Canadian health care's 'one issue per visit' problem

Canadian health care's 'one issue per visit' problem has been around for a long time and is widely regarded as a symptom of the fee-for-service system — where physicians bill the government per appointment rather than draw a salary. ( TippaPatt/Shutterstock)

The problem of “one issue per visit” of Canadian health care is not a novelty. This problem has existed for a long time and is considered a symptom of the fee-for-service system, where doctors bill the government by appointment instead of receiving a salary.

Even so, some doctors question whether restricting access is ethical; others see why it is necessary to establish limits.

In this way, the problem of “one issue per visit” has been around for a long time and is considered a symptom of the fee-for-service system, where doctors bill the government by appointment instead of receiving a salary. It’s the way that more than 70 percent of Canadian doctors are paid. A family doctor is usually paid between $ 30 and $ 40 per patient for a regular visit.

A problem that should be treated

As already mentioned, the aforementioned problem is not a novelty. It has been around for a long time. In fact, in 2012, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba, the provincial licensing and disciplinary body for doctors, even warned about the “one issue per visit” approach after a doctor allegedly refused to hear the complaint of a woman about chest pains because they had already discussed another problem. A week later, he had a heart attack and died.

Similarly, in 2016, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia also intervened, discouraging their doctors from publishing such signs and warning that a doctor can not use “just a problem” as a defense if a patient files a formal complaint about the bad attention.

For its part, the Canadian Association for Medical Protection, which represents doctors in legal matters, also warned that such a policy could be “risky” because it forces patients to “classify their own symptoms without the knowledge, skills, and judgment. to do it”.

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Source: Vik Adhopia | CBC News