Access to virtual care in jeopardy after fee structure changes
The province is set to cut fees it pays doctors for virtual care visits on Thursday, impacting millions of patients across Ontario who rely on the service.
Robyn Edwards turned to virtual care after losing her family doctor two years ago.
"The Rocket Doctor system has been a saving grace for me," Edwards said. "It has prevented me a few times from going to an emergency room."
Edwards needs annual biopsies and relies on virtual doctors for referrals.
"Thankfully last week I was able to get a referral from Rocket Doctor but if this was after December 1st I wouldn't be able to do that," she said "I don't know what I'm going to do next year. I'm on a waitlist, I've joined every list that I come across."
As of Dec. 1, the province is cutting fees it pays physicians for virtual care visits after reaching an agreement with the Ontario Medical Association (OMA).
"We're talking about 50 per cent reduction," said Dr. William Cherniak, a physician and founder and CEO of virtual care platform Rocket Doctor.
He also started an online petition calling for technology to be embraced to ensure access.
"The way that things are changing is it will become essentially impossible for physicians to provide the comprehensive coordinated care that they've been doing on Rocket Doctor for any patient that they haven't previously seen in person," he said. "And so millions of people are going to lose access to care tomorrow."
In a statement the OMA said "there was no publicly funded virtual care in Ontario before the pandemic, except for limited services through the Ontario Telemedicine Network."
"The OMA believes the best care is inside the patient-doctor relationship. Virtual care is fully funded by OHIP under this new agreement when there is this ongoing relationship."
For one-off visits when physicians don't have a relationship with a patient, OHIP will pay the doctor $20 for a video visit and $15 for a telephone visit, a dramatic drop from what is currently paid.
In a statement the ministry of health writes it "has taken a patient first approach to ensure that Ontarians will continue to have access to the care they need, when they need it" and that "virtual care is intended to complement in-person care, not replace it."
"It is frustrating but it's also devastating," said Edwards. "I'm grateful that I'm relatively healthy and can advocate for myself. This is taking away a very essential service from people that have accessibility issues, who just can't get out to see a doctor and we are now in a virtual world and it just made perfect sense that this was a service being offered virtually and to have it taken away I don't get it."
Edwards recently received her licence plate sticker refund in the mail and says she'd rather have greater access to healthcare.
"I'm scared for those who have no choice but to go to an emergency and I'm worried about the future of our healthcare," she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada Disability Benefit needs to be safeguarded from clawbacks, MPs unanimously agree
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
Six Canadian children repatriated from detention in Syria, Global Affairs Canada says
The Global Affairs Department says six Canadian children have been repatriated from detention in northeastern Syria.
Testifying in hush money trial, adult film actor Stormy Daniels describes first meeting Trump
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday in the hush money trial of former U.S. president Donald Trump, prepared to testify about a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential election 10 years later.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.