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
Leave a Reply