B.C. doctor asks for $125 monthly retainer fee, re-igniting health-care debate
A family physician in Victoria is asking patients for a monthly fee of $125 to access enhanced services such as longer appointments and home visits – re-igniting debate about British Columbians' access to health-care.
A letter from Dr. Perpetua Nwosu outlining the changes, which was obtained by CTV news, says those who pay the fee can have longer appointments and discuss multiple concerns, and may be eligible for home visits. The money will go toward administrative and operational costs, including recruiting mental health counsellors and nurses to be part of the team.
CTV News spoke to a patient who wished to remain anonymous, who said she couldn't afford to pay the fee.
Nwosu didn't answer questions from CTV News on Monday. On Facebook she explained, "I will work with a team of professionals, all under my supervision for the vision of family medicine I was trained in. The family medicine that stays with you from birth until you take your last breath."
Victoria resident Barb McMillan said she thought the idea was “terrible.”
"It really erodes our health system here in Canada," McMillan added.
Doctors can charge what are called “block fees,” but only for what's not covered by the Medical Services Plan – and they must be optional. A practice standard from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. states, "Registrants who offer this option must not require that a patient pay the block fee before accessing an insured or uninsured service; treat or offer to treat patients preferentially because they agree to paying a block fee; or, terminate a patient or refuse to accept a new patient because the individual chooses not to pay a block fee."
Health Minister Adrian Dix said the Medical Services Commission is now reviewing this case.
"I don't know what this doctor is doing, specifically. That's an issue for the commission,” he said. "The rule in general is that such extra billing is not allowed."
The commission's mandate is to ensure access to quality health-care in B.C., and is made up of three government officials, three representatives from the Doctors of B.C. and three people representing the public.
A government website states patients can't be denied service if they don't pay and should be given the choice to pay them as they occur or through a block fee.
The site goes on to state charges aren't allowed for things like gowns, rental charges for instruments and facilities, but are permitted for therapeutic drugs, devices like splints and crutches, as well as extensive dressings.
Nowuso isn't the first doctor to charge patients an additional fee.
The Riverview Medical Clinic in Kamloops asks for $179 a year for one person, or $289 for a family, to cover what MSP doesn't.
A different, and more expensive option is Telus Health's Lifeplus Program, which costs more than $4,500 a year for priority access to a multidisciplinary care team that will create a custom care plan. That program is also under review by the Medical Services Commission.
Telus noted the program doesn’t charge for access to public family doctors, and said its focus is primarily on employer-focused programs.
"TELUS Health fully supports and is committed to publicly funded health-care as the foundation of our health-care system in Canada," a spokesperson said in an email.
A physician in Saanich, Dr. Jennifer Lush, said the practice of billing for what isn't covered may become more common as many doctors face expensive overhead and other costs.
"Until such time the government chooses to compensate doctors adequately to provide the exceptional care we provide we're going to see more and more doctors coming up with such strategies," she told CTV News.
Dix said the province is in discussions to change the compensation model for doctors.
McMillan has a family doctor and considers herself lucky, but urged government to do more.
"I think you should pay him a lot more. I charge $150/hour for counselling and he gets, what, 30-something to see me. Both have nine years of education. It's not fair"
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
It could take years to catch up on child vaccinations in Ontario post-pandemic
Ontario is still playing catch up on routine vaccinations that many children missed during the pandemic and public health officials are warning that it could take years to solve the problem.