The Canadian Medical Association will work with provincial/territorial medical associations (PTMAs) to urge governments to collaborate with PTMAs in the implementation of a program that will identify and manage "orphan" patients who do not have access to a family physician.
The Canadian Medical Association will work with provincial/territorial medical associations (PTMAs) to urge governments to collaborate with PTMAs in the implementation of a program that will identify and manage "orphan" patients who do not have access to a family physician.
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The Canadian Medical Association will work with provincial/territorial medical associations (PTMAs) to urge governments to collaborate with PTMAs in the implementation of a program that will identify and manage "orphan" patients who do not have access to a family physician.
The Canadian Medical Association, in collaboration with provincial/territorial medical associations, affiliates and associates, will communicate to governments that insufficient access to long-term care at all ages is an obstacle to improving the health care system.
The Canadian Medical Association, in collaboration with provincial/territorial medical associations, affiliates and associates, will communicate to governments that insufficient access to long-term care at all ages is an obstacle to improving the health care system.
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The Canadian Medical Association, in collaboration with provincial/territorial medical associations, affiliates and associates, will communicate to governments that insufficient access to long-term care at all ages is an obstacle to improving the health care system.
Whereas the profession has in the past demonstrated an interest in accreditation of certain institutions involved in the delivery of medical services, and
whereas the profession is currently demonstrating an interest in the matter of encouraging the establishment of minimum standards of professional practice in the office setting, and
whereas the acknowledged purposes of such standards of accreditation are to facilitate peer review and continuing professional education, and
whereas the profession has demonstrated its willingness to participate in such voluntary self assessment procedures,
Be it resolved that the Canadian Medical Association accept the principle of practice accreditation and continue to search for acceptable methods of practice assessment and accreditation and encourage each of its divisions to establish or enjoin committees to examine the matter of office practice accreditation, with a view to establishing procedural guidelines and standards for their various regions.
Whereas the profession has in the past demonstrated an interest in accreditation of certain institutions involved in the delivery of medical services, and
whereas the profession is currently demonstrating an interest in the matter of encouraging the establishment of minimum standards of professional practice in the office setting, and
whereas the acknowledged purposes of such standards of accreditation are to facilitate peer review and continuing professional education, and
whereas the profession has demonstrated its willingness to participate in such voluntary self assessment procedures,
Be it resolved that the Canadian Medical Association accept the principle of practice accreditation and continue to search for acceptable methods of practice assessment and accreditation and encourage each of its divisions to establish or enjoin committees to examine the matter of office practice accreditation, with a view to establishing procedural guidelines and standards for their various regions.
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Whereas the profession has in the past demonstrated an interest in accreditation of certain institutions involved in the delivery of medical services, and
whereas the profession is currently demonstrating an interest in the matter of encouraging the establishment of minimum standards of professional practice in the office setting, and
whereas the acknowledged purposes of such standards of accreditation are to facilitate peer review and continuing professional education, and
whereas the profession has demonstrated its willingness to participate in such voluntary self assessment procedures,
Be it resolved that the Canadian Medical Association accept the principle of practice accreditation and continue to search for acceptable methods of practice assessment and accreditation and encourage each of its divisions to establish or enjoin committees to examine the matter of office practice accreditation, with a view to establishing procedural guidelines and standards for their various regions.
The major diseases affecting the quality and quantity of life of Canadians, which include obesity, diabetes, coronary artery disease, depression and cancer, are all linked to physical inactivity. In Canada, 69% of women and 68% of men in Canada are considered physically inactive.(1) The cost of this inactivity and obesity was estimated at $4.3 billion in 2001.(2) A 10% increase in physical activity could potentially reduce direct health care expenditures by $150 million a year. This does not include indirect costs such as lost productivity due to illness, premature death or a range of other factors, including mental illness and poor quality of life.(3)
Thus far, efforts to increase physical activity by changing the behaviour of individuals have had limited success. One reason is that many people have difficulty sustaining behaviours that involve additional time commitments. That is one reason for the increasing emphasis being placed on active transportation, which is any human-powered form of transportation, such as walking and cycling.
