Quebec has lost control of costs related to doctors billings auditor general concludes
Doctors’ billing out of control, Quebec auditor general concludes
Quebec has lost control of costs related to doctors’ billings, spending $416 million more than it budgeted to pay physicians over the past five years, the provincial auditor general said in her report, released Friday.
Guylaine Leclerc said between 2010 and 2015, specialists billed the province $384 million more than it had budgeted for, while general practitioners billed $32.7 million more than what Quebec had expected to pay them.
RAMQ has audited just 2 per cent of doctors’ billings, exposing health system to risk of fraud or errors. The lack of control over doctors’ remuneration is hurting the entire health care system, Leclerc concludes.
This year, spending on physicians’ fees for service and salaries is expected to hit $7 billion.
This at a time when the government is saying to it’s health sector employees that there is no money, yet surprise, surprise, there is $416 million more for doctors.
It is important to note that Health Minister Dr. Barrette as President of the Quebec Medical Specialist Federations argued for and won a 42% pay increase for the Quebec Medical Specialist for the period of 2006-2012. From 2008-2014 the total increase for Quebec Medical Specialists is 67% or 8.9% per year.
Another important point to note is that Health Minister Dr. Gaétan Barrette and Quebec Premier Dr. Philippe Couillard are themselves doctors.