(Quebec) Quebec plans to end the requirement for certain medical notes by insurance companies.
On Wednesday, the Minister of Labor, Jean Boulet, announced that he will table a bill to cut red tape, so that family doctors can free up 500,000 additional medical appointments for patients annually.
In a press scrum with his colleague at Health, Christian Dubé, Mr. Boulet declared that family doctors spend a quarter of their time filling out forms for insurance companies.
“Doctors in Quebec are faced with a significant administrative burden,” he said. 25% of their time is spent on paperwork. […] This prevents them from having medical consultations. »
His bill would, among other things, prohibit insurers from requiring a person to see a doctor to receive equipment, such as a cane or support boot, more disability benefits or the services of a physiotherapist, for example. .
According to him, a request for accommodation in a CHSLD should not require a visit to the doctor either.
“Someone who is experiencing professional burnout, we don’t need […] that the insurer requires a visit every time. Someone with a fracture, […] that he is not asked to go see the doctor every three weeks,” illustrated the Minister of Labor.
Opposition parties welcomed the initiative on Wednesday. On social networks, the Federation of General Practitioners of Quebec (FMOQ) doubted that the measure could generate half a million medical appointments annually.