Walking and cycling can be efficient alternatives to automobile travel. Cycling is usually the fastest mode of travel door to door for distances under five km, and for up to 10 km in city cores. Walking is simpler and nearly as fast for distances up to two km. When travel times are similar for active and motorized transportation, physical activity is gained with no net time lost, and at much lower cost. The cost of operating a motor vehicle is typically $10,000 per year,(4) while operating costs for a bicycle are much lower.
Communities that have sidewalks, enjoyable scenery, street lights and nearby stores have improved levels of active transportation and physical activity. However, in recent decades communities have often been designed around the automobile. Street design, parking space, sidewalks and distance to retail destinations have all been planned assuming motorized transportation, and this often makes it difficult to move around communities by walking or cycling.
Although individual decision-making remains important in any strategy for increasing active transportation, there is an essential role for communities and governments to play. Major improvements in the health of Canadians in the past 200 years have been due to improved sanitation, access to clean water and injury prevention. The role of individual decision-making in effecting these changes is dwarfed by the impact of the public health measures and infrastructure involved. Just as potable tap water is a health issue, so are decisions about land use, transportation policy and infrastructure.
Community design is a major determinant of whether people use active transportation, whether they are physically active and whether they are obese. Canadians need communities that make it easy to be physically active in their daily living.
Communities can create an environment in which the physically active choice is the easy choice. They can do this via sidewalks, trails, bicycle lanes and bicycle paths, and by providing pedestrian-friendly intersections, parks and green spaces, and safe bicycle parking spaces. They can also arrange zoning so that retail destinations are within walking or cycling distance of residential areas. This process also includes dedicating a sufficient portion of their street maintenance budget (including snow clearing) to maintaining active transportation routes as well as routes for motorized vehicles. It may include redesigning intersections, giving up vehicle lanes or parking spaces, or increasing the price of parking.
Additional benefits to designing communities for pedestrians and cyclists.
* a stronger sense of community with greater civic involvement by citizens
* increased property values and retail activity
* less noise pollution
* lower crime rates
* less smog and other air pollution
* less greenhouse gas production
* decreased risk of injury to pedestrians and cyclists
* decreased costs of roadway and parking construction.
A role for everyone
Other sectors can support communities in making active transportation choices easy choices:
* Businesses can create a work environment friendly to active transportation, including a corporate culture friendly to physical activity. They can incorporate active transportation planning into building design and create an environment friendly to physical activity. These steps could include making bicycle parking, showers and lockers available, and providing stairs that are pleasant and easier to access than elevators. They can also incorporate a culture of physical activity in decisions about where and how to hold meetings, and what people are allowed to wear to work.
* School boards can develop policies to promote active transportation to and from school. These include building and maintaining secure bicycle parking, ensuring safe walking routes within communities, and assisting parents in walking their children to school.
* Citizens can use active transportation themselves and treat with respect those who are already making active transportation choices. They can also lobby governments to make their community safer and easier places for cycling and walking.
* Physicians can encourage patients to use active transportation as a way to boost their physical activity levels and improving their health. They can also lead by example and use active transportation themselves.
Recommendations
The CMA recommends that all sectors (government, business and the public) work together, as a matter of priority, to create a culture in their communities that supports and encourages active transportation.
The CMA urges governments to:
* Commit to long-term plans for active transportation networks that are in keeping with these goals and that include specific benchmarks to measure progress.
* Require that active transportation be part of all infrastructure renewal projects, with investment in active transportation vs. motorized transportation in proportion to targeted active transportation use. (Some cities have achieved active transportation rates of up to 15%.)
* Develop an awareness campaign to help Canadians to recognize the value of active transportation in their communities.
* Require public health impact assessments for all land-use and transportation decisions, including the impact on the chemical environment and on physical activity.
* Assess the impact that changes in the "built" environment can have on public health, and which interventions are most safe and effective.
1 Tremblay MS, Katzmarzyk PT, Willms JD. Temporal trends in overweight and obesity in Canada, 1981-1996. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2002;26(4):538-43.
2 Katzmarzyk PT, Janssen I. The economic costs associated with physical inactivity and obesity in Canada: an update. Can J App Phys 2004;29(1):104.
3 Katzmarzyk PT, Gledhill N, Shephard RJ. The economic burden of physical inactivity in Canada. CMAJ 2000;163(11): 1435-40.
