Health minister's plan to ban extra billing would hurt patients, specialists say

Health MinisterGatan Barrette's plans to banauxiliary feesat thedoctor's office will make it more difficult for patients to get essential treatment in a timely manner, says theQuebec Federation of Medical Specialists.

"In Quebec,specialist services are offered outside of the hospitals, much more than other provinces," Diane Francur, the head of the association, said during anews conference Thursday.

Francoeursaid the fees allowthem to purchase badly needed equipment.

"We aren't discussingeyedrops," she said. "It's equipment that could be very expensive and that needs to be paid by somebody. Now we know it's not going to be the patient. We worry that these[pieces of]equipmentwill not be funded anymore...We have solutions. Now we need to sit down with the minister and make a plan."

• Quebec health minister vows to end auxiliary fees by mid-January

But Barrette said there's no need for specialiststo worry about being able to afford new machines.

"In the vast majority of instances, [the auxiliary fees] are forservices that do not involve heavy equipment," Barrette said on CBC Radio One's Homerunon Thursday afternoon.

"It is true though that in very limited situations, it does involve heavy equipment, and there we are talking about mainly endoscopiesand operating rooms...Doctors who want to practice those procedures outside the hospital should have gone private. Some of them do that, but some take money on both sides. They are paid on the public side and they're billing patients for paying for that equipment."

He said specialists will have to make a choice.

"Doctors will have to decide if they go totally private for the heavy procedures, or not."

Barrette's commitmentto putting an end to supplementary fees will take effect inmid-January 2017.

The extra fees that the doctors' office will be allowed to charge will be for thetransport of biological samplesfrom a private clinic or specialist, to a maximum of $15 for a blood sampleand $5 for all other kinds of samples, Barrette said.

As well, apatient who needs a doctor to fill out and sign a form for example, for the SAAQ,the province'sautomobile insurance board, or for anemployer would still be expected to pay $40 to $80.

Groups such asCanadian Doctors for Medicare have been pressing Quebec to crack down on user fees.

Dr. Monika Dutt, chair of the organization,said extra fees are an impediment to universal care.

"I'm thrilled this decision has finally been made," Dutt said.

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Some examples of fees expected to be abolished include:

• Eye drops: $20 to $300.
• Inserting an IUD: $125 to $200.
• Instruments and medicationfor a colonoscopy: $500.

More details are expected to be released later this month.