Canada Health Act

Government of Canada Announces Reimbursements and Deductions under the Canada Health Act

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, March 21, 2024
Transfer, Federation, Patient, CHT, Health Canada, Outline, Annual report, Canada Health Act, CHA, PTS, Government, Policy, Health insurance

The goal of the Canada Health Act and mandatory Canada Health Transfer (CHT) deductions has always been to ensure patients do not pay out of pocket for medically necessary services.

Key Points: 
  • The goal of the Canada Health Act and mandatory Canada Health Transfer (CHT) deductions has always been to ensure patients do not pay out of pocket for medically necessary services.
  • The reimbursements recognize the work being done to protect patients from inappropriate charges and improve universal access to health care services.
  • No Canadian should ever pay out of pocket for medically necessary services covered under the Canada Health Act.
  • The Canada Health Act Annual Reports include Reimbursement Action Plans that outline what PTs have done to eliminate patient charges.

How better and cheaper software could save millions of dollars while improving Canada’s health-care system

Retrieved on: 
Monday, February 5, 2024
Internet, EMR, BLD, Population growth, Churn, Health information management, HIT, Capitalism, Nursing, Western University, Canada Health Act, Artificial intelligence, Federation, Bleeding, Hope, Electronic health record, Google Images, Health, FOSS, Software, Magnetic resonance imaging, Medical device

Billions of Canadian tax dollars have been funnelled to private companies to develop proprietary medical software.

Key Points: 
  • Billions of Canadian tax dollars have been funnelled to private companies to develop proprietary medical software.
  • More tax dollars were then paid to the same companies to use the software to run our medical system.
  • The health system might be better prepared for these challenges if literally billions of dollars had not been squandered on proprietary software development.

Undoing waste


Although the Canadian federal government has invested over $2.1 billion developing health information technology (HIT), all 10 provinces still have their own separate HIT systems. Besides being an obvious source of redundancy and waste, these systems:

  • We chose something easy and straightforward that all the provinces needed and settled on the common billing, lab results and diagnostic imaging (BLD) functions of these separate systems.
  • Then we proposed using a free and open-source software system called HermesAPI to provide BLD for Canada.

Proprietary software vs. open source

  • Another approach that immediately eliminates that waste is called free and open source software (FOSS).
  • That last bit is the core viral idea of open source development: if anyone makes an improvement in the software, they must share it back with the community.
  • In fact, today, open source software is the dominant way to develop software in industry because it tends to be technically superior and more secure.
  • Every internet company you use, from Facebook to Amazon to Wikipedia, is built on a stack of open source software.

A better way to develop medical software

  • Our study found the cost to develop and maintain HermesAPI would be about $610,000, but would prevent $120,000 per software development company per province in development costs, for a savings of $6.4 million.
  • The real secret of open source software is that it encourages competition in capitalism.
  • FOSS prevents vendor lock-in and monopolistic companies, both of which are common with our current proprietary software model.
  • Fifteen years ago, Ontario’s Auditor General found that by implementing a unified medical records system, we could save at least $6 billion.
  • Joshua M. Pearce has received funding for research from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Mitacs, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), U.S. Department of Defense, The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and the National Science Foundation (NSF).
  • In addition, his past and present consulting work and research is funded by the United Nations, the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, many non-profits and for-profit companies.
  • He has no direct conflicts of interests.

SNOWBIRD REPORT CARD REVEALS MOST PROVINCES BREACHING THE CANADA HEALTH ACT

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
Freedom, Travel, Canada Health Act, Government, Partnership, Movement, CSA, Universal health care, Health insurance

The thinly populated territories and the small province of Prince Edward Island are the only jurisdictions that provide health coverage to residents who require emergency health services while travelling at the same rate as if the emergency had occurred while at home – as required by the Canada Health Act.

Key Points: 
  • The thinly populated territories and the small province of Prince Edward Island are the only jurisdictions that provide health coverage to residents who require emergency health services while travelling at the same rate as if the emergency had occurred while at home – as required by the Canada Health Act.
  • More populous provinces such as British Columbia, Alberta and Québec provide only minimal coverage for their residents who have emergencies outside of Canada.
  • Likewise, some governments threaten to cut off health coverage for tax-paying Canadians if they are out of the province for more than six months, denying them access to the universal health care promised to all Canadians.
  • The Canadian Snowbird Association is an over 115,000 member, non-profit, non-partisan organization representing Canadian travellers from across the country.