4 Canadian Automobile Association. Driving Costs: 2005 Edition. Available: www.carpool.ca/pdf/CAA-driving-costs-05.pdf (accessed 2007 Feb. 2).
The Canadian Medical Association recognizes addiction as a chronic, treatable disease and urges that it be included in national and provincial/territorial efforts to improve chronic disease management.
The Canadian Medical Association recognizes addiction as a chronic, treatable disease and urges that it be included in national and provincial/territorial efforts to improve chronic disease management.
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The Canadian Medical Association recognizes addiction as a chronic, treatable disease and urges that it be included in national and provincial/territorial efforts to improve chronic disease management.
The Canadian Medical Association, while recognizing the importance of disclosing adverse events to affected patients in a timely manner, recommends that regional health authorities, institutions and professional associations develop policies to ensure the confidentiality of medical quality assurance deliberation, unless public notification is required to mitigate any possibility of ongoing harm.
The Canadian Medical Association, while recognizing the importance of disclosing adverse events to affected patients in a timely manner, recommends that regional health authorities, institutions and professional associations develop policies to ensure the confidentiality of medical quality assurance deliberation, unless public notification is required to mitigate any possibility of ongoing harm.
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The Canadian Medical Association, while recognizing the importance of disclosing adverse events to affected patients in a timely manner, recommends that regional health authorities, institutions and professional associations develop policies to ensure the confidentiality of medical quality assurance deliberation, unless public notification is required to mitigate any possibility of ongoing harm.
The Canadian Medical Association will work with provincial/territorial medical associations to carry out an inventory and assessment of the payment arrangements across Canada that foster the emergence of new practice models based on an interdisciplinary approach and the use of new information technologies.
The Canadian Medical Association will work with provincial/territorial medical associations to carry out an inventory and assessment of the payment arrangements across Canada that foster the emergence of new practice models based on an interdisciplinary approach and the use of new information technologies.
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The Canadian Medical Association will work with provincial/territorial medical associations to carry out an inventory and assessment of the payment arrangements across Canada that foster the emergence of new practice models based on an interdisciplinary approach and the use of new information technologies.
The Canadian Medical Association will work with provincial/territorial medical associations, affiliates, associates and other stakeholders to assess the feasibility of a national repository to evaluate, disseminate and promote the adoption of best practices in the organization and delivery of health care, directed at continuous quality improvement.
The Canadian Medical Association will work with provincial/territorial medical associations, affiliates, associates and other stakeholders to assess the feasibility of a national repository to evaluate, disseminate and promote the adoption of best practices in the organization and delivery of health care, directed at continuous quality improvement.
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The Canadian Medical Association will work with provincial/territorial medical associations, affiliates, associates and other stakeholders to assess the feasibility of a national repository to evaluate, disseminate and promote the adoption of best practices in the organization and delivery of health care, directed at continuous quality improvement.
I. PURPOSE
While Canada is undergoing significant social, political and economic change, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) remains committed to the delivery of high quality health care and to safeguarding the national integrity of the health system. However, given the need for the federal government to gain control over our deficit and national debt, it seems clear that putting Canada's fiscal house in order remains a high priority.
In this regard, CMA appreciates the invitation to submit its views on the 1995 pre-budget consultations that are underway. One overriding objective of the brief is to provide the Committee with a better understanding of the current pressures on physicians across Canada that have arisen as a direct result of past government decisions in this area. It is our firmly-held position that the health care system in general, and the medical profession in particular, have paid more than their fair share in terms of contributing to debt management.
This brief focusses on five somewhat distinct areas of concern to Canadian physicians: (1) federal health transfers to the provinces; (2) taxable health benefits; (3) the goods and services tax (GST); (4) Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) contributions, and (5) the Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption (LCGE) for Small Businesses. In each case, the brief contains specific recommendations as to what the government should do, and more importantly what the government should not do, to balance its short-term deficit reduction targets against longer-term Canadian values.
