As of March 31, diagnostic imaging services like X-rays, ultrasounds, bone scans and MRIs ordered by certain practitioners will no longer be covered by the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan.
The province terminated the master agreement with the Alberta Medical Association & will implement new physicians funding framework, which include the de-insuring of diagnostic imaging services referred by physiotherapists, the Physiotherapy Alberta College and Association.
The funding change, announced Feb. 20, includes claims referred by chiropractors, physiotherapists and audiologists, in non-AHS facilities.
“I could just give them a requisition and send them right away.
“Now… I’ll have to send the patients back to their general practitioner, they’ll have to make an appointment to do that, go for the imaging. I won’t have direct access to that imaging, so I’ll have to request it from the doctor — we don’t have access to Netcare....
.... so I’d have to request it through the doctor — they’d have to follow up for the results from the doctor and we’d be able to go forward from there.”
The association says another impact of the change would be patients paying out-of-pocket for these services or accessing third-party insurance benefits to avoid delays in treatment.
“Their pain could increase, further degeneration, different things,” said Jindani. “Time off work. If somebody is needing surgery, or some interventions, it delays that step too.”
“This announcement is incredibly disappointing as we know this will negatively affect patient care while increasing costs to the health-care system,” the Physiotherapy Alberta College and Association said in a statement.
“We encourage you to contact your local MLA and the minister of health to emphasize the unintended consequences of this announcement.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for the ministry of health said it’s “acting to make insurance coverage consistent across providers and consistent with other provinces, including Ontario, Quebec and B.C.”
“This change adds barriers to access and also creates out-of-pocket costs for patients, which is difficult to understand given the Alberta economy,” said Dr. Brad Kane, president of the Alberta College and Association of Chiropractors, in a statement to Global News......
..... “This is the wrong move for Albertans, and chiropractors are significantly concerned about the unintended consequences for patients.”
The government said patients currently pay for services provided by practitioners like chiropractors, audiologists and physiotherapists and, as of March 31, covering diagnostic imaging referrals from those practitioners will also be the patients’ responsibility.
The changes do not affect practitioners’ scopes of practice or their ability to order imaging services; only who pays for them, the province said.
It added that imaging ordered by a physician or nurse practitioner will still be covered by the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan.
#AbLeg #Abpoli #Abgov #SaveOurHealthCare #SaveOurDoctors #SaveOurNurses #SaveAllHealthCareEmployees @GreenPartyAB @GreenPartyAB @Alberta_UCP @RachelNotley @abndpcaucus @jkenney
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