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
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.