Athletes and government officials sometimes get quicker access to MRIs: AG

Manitobans are waiting longer for magnetic resonance imaging tests, partly because some people such as injured workers, professional athletes and government officials are given faster service, the province's auditor general said Thursday.

"Some patients were given higher priority for non-medical reasons," Ricard wrote in his 43-page report.

"On average, members of professional sports teams received MRI scans within a day of referral. And some patients with influence such as government officials, donors or people working in the health care system received quick scans, often the same or next day and without any priority code assigned to their request forms."

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The report said some facilities give priority service to people covered by private insurance, such as pro athletes. One Winnipeg centre has an agreement with the Workers Compensation Board to scan injured workers within 20 days.

The WCB used to pay for the service, but now receives the speedy treatment for free, Ricard told CBC.

The report did not delve into which government officials might have received faster service.Ricardsaid in an interview he did not get into names because of confidentiality rules in the health system. He also said any influential people may have been given priority service without their knowledge.

"We didn't find any conclusive evidence that these people sought expedited access,"Ricardsaid.

Health Minister KelvinGoertzensaid the issue would be examined.

"Any time I hear that somebody might be getting a treatment not based on what they need, but who they know or who they are, I would be concerned."

NDP health critic MattWiebe, a backbencher in the NDP government before the Tories won last year's election, said he had not heardof any government officials being fast-tracked.

Wait times nearly doubled in 5 years

As of last June, the average wait time for an MRI scan in the province was 23 weeks almost twice as long as the wait five years earlier.

While the increase is due largely to a fast-rising demand for scans,Ricardpointed to a number of aggravating factors that occurred under the former NDP government.

The government did not properly compare thebenefits of different locations before announcing some new MRI scanners,Ricardwrote. There was also no review to see whether expanding the operating hours at existing centres might be more efficient than adding new machines, he added.

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The province lacks a centralized system to process requests for scans, leading to different wait times in different areas. And there are very few measures taken to cut down on the number of unnecessary tests,Ricardwrote.

"Several ... staff told us inappropriate MRI requests are a problem and the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health reports that evidence indicates 10 to 20 per cent of medical imaging exams are unnecessary or inappropriate."

Wiebesaid the former government was focused on getting MRI scanners to different areas of the province to address growing demand and reduce travel time for patients. There were only two scanners in the province in 2004. The NDP had added nine by 2011,Ricardnoted.

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The Tory government has left the door open to following Saskatchewan's lead and allowing private clinics to charge for MRI scans as long as they perform an equal number of free scans for people on the public waiting list.

But Federal Health Minister JanePhilpotthas condemned that system as bad policy, bad medicine and a violation of the Canada Health Act.

"We remain open to those suggestions or options,"Goertzensaid.

"We've had ... a few proposals that go along that direction. We need to review them more in-depth."