To summarize, good health policy and prudent economic policy go hand-in-hand provided the principles of fairness and good management practices are observed. If change is to come within an overall policy framework that is strategic, coordinated and fair and which preserves (or augments) the integrity of Canada's health care system, it behooves us to avoid short-term, stop-gap initiatives. As the government's 1994 Throne Speech put it "...the agenda of the government is based on an integrated approach to economic, social, environmental and foreign policy". Accordingly, in establishing an appropriate fiscal framework for health, change must take place within the context of a longer-term integrated view.
II. BACKGROUND...."Medicare Is A Shared Value"
Canada's system of universal health insurance is still one of the best in the world. Experts from around the world travel many thousands of miles to study and, in some cases, emulate our system.
For most Canadians, medicare is a highly cherished, integral component of our social fabric. While Medicare's popularity has not diminished over the past 30 years, it is sometimes taken for granted in these difficult economic times. Recent public opinion surveys indicate that 84% of Canadians (with the highest response in Quebec) see medicare as a defining characteristic of being Canadian. Furthermore, 84% of Canadians are of the opinion that the system provides high quality care. 1
At the same time, however, 65% of Canadians are concerned about continued accessibility to a full range of publicly-financed benefits. According to the same poll, 83% of Canadians see current financing of the system as being "unsustainable" over the longer-term 2 and they are right.
As much loved as the Canadian medicare system is, there is a large and growing consensus that we need to make changes. This brief is not about maintaining the status quo. Rather, it is about managing the changes required in the long-term best interests of all Canadians and of the physicians who are ultimately responsible for serving those interests, subject to the fiscal realities confronting government.
III. CONSIDERATIONS
CMA acknowledges that there is a pressing need, now more than ever, for the federal government to balance a number of competing social and economic policy challenges. In a time when deficit reduction measures are required, all segments of society are being asked to do more with the same or less. Health care is no exception, having done so for quite some time. At the same time, we must re-evaluate the variety of services provided or paid for by government.
Deficit Management, but at what Costs?
As of 1993/94, Canada's net public debt stood at $508.2 billion, or $17,484 for every Canadian. Combined with the debts of the provinces and territories, our national debt is in excess of $700 billion. Not to understate the case, currently one-third of each revenue dollar the government collects is allocated to debt service payments on the federal debt. 3 CMA believes enough is enough: we must not pass this burden on to future generations of Canadians.
The federal government has managed to run operating surpluses for five of the past seven years. 4 While this is necessary it is no longer sufficient to meet our fiscal challenges. Maintaining the status quo would mean that debt service payments would further crowd out government expenditures at an accelerated rate.
While the government's first priority should be to get us "out of hock", there is an equally- compelling need to respect the longstanding and fundamental principle of fairness/equity that help define Canadian society. One step toward meeting these twin objectives is to consider all possible methods of repatriating that portion of the national debt held by the international lending community. Some experts have argued that Canada, as a country, can no longer afford to have "massive leakages" in interest payments to individuals/countries abroad. 5 In so doing, we would also repatriate our ability as a sovereign nation to set and maintain social policy objectives. This involves guarding against the persistent "tyranny of the deficit" and the influence that international bond rating agencies can exert on the economy.
Facts and Fallacies about Health Spending
In reviewing expenditures in the public sector, some would suggest that health and health care spending are "out of control". This is a myth. While it is true that Canada spends 10.0% (1993) of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on health care (second highest among OECD countries), the reality is that the public sector share of total health care expenditures has fallen from 76.4% in 1975 to approximately 71.9% in 1993 6 (falling to the lowest third of OECD countries).
This process of reducing real public sector expenditures, in the absence of a well-coordinated and planned framework, has not always been in the best interests of health and health care. Specifically, federal offloading in terms of unilateral reductions in health cash transfers to the provinces have been followed by:
* the elimination of entire programs, such as dental insurance programs for children and universal drug insurance programs;
* hospital closures (e.g., 52 hospitals in Saskatchewan);
* massive regionalization of health programs and the attendant disempowerment of community hospital boards;
* the reduction of total bed capacity by as much as 20% in some provinces;
* the reduction in medical school enrolment by 10% and a planned 10% reduction in post-MD residency slots;
* global medical care expenditure caps in virtually every province in Canada;
* individual physician income thresholds in at least five provinces;
* a moratorium on interprovincial mobility of physicians;
* legislative overrides of duly-negotiated contracts for health care providers;
* widespread restrictions on the operation of high technology equipment; and
* the de facto "expropriation" of physician business practices without compensation (e.g., Saskatchewan pathologists).
