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With shortages of almost any medical professional and a lot of difficulty for people trying to find a family doctor in the province, many are looking for solutions.
A Regina medical clinic appears to have hit on a solution for itself that has some raising their voices.
According to The Saskatchewan Health Coalition, the clinic started sending information to its patients about its new paid membership system. The system offers more services in two tiers for $29.99 or $49.99 a month.
The membership system appears to be supported by Healtheon, a company whose website says it’s transforming the clinic experience and using technology to enhance primary care.
Information from The Saskatchewan Health Coalition said the basic plan for the Regina clinic would include uninsured services like doctor’s notes, an AI chatbot which it also warns is not a source of medical advice, an exclusive clinic phone number to communicate directly with the clinic, and online appointment booking and prescription refill requests.
The higher tier includes that, plus support, advocacy and case management services for a handful of serious diseases, as well as access to international specialists for a second opinion.
The email to patients said their subscription will allow their doctor to implement new technology and hire the support they need to stay in practice.
An online search for this clinic and Healtheon comes up with results, but the web pages does not load.
980 CJME has reached out to the clinic with questions.
In a news release, the Sask. Health Coalition said this move is an attempt to “undermine the principles of the Canada Health Act” and called it deeply concerning.
It said patients might be manipulated into paying the fees out of fear of losing their doctor and is calling on the clinic to drop the new fees.
This isn’t the first time membership fees have been attempted by a medical clinic. Last year in Calgary, a family medical clinic tried to move to a membership model for thousands of dollars a year, the Government of Albert ended up investigating.
Owners of medical clinics in Saskatchewan have spoken out previously, about how difficult things can be for them in the province. Some have tried other solutions for their problems, like a cardiology clinic which opted out of the publicly-funded system.
The provincial government has even dabbled in different ways of providing health care, with private delivery of MRIs and CT scans, which the federal government has declared offside and has clawed back health transfer money over.
Last year, the provincial government tried to make changes to address some of the concerns from family doctors, by creating a new payment model – something called “blended capitation” – which includes a base pay for a standard list of services, and an extra fee-for-service payment.