heads to courtVictor Rodwin, a professor of health policy and management at New York University, has studied different healthcare systems across the world.He told CBC’s The Early Edition that a hybrid public-private healthcare system, like the one in Germany, could reduce patient wait times — but only if properly implemented.

Source: Should Canada have a hybrid public-private healthcare system? – British Columbia – CBC News

Cost of paying Canada’s doctors rose almost 4 per cent, to $25B: report 

TORONTO — A new report shows the number of physicians in Canada grew last year as did the overall cost of their services, which rose almost four per cent to $25 billion.

The report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) tallied the number of doctors across the country in 2015 at more than 82,000.

For the ninth year running, the number of physicians increased at a faster rate than the population. There are now more doctors per person than ever before — 228 for every 100,000 Canadians.

Source: Cost of paying Canada’s doctors rose almost 4 per cent, to $25B: report | CTV News

The terrible cost of waste in health care

In a publicly run health-care system where demand is infinite and resources finite, there will always be people denied care.Deciding who will live, or have a chance at life, and who will die, is one of the crueler ways Ontario governments have long controlled the costs of health care.Another is long waiting lists for treatment.Because of this rationing, politicians like Health Minister Eric Hoskins are quick to point out they leave decisions about who to treat to medical professionals.

Source: The terrible cost of waste in health care | Editorial | Opinion | Toronto Sun

Canadian Cancer agency spinoff faces fraud allegations 

A would-be Chinese immigrant businesswoman is suing a troubled BC Cancer Agency spinoff company after a board member allegedly defrauded her out of more than C$200,000 (US$153,422) by promising to help fast-track her immigration application under the Provincial Nominee Program.In two lawsuits filed a year apart, plaintiff Yaping Lai claims in BC Supreme Court that Kuen Yu “Joseph” Kwok, a self-described “prominent businessman and a director of several notable companies, including Perceptronix Medical Inc.” defrauded her out of more than C$200,000 in connection with her bid to immigrate to Canada.Perceptronix was spun off from the BC Cancer Agency in 1999 to commercialise automated cancer-screening technology. Lai claims she lives and works in China and speaks no English. She claims she signed two deals with Kwok in February 2014, one worth C$420,000 (US$322,131) for Kwok handling her immigration application, and another worth C$1 million (US$766,857) for shares in Perceptronix.

Source: Canadian Cancer agency spinoff faces fraud allegations | South China Morning Post

Death, bankruptcy and longer wait times: Ottawa warned about more private health care

Justin Trudeau’s government is gearing up for its first big battle against for-profit health care and it’s armed with some dire warnings.They come from an expert report commissioned by the federal government for a court case in British Columbia in which the government sought and received intervener status.The report, which was obtained by CBC News, lists many potential negative consequences if there were to be more access to private health care in Canada, including greater income inequality, more people in dire financial straits, and even doctors encouraging longer wait times in the public system in order to nudge patients into the private system.

Source: Death, bankruptcy and longer wait times: Ottawa warned about more private health care – Politics – CBC News

Total payments to doctors in Canada reach $25B

Physicians in Canada were paid a total of $25 billion in 2014–2015, up from $24.1 billion during the previous period, according to a new report.

The average payment per physician remained virtually unchanged at $339,000 nationally, the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) said Tuesday in its annual report.

Total gross payments to physicians represent an increase of 3.7 per cent over the previous year — the second-lowest increase since 1999–2000.

Source: Total payments to doctors in Canada reach $25B CBC

Medical fees reduced for Alberta specialists 

Alberta radiologists and ophthalmologists will see a handful of their medical fees reduced starting this fall as the province pushes ahead to reform the physician compensation system.The decision to reduce fees for cataract extractions, eye injections and fluoroscopies was one of the first major accomplishments of a joint physician-government committee, which now hopes to use the same process for a wider review of payments.“The value of this decision, even though it affected a small number of fees, is that it demonstrated the process can work,” said Dr. Carl Nohr, president of the Alberta Medical Association, which represents doctors.“This is a unique structure in Canada where we can have a discussion about what the value of a fee code can be. We can agree or disagree with Alberta Health, but at the end of the day, a decision is made so we don’t end up in gridlock.”

Source: Medical fees reduced for Alberta specialists | Edmonton Journal

Ontario doctors challenge ruling that would identify top OHIP billers 

The Ontario Medical Association is seeking to overturn a landmark decision by the province’s privacy commissioner to release the names of top-billing doctors.

In addition, a group of about 40 doctors and one physician acting alone who are on the list have made separate applications for a judicial review of an order from the privacy commissioner to release to the Toronto Star the identities of the top 100 billers.

The three parties filed applications this week with the province’s divisional court to quash the ruling made June 1 by the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.

Source: Ontario doctors challenge ruling that would identify top OHIP billers | Toronto Star

Health ministry ordered to disclose names on OHIP billings 

The province’s privacy commission has ordered the health ministry to release the names of doctors along with their OHIP billings, in the interests of transparency and accountability.

The decision comes two years after the Star began requesting physician-identified billings from the health ministry, and brings the province more in line with other jurisdictions that are opting to disclose public funds paid to doctors.

In granting an appeal from the Toronto Star, John Higgins, an adjudicator with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, said physician-identified billings are not “personal information” and are, therefore, not exempt from disclosure under the province’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Source: Health ministry ordered to disclose names on OHIP billings | Toronto Star

Ontario’s top-billing doctor charged OHIP $6.6M last year 

An eye specialist who charged the Ontario Health Insurance Plan a “staggering” $6.6 million last year is one of 500 doctors on a secret list billing more than $1 million annually, Health Minister Eric Hoskins said Friday.

He revealed the numbers — but refused to release doctors’ names for privacy reasons — to pressure the Ontario Medical Association as the government seeks to lower the amounts paid for some medical services.

The gambit comes as the Star has been trying for more than two years to get access to physician billings, by name, through access to information legislation. The OMA has opposed the Star’s effort.

A decision expected soon from Information and Privacy Commissioner Brian Beamish will guide Hoskins, who said he won’t “pre-judge or pre-empt” the findings. Two decades ago, then-health minister Jim Wilson was forced to step aside ‎while the information and privacy commissioner investigated, and was later reinstated.

Source: Ontario’s top-billing doctor charged OHIP $6.6M last year | Toronto Star