These repercussions also serve to underline the fact that change is the only constant in the health care system. Many physicians across the country have expressed concerns that such changes or "threats" to our health care system are already beginning to have serious consequences for individual patients in terms of access to needed medical facilities. If the national integrity of medicare is to survive, federal fiscal policy changes must be assessed within a larger and longer-term framework; one that respects the need for innovation and professionalism in the health care system.
Physicians as Responsible Professionals
Some mistakenly argue that physician expenditures are responsible for the increasing costs to the health care system. The reality is that physician expenditures as a proportion of total health care expenditures in Canada have declined from 15.7% in 1975 to 15.1 in 1991. 7 Furthermore, physician expenditures constitute a declining share of GDP. Given the recent round of unilateral reductions in medical care spending in many jurisdictions, this percentage share will continue to drop significantly as more recent data become available.
As health care resources have become increasingly constrained, physicians have taken on added responsibilities at the macro, meso and micro levels to better manage our health resources.
* At the "macro" level, within the provinces and territories, the medical profession has been engaged in formalized consultation structures known as "Joint Management Committees" or "Administrative Councils" with government and other stakeholders to ensure value for money within a diminishing "real" globe of publicly-available resources for health care.
* At the "meso" or institutional level, physicians are working hand-in-hand with health care administrators and other community stakeholders to "rationalize" services so as to provide the best value for money in all areas. In addition, to give a greater voice for choice and improve overall accountabilities in the system, physicians are providing formal input to governments that are looking to regionalize health system operations.
* At the "micro" or clinical level, physicians have been taking the lead in developing and disseminating clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) to ensure that the care provided is both appropriate and cost-effective. More can and is being done, in collaboration with government, to ensure responsible use of the taxpayer's dollar while meeting the needs of individual patients.
At all levels, physicians will continue to involve themselves as capable and responsible professionals. As the health policy agenda continues its rapid pace, physicians and the organizations that represent them should be viewed as "agents" for, rather than "objects" of, change.
Good Health Policy Means Good Economic Policy
Agencies such as the World Economic Forum, 8 tell us that our system of financing health care is one of Canada's greatest assets in competing in the new world economic order. We should heed this advice, as the Prime Minister recently observed. Compared to the United States, this economic advantage takes the form of 30 percent lower health spending (measured as a percent of GDP or in per capita expenditures) while providing for universal medical benefits and high quality care. In terms of our European trading partners, the fact that health insurance programs are financed primarily through consolidated revenues (rather than employment-based taxes), also confers a unit cost advantage to Canadian exporters. In this sense, good health policy and good economic policy should be mutually reinforcing.
Aside from the complementary nature of the relationship between health and the economy, this fundamental concept also suggests that we need to take a longer-term, more integrated and more strategic approach to managing our collective debt and debt-servicing challenges. The federal government can no longer simply shift its financial obligations onto the backs of lower levels of government or individual Canadians without consultation or advance notice.
We need to re-evaluate the full range of government- provided or -funded services. Again, however, if federal fiscal reductions are to take place, the principles of fairness and equity must begin to guide the development of sustainable economic and health policies. While there are no doubt trade-offs that can and must be made, if the price of getting our fiscal house in order is losing a national treasure - i.e., our health care system, it is a price too high to be paid.
To summarize, we have set out a series of principles that should serve to guide the Committee in its decision-making, they are:
* take the longer-term view;
* adopt a system-wide, integrated approach for fiscal management;
* strive for a strategic approach that mutually reinforces health and economic policies; and
* strengthen the fundamental foundation of fairness and equity.
These four principles form the building blocks of the remainder of CMA's submission.
IV. ISSUES
Canada is at a social, political and economic crossroad. The challenge to this Committee and to this Government is to balance short-term fiscal pressures against the longer-term need to re-position Canada to take advantage of economic opportunity while preserving that which is of fundamental importance to Canadian society as a whole. As the Committee looks to striking the right balance, there are five specific areas of concern that the CMA wishes to bring to your attention on behalf of the Canadian medical profession.
