BONNYVILLE – Local physicians are voicing their concerns about how provincial changes could impact rural healthcare.
“The physician group is very aware of the need for cost restraint and cuts, but unfortunately, the government has taken steps that focus those cuts predominantly to family medicine,” expressed Dr. Travis Webster, physician at the Bonnyville Medical Clinic.
On Wednesday, March 11, doctors from Bonnyville, Cold Lake, Lac La Biche, and St. Paul will be sharing how the changes could impact local residents at the Bonnyville Seniors’ Drop-In Centre starting at 7 p.m.
The new physician funding framework was announced on Feb. 20 after the provincial government and Alberta Medical Assocation (AMA) failed to reach an agreement during negotiations and mediation. Set to come into effect on April 1, according to the province, the new model will maintain $5.4-billion spent on physcians in Alberta but avoid the anticiated cost overruns of $2-billion over the next three years.
Included the framework's 11 proposals is changes to how doctors bill for patients with complex needs. Known as the complex modifier, starting next year doctors will need to spend 25 minutes with a patient before the additional time can be billed, compared to the previous 15-minute mark. For this year, the base time won't change, however the rate will be reduced to $9 from $18.
The proposals also inlcude a cap of 65 office visits per day (exempting rural locations), removing physician overhead subsidies from all hospital-based services, reducing the number of days physicians have to make claims to 90 from 180, and requiring patients over 74.5 years to pay out-of-pocket for any medical exams needed to get a driver's license.
Following the announcement, doctors warned the adjustments could see patients facing longer wait times for short appointments, communities who already struggle with doctor recruitment could see a shortage of those willing to practice, and clinics may close in the coming months as a result.
“As it is, our patients struggle for appropriate care. Patients shouldn’t have to wait weeks to see their family physician, they shouldn’t have to travel so much for care… That’s my biggest concern, that these cuts are going to make it even worse, that these patients are going to have to wait even longer and not get the care that they deserve," Webster expressed.
According to Webster, a majority of the changes didn’t take into account a rural doctor’s workload and how it differs from practices in urban centres.
“When they’re making these cuts, they aren’t necessarily considering the expenses that we carry and also in the same vane when we’re doing work in the hospital, we’re not in the clinic, but we’re maintaining that clinic facility, which is an expense entirely carried by the physicians,” he detailed, adding it’s another issue when it comes to attracting doctors to the area.
“Up to 30 per cent of our population lives in a rural setting, but only seven per cent of our physicians practice in a rural setting. We’ve been struggling for a long time. It’s been difficult for us to recruit and retain physicians and rather than giving us something to help provide better care in our rural area, they’re enforcing steps that make it more difficult to provide the level of care that we’ve been doing now, which we would like to improve and not worsen.”
MD of Bonnyville Reeve Greg Sawchuk stressed the importance of Wednesday’s meeting.
“They’re our front-line workers. The doctors see the day-to-day, they know exactly what’s going on, and where the shortfalls in the Alberta healthcare are.”
Town of Bonnyville Mayor Gene Sobolewski agreed, “I’m very worried, specifically because we’ve worked so hard in collaboration with the doctors in our health unit and the MD to get where we are and then all of a sudden with the stroke of a pen all that hard work (is gone).”
Municipal leaders wanted to give physicians a forum to express their issues with the changes that could impact residents.
“I think people should hear from the medical community,” expressed City of Cold Lake Mayor Craig Copeland. “I think we’re seeing this across Alberta, a lot of the doctors’ groups are rallying together within communities to provide residents with their concerns, what this might mean for the level of service that’s provided when you go and see a doctor.”
Webster encouraged residents to attend the meeting and to “advocate for their care.”
“They shouldn’t stand by and accept less care than they receive in urban settings, and it’s time that our elected leaders and politicians are aware of that because the physicians are doing everything they can. We’re just understaffed, resourced, and supported to do that.”
