Quebec announces measures to ease burden on doctors
Posted February 20, 2024 11:16 am.
Last Updated February 20, 2024 11:24 am.
Quebec is looking to increase the time doctors dedicate to their patients by reducing their administrative burden – with improvements that they say will add more than 138,000 medical appointments per year for Quebecers.
Health Minister Christian Dubé and Labour Minister Jean Boulet announced new measures on Tuesday. These will allow doctors to determine when their patients who are receiving compensation from the ‘Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail’ (CNESST) must bee seen again for their follow-up that they deem clinically relevant.
“Our government is committed to reducing the administrative burden in the health and social services network. It is at the heart of our Health Plan and in line with our vision for more humane and more efficient services,” said Dubé.
For example, a patient on sick leave for a fracture normally takes eight weeks to recover. They currently must see their doctor every three weeks to have a form completed that allows them to get their compensation. Their doctor can now decide when to see them again in eight weeks.
In addition, Quebec is abolishing duplicating application forms for long-term care accommodation.
This form is currently completed first by a professional and then by a doctor for validation, but doctors will no longer have to complete the form twice.
This change will free up doctors’ time, while speeding up the request process for admission to network services, particularly in CHSLDs the government says.
“I am pleased that this new approach allows for efficiency gains without impact on the duration of compensation payments or on the rights and levers of intervention of workers and employers,” explained Boulet.
The CAQ explains that these new measures have been developed in collaboration with the Fédération des médecins omnipraticiens du Québec (FMOQ), the CNESST and several other partners – based on their recommendations.
This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews.
