Nova Scotia recoups $3.7M in health-transfer clawbacks from Ottawa
Ottawa has recently reimbursed Nova Scotia with several million dollars in health transfers that were previously withheld due to individuals paying out of pocket for private MRIs and ultrasounds. The federal government has been adamant that no one in Canada should have to pay for medically necessary diagnostic imaging services, and has been clawing back funds from provinces that allow it to happen. Nova Scotia, along with other provinces, have made arrangements to reduce or eliminate privately funded medical imaging in order to have their health transfers reimbursed.
The reimbursement of $3.79 million, the total amount clawed back over the past three years, was finalized in March. This agreement between Nova Scotia and Ottawa has been a long time coming, with many other provinces having already taken steps to eliminate privately funded medical imaging in order to receive their health transfers. However, there are still questions surrounding the details of the agreement that Katherine Fierlbeck, a professor of political science at Dalhousie University, is hoping will be answered in Health Canada’s annual report on transfer payments.
Health Canada has stated that the reimbursement to Nova Scotia was a result of the province’s efforts to eliminate patient charges at the private clinic, Healthview, which offers MRIs and ultrasounds. Nova Scotia Health (NSH) signed a contract with Healthview last year to send some patients there at the public expense. Despite this agreement, there are still cases of patients paying for medically necessary imaging at other private clinics in Halifax.
Although the contract with Healthview has helped reduce the number of patients paying out of pocket for medical imaging, it has not entirely eliminated the issue. Two other private clinics in Halifax, Wosler Diagnostics and Why Wait Imaging, continue to accept patients who want to pay to jump the queue for services. This has led to concerns about a “thinly veiled two-tier system” in the province.
The underlying issue that has led many Nova Scotians to seek private medical imaging services is a backlog in the public health-care system. Some individuals have been waiting months or even years for MRIs and ultrasounds due to a shortage of imaging technologists. Nova Scotia Health is working on addressing this issue through a complex workforce strategy and a central intake system to streamline booking.
Dr. Tim Mailman, senior medical director of the diagnostics and therapeutic services network at Nova Scotia Health, stated that the health authority is “laser-focused” on reducing wait times for medical imaging. He emphasized the importance of training and support for clinicians to ensure that they are sending patients for the most appropriate type of imaging. The health authority is expecting to implement a central intake system this summer to help shorten wait times for imaging services across the province.