The Temptation to Reduce Federal Health Transfers
CMA commends this Government for exempting EPF health transfers from the extended freeze that was applied to other provincial transfer programs in its spring 1994 budget. We would have been surprised had this Government done anything else, given that medicare is the "Liberal legacy" of the 1960s and given the Liberal Party's consistent opposition to the previous government's "policy by stealth" (i.e., Bill C-69; Bill C-96).
The fact is that medicare's contribution to getting our "fiscal house in order" is already large and continues to grow. In specific terms, the Committee will know that over the 1986/87 to 1995/96 fiscal period, it is estimated that $42.108 billion will have been removed via reductions in Established Program Financing for health and post-secondary education. For health alone, over $30 billion will have been removed from the system by fiscal year 1995/96. 9 Even with a resumption of GNP minus three percent growth formula in per capita EPF entitlements for health, beginning next spring, reduced cash contributions to medicare programs will continue to contribute to the attainment of the government's fiscal targets.
Given the unprecedented health reforms taking place across the country, Canadians and the health care system can ill afford another federal fiscal shock. The system is already balkanizing, with poorer regions not being able to fiscally sustain some basic health care benefits. Any further acceleration in the rate of reduction in federal cash transfers will all but assure the demise of the national integrity of medicare programs.
Moreover, any further reductions in federal health-related cash transfers will: (1) significantly hamper or stall the work of the newly-created National Health Forum; (2) further reduce the capacity for enforcement of national health principles under federal law; (3) exacerbate health-related problems of dealing with child poverty and problems of reducing health inequalities by socio-economic class; and (4) increase other areas of federal direct program expenditures in the context of renewed efforts to provincial program "uploading" (e.g., Canada Pension Plan Disability Program).
A propos of health and economy going hand-in hand, it is useful to remind ourselves of the importance of maintaining the comparability of health benefits across Canada in terms of promoting regional development, shared opportunity and efficient resource allocation. Poor regions of this country are already finding it difficult to compete for scarce new business investment capital. The implications of competing from a more uneven playing field in terms of being able to offer only "bare bones" publicly-financed health benefits will further widen the gap between the "have" and "have not" provinces.
It is for these reasons that the CMA joins with other national health organizations 10 in recommending the following:
1. THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AVOID FURTHER CUTS TO THE EPF HEALTH TRANSFER AND LOCK IN THE CASH PORTION;
2. THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT NEGOTIATE A STABLE FIVE-YEAR FUNDING ARRANGEMENT WITH THE PROVINCES/TERRITORIES;
3. THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MUST ENSURE THAT ACCOUNTABILITY OF THE HEALTH TRANSFER BE SEPARATE AND EXPLICIT.
Taxable Health Benefits
Canadians have already been dealt one blow with the increasing de-insurance of health care services (e.g., reduction of out-of-country benefits to an unfair and dangerous level, elimination or reduction in drug benefit programs). In the context of funding those services that remain public benefits, only the cruellest government would strike yet another blow to individual Canadians and to Canadian business by taxing the very benefits that taxes were raised to pay. If implemented, this proposal would be tantamount to nothing less than double taxation.
Fairness and equity would suggest that the government should be doing more, not less at the legislative and regulatory levels to promote the availability of private health insurance benefits in areas increasingly vacated by government cutbacks.
This is why CMA makes the following recommendation:
4. THAT THE CURRENT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT POLICY WITH RESPECT TO NON-TAXABLE HEALTH BENEFITS BE MAINTAINED;
Goods and Services Tax (GST)
When the GST was introduced in 1991, preoccupation with implementation issues resulted in a number of fundamental injustices at the micro level. One such injustice was dealt to the medical profession. Physicians, like other Canadians, expect to pay their fair share of taxes. We do not however, accept what essentially amounts to double taxation.
Physicians in practice in Canada are in the unique, unenviable and unfair position of being forced to absorb all the GST on business inputs. Unlike all other professions, physicians are precluded from being able to pass on the tax to consumers (with provincial health insurance plans as payment in full) or from claiming input tax credits (ITCs) since insured medical services are deemed to be "tax exempt".
