emcd Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 I just found this interesting interview with two canadian doctors about the problems in the Canadian heathcare system and their two conflicting opinions on how to 'solve' it. its only about 10 min. hope it helps! http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/354/16/1661/DC1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-Stark Posted February 15, 2009 Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 They couldn't find a doctor to talk to who doesn't have a direct financial interest in privately-funded care? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
japlanet Posted February 15, 2009 Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 They couldn't find a doctor to talk to who doesn't have a direct financial interest in privately-funded care? ALL doctors could have a financial interest in private care. Just becuase people can make money off something doesn't make it evil. That private citizens might profit is not a valid arguement for or against anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-Stark Posted February 15, 2009 Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 Brian Day operates a private surgical centre and stands to gain *personally* from any changes that would allow him to expand. Do you not get the concept of "competing interests declared"? For that matter, all doctors do not have a financial interest in private care - only those in particularly lucrative specialties where elective and/or high volume procedures are common. I doubt you'll see many geriatricians or ER docs agreeing with Day. Making money off the treatment of sickness and disease is a very unique enterprise. Being sanguine about efforts to reform the system that are motivated mainly by the self-interest of certain physicians is ethically troublesome - if Dr Day was advocating the increased use of New Drug X and was receiving money to do from the manufacturer would be no more or less problematic. Most of all, the public at large will NOT support efforts by doctors to advance their own self-interest with respect to health care reform. Expansion of two-tier health care would probably benefit some physicians but certainly not all. We should be fooled into thinking that Day and other such physician-enterpreneurs have the health of the public system in mind when they peddle their private for-profit solutions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THX Posted February 16, 2009 Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 I hate it when people talk about health care reform; All you hear are non-specific answers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medisforme Posted February 16, 2009 Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 My question is how these private surgical clinics get set up and gain permission to operate when it is apparent their existence/payment schemes contradict the tenets of the Canada Health Act. What loophole do they currently use to operate? Also, do these surgeons operate solely in the private clinics or do they work in the public sector as well. I am assuming they must work in the public sector since their patients (from the private clinic) need time in a hospital to recover following surgery. Do these physicians pay their nurses and any other staff out of their own pockets or how does that work since nurses typically get their wages from the government through the public health system. sorry for all the questions, but this issue really intrigues me, and i am having difficulty finding answers to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpanishFly Posted February 16, 2009 Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 My question is how these private surgical clinics get set up and gain permission to operate when it is apparent their existence/payment schemes contradict the tenets of the Canada Health Act.What loophole do they currently use to operate? Also, do these surgeons operate solely in the private clinics or do they work in the public sector as well. I am assuming they must work in the public sector since their patients (from the private clinic) need time in a hospital to recover following surgery. Do these physicians pay their nurses and any other staff out of their own pockets or how does that work since nurses typically get their wages from the government through the public health system. sorry for all the questions, but this issue really intrigues me, and i am having difficulty finding answers to them. I think the clinics in question are in BC (correct me if i'm wrong) and not all provinces have a law against physicians operating in the private sector. The laws are mult-layered and really confusing and change depending on which province you're in, but 4 provinces allow private health care to exist, with various restrictions. In some of them, physicians can opt-out (meaning they get no public funding) and must solely operate in the private sector, whereas in other provinces, the physician can bill privately and the patient gets reimbursed the amount that is the fee in the public system, whereas in other systems, etc. etc. I had a good article on this, I will try to find it when I'm not at work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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