DENTI.AI PIONEERS FDA-CLEARED PATHOLOGY DETECTION IN BOTH PANORAMIC AND INTRAORAL X-RAYS WITH LAUNCH OF DENTI.AI DETECT

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, October 25, 2023
FDA, PMS, JBL, Crown, Health, Artificial intelligence, Osteoporosis, Interest, Disease, DSO, Dentist, Radioactive decay, Canada Health Act, Patient, Automation, Medical device, Dentistry

TORONTO, Oct. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Denti.AI, a pioneer in leveraging Artificial Intelligence for dental pathology detection, odontogram and periodontal charting automation, proudly announces the 510(k) clearance by the FDA of its innovative product, Denti.AI Detect. This state-of-the-art imaging solution is engineered to aid dental professionals in identifying prevalent dental diseases such as caries, periapical lesions, and bone loss from dental x-rays. Clinical studies reveal a notable enhancement in disease detection by all the two dozen participating dentists, unlocking 26% extra treatment opportunities with Denti.AI Detect.

Key Points: 
  • TORONTO, Oct. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Denti.AI, a pioneer in leveraging Artificial Intelligence for dental pathology detection, odontogram and periodontal charting automation, proudly announces the 510(k) clearance by the FDA of its innovative product, Denti.AI Detect.
  • Clinical studies reveal a notable enhancement in disease detection by all the two dozen participating dentists, unlocking 26% extra treatment opportunities with Denti.AI Detect.
  • A key distinguishing feature of Denti.AI Detect is its industry-first FDA clearance for disease detection on panoramic images.
  • As part of its launch celebration, Denti.AI is offering special pricing terms for Denti.AI Detect & Auto-Chart until the end of the year.

Fraser Institute News Release: 1-in-6 government-funded surgeries in Quebec now take place in private clinics

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, September 28, 2023
Public–private partnership, Bangladesh Technical Education Board, Canada Health Act, COVID-19, Fraser Institute, Public policy, Patient, Knee, Supreme court, Nursing, Health insurance

“Quebec has increasingly used private clinics as part of its universal health care system, particularly during and after the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce the surgical backlog,” said Yanick Labrie, Fraser Institute senior fellow and author of Lessons from the Public Private Partnerships in Surgical Care in Quebec.

Key Points: 
  • “Quebec has increasingly used private clinics as part of its universal health care system, particularly during and after the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce the surgical backlog,” said Yanick Labrie, Fraser Institute senior fellow and author of Lessons from the Public Private Partnerships in Surgical Care in Quebec.
  • “The Quebec experience shows that private clinics are a complement to, and not a substitute for, the public system.”
    Following a 2006 Supreme Court ruling, private surgical clinics are allowed to perform select surgeries that are covered by the Quebec health-care system.
  • As a result, the number of private surgical clinics in Quebec has grown from 45 in 2014 to 73 this year.
  • Crucially, public hospitals in Quebec are allowed to enter into agreements with private surgical clinics to outsource certain surgeries if the hospital’s wait times exceed provincial targets.

Are seniors being pressured into retirement homes by lack of community services?

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, September 26, 2023
Uncertainty, Hair, Travel, Delirium, Nursing, Friends, Social, LTC, Long-term care, Hospital, Canada Health Act, Silver, Deficit spending, Risk assessment, Meal, Research, Ministry of Long-Term Care (Ontario), Senior, Ministry of Seniors and Accessibility, Ministry, Name, Dementia, The Weather Network, Retirement, Practitioner, Institutionalisation, Health, Confusion, City, Transport, Environment, Dehydration, Caregiver, Common, Residential care, Tourism, Health insurance, OECD

Ads for retirement homes often feature an older couple relaxing in comfortable surroundings, playing a board game or enjoying a meal with friends.

Key Points: 
  • Ads for retirement homes often feature an older couple relaxing in comfortable surroundings, playing a board game or enjoying a meal with friends.
  • They look well — and young for their age — with broad smiles and perfect silver hair.

Assisted living

    • In Canada, retirement homes (also known by other names like assisted living) are increasingly for-profit living facilities for older adults.
    • Across Canada, monthly fees range from $1,600 to over $6,000 for spaces ranging from 300 to 600 square feet.
    • In almost one-third of these cases, retirement home residents or their caregivers said they would be better off living elsewhere, such as in long-term care (LTC) homes, where they can receive 24-hour access to nursing and personal support services.

Unmet health-care needs

    • For example, retirement home residents living with dementia, and who can afford specialized memory care services, are less likely to move to a LTC home.
    • Clearly, the service and health-care needs of retirement home residents are not being met, nor were these being met in the community, compelling the move to a retirement home in the first place.
    • Despite evidence that the medical needs of retirement home residents have been growing more complex, the role of primary care medical providers is not regulated, nor is there much incentive to practice in these settings.
    • Dehydration related delirium (confusion) that could be addressed on site can instead lead to hospital admission and premature institutional care.

