Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current issue
    • Past issues
    • Early releases
    • Collections
    • Sections
    • Blog
    • Infographics & illustrations
    • Podcasts
    • COVID-19 articles
    • Obituary notices
  • Authors & Reviewers
    • Overview for authors
    • Submission guidelines
    • Submit a manuscript
    • Forms
    • Editorial process
    • Editorial policies
    • Peer review process
    • Publication fees
    • Reprint requests
    • Open access
    • Patient engagement
  • Physicians & Subscribers
    • Benefits for Canadian physicians
    • CPD Credits for CMA Members
    • Subscribe to CMAJ Print
    • Subscription prices
    • Obituary notices
  • Alerts
    • Email alerts
    • RSS
  • JAMC
    • À propos
    • Numéro en cours
    • Archives
    • Sections
    • Abonnement
    • Alertes
    • Trousse média 2023
    • Avis de décès
  • CMAJ JOURNALS
    • CMAJ Open
    • CJS
    • JAMC
    • JPN

User menu

Search

  • Advanced search
CMAJ
  • CMAJ JOURNALS
    • CMAJ Open
    • CJS
    • JAMC
    • JPN
CMAJ

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current issue
    • Past issues
    • Early releases
    • Collections
    • Sections
    • Blog
    • Infographics & illustrations
    • Podcasts
    • COVID-19 articles
    • Obituary notices
  • Authors & Reviewers
    • Overview for authors
    • Submission guidelines
    • Submit a manuscript
    • Forms
    • Editorial process
    • Editorial policies
    • Peer review process
    • Publication fees
    • Reprint requests
    • Open access
    • Patient engagement
  • Physicians & Subscribers
    • Benefits for Canadian physicians
    • CPD Credits for CMA Members
    • Subscribe to CMAJ Print
    • Subscription prices
    • Obituary notices
  • Alerts
    • Email alerts
    • RSS
  • JAMC
    • À propos
    • Numéro en cours
    • Archives
    • Sections
    • Abonnement
    • Alertes
    • Trousse média 2023
    • Avis de décès
  • Visit CMAJ on Facebook
  • Follow CMAJ on Twitter
  • Follow CMAJ on Pinterest
  • Follow CMAJ on Youtube
  • Follow CMAJ on Instagram
News

Montréal clinic uses public–private payment scheme

Margot Andresen
CMAJ March 13, 2007 176 (6) 755-755-a; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.070241
Margot Andresen
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Responses
  • Metrics
  • PDF
Loading
  • © 2007 Canadian Medical Association or its licensors

Controversy has erupted over a new “semi-private” medical clinic in Montréal that many believe crosses the line to create a two-tier medical system in Quebec.

The clinic, critics say, violates provisions of both the Canada Health Act and Quebec's Bill 33, which, although not yet enacted, allows for the creation of specialized medical centers that contract with public hospitals to provide hip and knee replacement, as well as cataract surgery, in cases where they haven't been performed within established wait time guarantees. The centres can bill the provincial health plan for the surgeries, as well as charge fees for items and services that aren't covered by medicare.

Bill 33 was passed by the Quebec legislature in December 2006 in response to the landmark Supreme Court of Canada ruling (Chaoulli and Zeliotis v. A G Quebec et al.) in 2005 that the province's ban on private health insurance for medically necessary services violated human rights law. While Bill 33 has not yet come into force, it states that physicians in permitted clinics must “post in view of the public … the rates for services, supplies and accessory fees.”

It's unclear, though, exactly what accessory fees will be allowed and that won't be known until the provincial government completes negotiations with medical federations.

In the interval, though, the newly-minted 50 000 square foot Rockland MD Medical and Surgical Centre opened its doors on Jan. 22 to conduct knee arthroscopies, hernia repairs and other day surgeries, including varicose vein, hemorrhoids, orthopedic, and diagnostic endoscopies. The province's health plan is billed for the surgeries, while patients are being charged $1300 for the use of the facilities and equipment.

Critics are concerned the wider range of surgical procedures available at the clinic contravenes the Canada Health Act and that the lack of clarity regarding accessory fees contravenes a provincial Health Insurance Act provision that says “no person may exact or receive any payment from any insured person for a service, the supplying of something or costs accessory to an insured service.” The provincial government's health insurance board has been asked “to clarify the question of the incidental expenses,” provincial health minister Phillippe Couillard said.

Couillard also expressed concern about doctors who've opted out of medicare and physicians who are still part of the government health plan operating under the same roof. “It is not allowed to have participating doctors and non-participating doctors under the same roof,” Couillard said. “It is clearly indicated in the law.”

Former family physician and Rockland's president, Dr. Fernand Taras told CMAJ that the clinic “will benefit not only the patient, but the public system, by allowing it to offload some of the work.”

PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Canadian Medical Association Journal: 176 (6)
CMAJ
Vol. 176, Issue 6
13 Mar 2007
  • Table of Contents
  • Index by author

Article tools

Respond to this article
Print
Download PDF
Article Alerts
To sign up for email alerts or to access your current email alerts, enter your email address below:
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on CMAJ.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Montréal clinic uses public–private payment scheme
(Your Name) has sent you a message from CMAJ
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the CMAJ web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Citation Tools
Montréal clinic uses public–private payment scheme
Margot Andresen
CMAJ Mar 2007, 176 (6) 755-755-a; DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.070241

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
‍ Request Permissions
Share
Montréal clinic uses public–private payment scheme
Margot Andresen
CMAJ Mar 2007, 176 (6) 755-755-a; DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.070241
Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like

Jump to section

  • Article
  • Responses
  • Metrics
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • PubMed
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • No citing articles found.
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Saying goodbye to CMAJ News
  • National survey highlights worsening primary care access
  • How Canadian hospitals are decreasing carbon emissions
Show more News

Similar Articles

Collections

  • Topics
    • Health care coverage
    • Health policy

 

View Latest Classified Ads

Content

  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • Collections
  • Sections
  • Blog
  • Podcasts
  • Alerts
  • RSS
  • Early releases

Information for

  • Advertisers
  • Authors
  • Reviewers
  • CMA Members
  • CPD credits
  • Media
  • Reprint requests
  • Subscribers

About

  • General Information
  • Journal staff
  • Editorial Board
  • Advisory Panels
  • Governance Council
  • Journal Oversight
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Copyright and Permissions
CMAJ Group

Copyright 2023, CMA Impact Inc. or its licensors. All rights reserved. ISSN 1488-2329 (e) 0820-3946 (p)

All editorial matter in CMAJ represents the opinions of the authors and not necessarily those of the Canadian Medical Association or its subsidiaries.

To receive any of these resources in an accessible format, please contact us at CMAJ Group, 500-1410 Blair Towers Place, Ottawa ON, K1J 9B9; p: 1-888-855-2555; e: cmajgroup@cmaj.ca

CMA Civility, Accessibility, Privacy

 

Powered by HighWire