The Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, wants an agreement to be reached with family doctors so that they continue to carry out medical assessments for the approval of a protection mandate (formerly called “mandate of incapacity”) ). The Federation of General Practitioners of Quebec (FMOQ) recommended to its members on Tuesday to stop making such an assessment in order to put an end to “inequity” between patients.
The FMOQ now advises family physicians to refer patients who need to homologate a mandate to medical specialists. The medical assessment service for homologation of a protection mandate is covered by the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) when it is carried out by a medical specialist. It is not when performed by a family physician.
Until recently, the FMOQ suggested charging $480 for this evaluation. Its president, Dr.r Marc-André Amyot, finds it unacceptable that patients have to pay while others have free access.
In the office of the Minister of Health, it is indicated that “significant progress” has been made in this regard in recent years. “Before 2021, there were fees at all times when it was necessary to fill out forms to homologate mandates of incapacity”, we explain to the Duty.
Two years ago, the government concluded an agreement with the Federation of Medical Specialists of Quebec (FMSQ) “so that this gesture be recognized as billable for medical specialists and that there are no longer fees for patients,” says the firm. “We are going to make sure with the ministry that there are discussions with the FMOQ in order to reach an agreement like this and that an agreement is reached. »
Medical specialists receive $633 for a medical assessment in the case of tutorship, curatorship or homologation of mandate. Family physicians are paid $483.75 for tutorship or curatorship. Remuneration is nil in the case of a protection mandate.
The FMSQ supports the FMOQ in its demands. In a status on Twitter, she says she believes “that, in the interest of patients, the assessments carried out by family doctors should be reimbursed by the RAMQ in the same way as those carried out by medical specialists”.