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The Canadian Press: Overhauling health-care system tops agenda at annual meeting of Canada's doctors
The incoming president of the Canadian Medical Association says this country's health-care system is sick and doctors need to develop a plan to cure it.
Dr. Anne Doig says patients are getting less than optimal care and she adds that physicians from across the country - who will gather in Saskatoon on Sunday for their annual meeting - recognize that changes must be made.
The pitch for change at the conference is to start with a presentation from Dr. Robert Ouellet, the current president of the CMA, who has said there's a critical need to make Canada's health-care system patient-centred. He will present details from his fact-finding trip to Europe in January, where he met with health groups in England, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands and France.
His thoughts on the issue are already clear. Ouellet has been saying since his return that "a health-care revolution has passed us by," that it's possible to make wait lists disappear while maintaining universal coverage and "that competition should be welcomed, not feared."
In other words, Ouellet believes there could be a role for private health-care delivery within the public system.
He has also said the Canadian system could be restructured to focus on patients if hospitals and other health-care institutions received funding based on the patients they treat, instead of an annual, lump-sum budget. This "activity-based funding" would be an incentive to provide more efficient care, he has said.
The Canadian Press: Overhauling health-care system tops agenda at annual meeting of Canada's doctors
The incoming president of the Canadian Medical Association says this country's health-care system is sick and doctors need to develop a plan to cure it.
Dr. Anne Doig says patients are getting less than optimal care and she adds that physicians from across the country - who will gather in Saskatoon on Sunday for their annual meeting - recognize that changes must be made.
The pitch for change at the conference is to start with a presentation from Dr. Robert Ouellet, the current president of the CMA, who has said there's a critical need to make Canada's health-care system patient-centred. He will present details from his fact-finding trip to Europe in January, where he met with health groups in England, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands and France.
His thoughts on the issue are already clear. Ouellet has been saying since his return that "a health-care revolution has passed us by," that it's possible to make wait lists disappear while maintaining universal coverage and "that competition should be welcomed, not feared."
In other words, Ouellet believes there could be a role for private health-care delivery within the public system.
He has also said the Canadian system could be restructured to focus on patients if hospitals and other health-care institutions received funding based on the patients they treat, instead of an annual, lump-sum budget. This "activity-based funding" would be an incentive to provide more efficient care, he has said.
I find it interesting that this post has received no comments to date. I would have thought that all of those who for weeks have been singing the praises of single-payor health care would at least have tried to undermine, if not the substance of the article, at least its source. That's how they usually deal with inconvenient truths, to borrow a phrase. The issue is probably moot now that the White House is dropping its insistence that any health care reform include a public option.
This goes along with the Candian Supreme Court decision that came down about 4 years ago to allow private health insurance in Canada (which had previously been banned). More and more Candians are looking outside their system.
"We all agree that the system is imploding, we all agree that things are more precarious than perhaps Canadians realize," Doing said in an interview with The Canadian Press.
"We know that there must be change," she said. "We're all running flat out, we're all just trying to stay ahead of the immediate day-to-day demands."
Yes, where are all those who hold up the Canadian system as a shining light of HC utopia?
It is truly amazing when all their arguments about government-run HC are shot to sh*t.
The Canadian Press: Overhauling health-care system tops agenda at annual meeting of Canada's doctors
The incoming president of the Canadian Medical Association says this country's health-care system is sick and doctors need to develop a plan to cure it.
Dr. Anne Doig says patients are getting less than optimal care and she adds that physicians from across the country - who will gather in Saskatoon on Sunday for their annual meeting - recognize that changes must be made.
The pitch for change at the conference is to start with a presentation from Dr. Robert Ouellet, the current president of the CMA, who has said there's a critical need to make Canada's health-care system patient-centred. He will present details from his fact-finding trip to Europe in January, where he met with health groups in England, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands and France.
His thoughts on the issue are already clear. Ouellet has been saying since his return that "a health-care revolution has passed us by," that it's possible to make wait lists disappear while maintaining universal coverage and "that competition should be welcomed, not feared."
In other words, Ouellet believes there could be a role for private health-care delivery within the public system.
He has also said the Canadian system could be restructured to focus on patients if hospitals and other health-care institutions received funding based on the patients they treat, instead of an annual, lump-sum budget. This "activity-based funding" would be an incentive to provide more efficient care, he has said.
I wonder if he addressed where the Canadians will go when America turns them away for needed treatments/surgery.
The main point of the article is "that it's possible to make wait lists disappear while maintaining universal coverage". Doig is not against government health care - just thinks that it can be run much better.
Quote:
I find it interesting that this post has received no comments to date.
There was another almost identical thread with comments but the moderator's death panel made it disappear.
There are some people in Canada that want to see more private competition introduced in Canada. They are in the minority and it is generally considered to be political suicide to advocate for a two tiered medical system. Even when right-wing governments are elected to majorities, the public health care system is considered safe.
That is not to say that there isn't elements of privatization in Canada. Doctor's offices and walk-in medical centres are all privately owned although they do bill the government for each patient and service rendered. My family doctor has a private testing clinic in her medical building that will provide blood tests, x-rays and other diagnostic tests similar to a hospital and I only need to show my health card for them to be able to bill the government for the tests that my family doctor requested. The tests are administered and the results are processed privately but it is paid through public funds.
Canadians would generally be uncomfortable with for-profit hospitals as we would inherently trust our governmental system to look after our best interests rather than someone would first needs to ensure their bottom line and show a profit. When you have a serious health problem the last thing you want to worry about is whether you represent a profit or a loss to somebody else.
The Canadian Press: Overhauling health-care system tops agenda at annual meeting of Canada's doctors
The incoming president of the Canadian Medical Association says this country's health-care system is sick and doctors need to develop a plan to cure it.
Dr. Anne Doig says patients are getting less than optimal care and she adds that physicians from across the country - who will gather in Saskatoon on Sunday for their annual meeting - recognize that changes must be made.
The pitch for change at the conference is to start with a presentation from Dr. Robert Ouellet, the current president of the CMA, who has said there's a critical need to make Canada's health-care system patient-centred. He will present details from his fact-finding trip to Europe in January, where he met with health groups in England, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands and France.
His thoughts on the issue are already clear. Ouellet has been saying since his return that "a health-care revolution has passed us by," that it's possible to make wait lists disappear while maintaining universal coverage and "that competition should be welcomed, not feared."
In other words, Ouellet believes there could be a role for private health-care delivery within the public system.
He has also said the Canadian system could be restructured to focus on patients if hospitals and other health-care institutions received funding based on the patients they treat, instead of an annual, lump-sum budget. This "activity-based funding" would be an incentive to provide more efficient care, he has said.
Problem is Canada's health system works; enjoys wide support.
Meanwhile ours doesn't, we are the least satisfied with ours than is any other developed (maybe not US, anymore) nation.
And the World Health Org ranks the US between Costa rica (we are behind) and Slovenia (we are just ahead) in terms of health care outcomes.
He isn't Canada's top doctor in the same sense that the United States has a Surgeon General. The head of the C.M.A. isn't associated with government in any way.
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Canada's top doctor: Health care system 'imploding'...