Designed for institutionalization

    • Our health-care system seems designed to foster premature institutionalization.
    • They will also allow older people greater choice over — and ability to afford — whatever lifestyle they prefer.
    • The Schlegel Chair endowment was a charitable donation to the University of Waterloo, and there is no personal obligation to the donor.

Statement by the Prime Minister on the passing of the Honourable Monique Bégin

Retrieved on: 
Sunday, September 10, 2023
Faculty, Government revenue, Executive, University, Politics, Commons, Canada Health Act, Life, Dean, Records of members of parliament of Canada, Human, Canadian House of Commons Page Program, University of Ottawa Faculty of Law, Carleton University, Distinguished Fellow of the British Computer Society, Parliament, Cabinet, Retirement, Royal commission, Medical Society, Child, Outline of health sciences, Canada Child Benefit, Royal Commission on the Status of Women, Family, House, World Health Organization, Nursing, Health, Woman

OTTAWA, ON, Sept. 9, 2023 /CNW/ - The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on the passing of the Honourable Monique Bégin:

Key Points: 
  • OTTAWA, ON, Sept. 9, 2023 /CNW/ - The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on the passing of the Honourable Monique Bégin:
    "I was saddened today to hear of the passing of the Honourable Monique Bégin, a respected teacher, academic, former Cabinet minister, and trailblazer for Canadian women.
  • She was appointed Minister of National Revenue and then Minister of Health and Welfare.
  • "After more than 10 years in politics, Ms. Bégin returned to her teaching roots and entered academia.
  • On behalf of all Canadians, I offer my deepest condolences to her family and loved ones."

Ontario Health Coalition Province-Wide Community Referendum to Stop Ford Government’s Privatization of Our Public Hospitals

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 18, 2023
Legislature, Ontario Health (agency), CTS, Ontario Health Coalition, Coalition, Workplace, Ford, Lead, OHIP, Volunteering, COVID, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, Government, Operating, Privatization, Magnetic resonance imaging, Hospital, Patient, Physician, Lip, Medicare, Canada Health Act, Coffee, Quebec Charter of Values, Legislation, Convenience food, Health insurance

TORONTO, April 18, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Health Coalitions across Ontario launched a major fightback to stop the privatization of our public hospitals today.

Key Points: 
  • TORONTO, April 18, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Health Coalitions across Ontario launched a major fightback to stop the privatization of our public hospitals today.
  • The premier told media that 50% of the surgeries currently done in hospitals are “easy” [and thus could be transferred out of public hospitals].
  • If this government succeeds in privatizing our public hospitals, we will lose our public hospital system and with it, single-tier public medicare.
  • The Ontario Health Coalition is asking people everywhere across the province to volunteer to help.

Statement from the Minister of Health on the Supreme Court of Canada's decision in the Cambie Surgeries case

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, April 6, 2023
Government, Canada Health Act, British Columbia Court of Appeal, Ministry, Investment, Supreme, Supreme court, Health insurance

OTTAWA, ON, April 6, 2023 /CNW/ - Universal, accessible, and publicly funded health care is a point of pride for Canadians.

Key Points: 
  • OTTAWA, ON, April 6, 2023 /CNW/ - Universal, accessible, and publicly funded health care is a point of pride for Canadians.
  • Today's decision by the Supreme Court of Canada to not grant the plaintiffs leave to appeal the decision of the British Columbia (BC) Court of Appeal in Cambie Surgeries Corporation et al.
  • The British Columbia Court of Appeal decision in this case stands, which reaffirmed the fundamental principles of our universal, public health care system.
  • Instead, we will continue with our investments to expand access to family health services, support our health workers and reduce surgical backlogs, improve access to mental health care and modernize health care with data that saves lives.

Statement from the Minister of Health on the Canada Health Act

Retrieved on: 
Friday, March 10, 2023
Transfer, Health, Government, Hospital Insurance and Diagnostic Services Act, Communication, Policy, MRI, Canada Health Transfer, CT, Canada Health Act, Health insurance

Under the Canada Health Act, it is made clear that no Canadian should be paying out of pocket for medically necessary services.

Key Points: 
  • Under the Canada Health Act, it is made clear that no Canadian should be paying out of pocket for medically necessary services.
  • Provinces and territories have taken meaningful steps, but more work is needed to ensure that there are no patient charges for insured health services.
  • In doing so, provinces and territories may be eligible for reimbursement of their deductions under the Canada Health Act Reimbursement Policy.
  • As the nature of care evolves, we must ensure the Canada Health Act evolves with it.