Why is a new billing policy blocking some cubes by obtaining health care in Ontario

Until this month, Nicole Rochon never thought of going away from témiscaming, Que.

He has a house, lives from the lake and chose a community of a few thousand people as its retirement site.

Despite his love for the city, a new barrier to reach health care Can tip on scale For Rochon and her husband.

As August 1, the local health authority for the region, Center Integre de Sainte at Day Seva Sociax de L’Bitibi-Temiscing (CISSS-T) is now handling billing or processing claims for services provided by Ontario doctors.

This means that the Health Authority no longer acts as a mediator among the Public Health Insurance Board of Quebec, known as Ramak and doctors.

A phone call from one of the doctors of Rochon located in North Bay, Onts, 65 km southwest of Temissaming, confirmed that a change in policy means that his shoulder surgery was canceled in September.

“If I want this, I have to go to Amos, which we live is 360 kilometers from where we live, and I have to start with scratches,” he said.

“This is three steps behind me.”

The Mayor says, ‘My office has tears in my office

The mayor of Témiscaming, Alain Gauthier says he heard about the change through Facebook. He says that CISSS-T has had very little communication, especially with local authorities.

“It’s so embarrassing,” he said.

“I have citizens in tears in my office. Some of them had two to three appointments … all were canceled. They were waiting for months.”

While Quebec Canada is part of the Health Act-which ensures Canadian to the province or region, can receive medical certain emergency care in the hospital setting–Absube interprovinial is not part of the interprovinial reciprocal medical payment agreement.

The latter allows hospitals to bill a patient’s home province or area for the services of a physician provided to non-residents at mutual rates. Quebec is the only province that does not participate in this mutual billing agreement.

Nevertheless, for 40 years, CISSS-T practiced paperwork for those who needed to take special care in health centers in Ontario, called Gauthier.

They say that Ontario experts built for many intervals in service in Témiscaming, they say. Those services ranged from minor operations, eye doctors, colonoscopy appointments, orthopedic surgery and cancer appointments.

But now, doctors serving cubes in Ontario will have to either take care of paperwork, charge Ramak and absorb loss on his salary, or the Quebec citizen will have to fully charge for a process. They say that those patients will have to pursue money, claim expenses through Ramak and absorb financial loss on their own.

The option is to drive for Amos, Val D’Or or Raun-Noranda, Q at a distance of 300 kilometers, Gauthier says, while probably also facing a long waiting list.

CISSS-T says that policy change protects the budget

According to the CISSS-T president and general manager, Evelyn Granaire-Omit, this policy change does not require doctors to prevent cubes from providing services.

It is about billing and is no longer working as a mediator between doctors and Ramak, he said in an interview with Radio-Canada.

She says that some remedies may spend more for patients who decide to continue care in Ontario, as Ramak decided what it would do and would not reimburse.

For this process, a doctor in Ontario can charge more than a doctor in Quebec due to salary discrepancies, he said. Till recently, CISSS-T covered the difference.

“If we want to continue the reimbursement of this difference, we have to get it out of our operating budget,” he said.

In an email statement, CISSS-T Said it was operated “Currently impact does not correspond to interprewinsial agreements.”

“(CISSS-T) will no longer cover the difference in rates between Ontario Plan (OHIP) and Ramkue. The regional operating budget must be reserved for services provided directly by the institute,” Read the statement.

But Gauthier says that the amount of money will be marginal to protect the health network from this change, given that the residents will need to travel for hours away from home, potentially add transportation costs to the government.

“It is a shame to see the lack of shame on our public organizations,” he said. “And lack of thought and foresight.”

He argues that Quebec should sign an interpreting agreement to install mutual rates for doctors.

“As you grow up, you need more health care,” the resident says

Boney McIntosh has several times tried to find out what to do for his 84 -year -old partner Gerard Raymond, who currently looks at three experts to monitor North Bay.

“I got scared,” he said. “I want him to live 10 more years and I need to take care of him. So if I was 50 years old I would not be so upset, but I am in my 80s.”

When she plans to keep her home in Temiscaming, McIntosh says that she made an immediate request for an apartment in Ontario.

He said, “Gerard was born and nurtured. This is his home. He has been in this house since 1974. It is going to be very difficult for him.”

“I hope I don’t have to do this. I want to fight for us and all the people here.”

Rochon, For its part, Either does not want to move forward, but she says that it is about thinking about her future.

“As you get older, you need more health care,” he said.

“It is unacceptable that they treat us like this. We pay the same taxes in Quebec.”