Unlike other professions, physicians cannot claim input credits for the imputed taxes associated with providing needed medical care. In fact, all of the following health professionals are capable of recouping from patients the GST paid on inputs because their revenues are not restricted by government: dentists; optometrists; chiropractors; physiotherapists; chiropodists; osteopaths; audiologists; speech therapists; occupational therapists and psychologists. Physicians are still angrily awaiting remedial steps to correct this injustice.
To be clear, CMA is not asking for preferential treatment for Canadian physicians. What we want is the same fair and equitable treatment from the federal government accorded to other self-employed professional groups. Like physicians, other professions are purchasing inputs and paying GST; but unlike physicians, they are able to recoup the GST.
Given this oversight in the legislation and regulations, physicians have already been asked to pay (over and above the GST paid by other professional groups) a cumulative total of $250 million since its introduction of the tax in 1991. The magnitude of this tax paid is not in dispute (as a result of a study prepared by KPMG).
While the direct effects of the GST are significant and measurable, the indirect effects are even more significant though less measurable. It is estimated that the 55,000 physicians in Canada employ up to 100,000 Canadians. Given the disproportionate effects of the GST on the medical profession as employers, the employment dampening could be at least as high as 1,000 full-time jobs lost.
In addition, the tax-induced distorting effects in terms of efficient resource allocation in the health care system cannot be measured, but are thought to be significant. A goal of health reform in many parts of the country is to move care services out of institutions and into the community. Current federal GST policy, by taxing supplies in a clinical practice setting but not in a hospital setting, acts to discourage this shift in emphasis.
No other issue in recent years has raised the ire of individual practitioners as much as the imposition of this most unfair and inequitable tax on business inputs. Understanding that the Minister of Finance is in the process of consulting with the provinces as to the nature of a replacement tax for the GST, we are confident that this oversight will be remedied.
In the interests of fundamental fairness/equity and allocative efficiency, CMA respectfully recommends the following:
5. THAT THE COMMITTEE WORK TO ENSURE THAT CANADIAN PHYSICIANS, AS SMALL BUSINESSES, PAY NO MORE THAN OTHER PROFESSIONS UNDER ANY REPLACEMENT TAX FOR THE GST;
6. THAT ALL TAXES ON BUSINESS EXPENSES BE FAIRLY AND FULLY REMOVED UNDER ANY REPLACEMENT TAX FOR THE GST;
7. THAT IF ANY REMEDIAL STEPS ARE TAKEN TO ENSURE NO TAXES ARE LEVIED ON BUSINESS INPUTS, THESE BE APPLIED UNIFORMLY ACROSS ALL EXEMPT SERVICES.
Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP)
Canadian physicians, while receiving a large proportion of their professional earnings from the public sector (94%), do not benefit as self-employed individuals from defined benefit plans or from publicly-financed pension benefits that accrue to employed professionals. They, like other self-employed individuals, must plan and fund their own retirement. Fairness/equity once again demands that there be symmetry between money-purchase (MP) and defined-benefit (DB) retirement plans. This is all the more important for physicians because of their compressed period of lifetime earnings in relation to other groups.
This Committee will have heard various calls for either reducing the annual contribution limit or taxing assets within RRSPs. Such arguments are both specious and patently unfair. Both propositions potentially involve double taxation.
Experts both within and outside government argue, quite correctly, that the current policy be maintained, and that equity between employees and the self-employed before the taxman be assured.
It is for these reasons, that CMA has led an unprecedented alliance for the preservation of retirement savings, and recommends the following:
8. THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CONSIDER THE TOTAL COST OF THE RETIREMENT SAVINGS SYSTEM BEFORE MAKING ANY CHANGES TO THE INCOME TAX ACT;
9. THAT THE EQUITY ESTABLISHED DURING PENSION REFORM NOT BE DISTURBED BY DISCRIMINATORY CHANGES AND THAT ANY FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES TO THE SYSTEM INVOLVE A PROCESS OF INFORMED AND THOUGHTFUL INQUIRY AND DEBATE;
10. THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOSTER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BY TREATING RRSP CONTRIBUTIONS AS ASSETS RATHER THAN LIABILITIES AND BY EXPLORING THE REGULATORY CHANGES NECESSARY TO ENSURE INCREASED ACCESS TO SUCH FUNDS BY SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES.
Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption (LCGE) for Small Businesses
Most Canadian physicians are independent, self-employed practitioners. As such, they have the ability if they are incorporated to claim the LCGE when they sell their practices. Over time, several provinces have accorded physicians the right to incorporate (e.g., Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Alberta, British Columbia, and the Yukon Territory), in other jurisdictions, physician incorporation is under active review (e.g., Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario and the Northwest Territories). While physicians have benefited from incorporation on a limited basis, this issue takes on added importance when one considers the "national" move towards incorporation allowing a greater number of eligible physicians to claim the LCGE.
Recent health reforms have also underscored the importance of maintaining the current policy.
Previously, physicians were free to move their practices from one location to another to meet the changing health needs of Canadians. Over the past two years, provincial governments have moved to restrict inter-provincial mobility of physicians and indeed mobility within any given province or territory. These "barriers" not only restrict the number of new entrants into the system in addition to those who wish to move to other areas of the country, but also can be thought of as increasing the capitalized value of established practices. Indeed, with the advent of regional physician resource plans across Canada, the cost of establishing a new practice can be expected to continue to grow at an unprecedented rate. So while some physicians have yet to claim the LCGE, it is reasonable to think that they will some time in the future.
As the health needs of Canadians change, and as people move, medical care services will have to respond accordingly. The elimination of the LCGE, by significantly increasing the purchase price of a new medical practice, unnecessarily and unfairly raises additional economic barriers to shifting practices in response to changing community health needs.
CMA therefore recommends:
11. THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MAINTAIN THE CURRENT POLICY FOR THE LIFETIME CAPITAL GAINS EXEMPTION FOR SMALL BUSINESSES.
V. TRADE-OFFS
To summarize: in broad terms the health care sector has already paid its fair (and to a larger extent unfair) share.
Everyone who has appeared before this Committee will argue that cuts should not occur in their backyard. They can't all be right! The government of Canada must decide where its priorities lie over the longer-term. Deficit reduction targets can no longer be met by simply chipping away at the full range of federally-sponsored programs. The national integrity of national health insurance programs, given their importance to Canada's economic, social and political future must be on the short list of safeguarded social programs.
If further reductions in federal health transfers are deemed appropriate, the Committee should be prepared to publicly acknowledge that the principles of universality or comprehensiveness (i.e., the choice between covering everyone versus everything) will have to be fundamentally re-examined. Given the degree of support for the universality principle, if the federal government is serious about further reducing its direct or indirect contributions to health, then it must reconsider the range of core benefits that will be made available to Canadians. In fact, we may now have reached the point where we need to get back to basics; reminding ourselves of the original medicare promise, which was to protect Canadians from the spectre of personal bankruptcy associated with large and unexpected health care bills. Not to pay the day-to-day ("grocery") bill of health care.
The recently-announced National Health Forum, chaired by the Prime Minister, will provide an important opportunity to assess the breadth and depth of publicly-financed health care.
The contribution of medicine to the health of Canadians and to the economy is just too important to be traded off. Physicians are still feeling the "aftershocks" of recent federal fiscal decisions. They have also had to absorb sharp unilateral reductions at the provincial level. The provinces of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Alberta - to name only three - have disproportionately singled out the medical profession on a net earnings basis in decreasing health funding.
Taken together, these fiscal forces could trigger an unprecedented exodus of physicians from Canada. As governments move to restrict the ability of physicians to provide needed medical care, CMA is increasingly concerned about the growing number of physicians who are being actively recruited by the United States, and those who feel they have no alternative but to leave the country.
At a macro level, we as a society, must recognize that we are in a North American labour market, and as such, each physician heading south represents both a short-term pain and long-term pain.
VI. SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS
The CMA offers the following recommendations to the Committee in its deliberations:
1. THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AVOID FURTHER CUTS TO THE EPF HEALTH TRANSFER AND LOCK IN THE CASH PORTION;
2. THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT NEGOTIATE A STABLE FIVE-YEAR FUNDING ARRANGEMENT WITH THE PROVINCES/TERRITORIES;
3. THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MUST ENSURE THAT ACCOUNTABILITY OF THE HEALTH TRANSFER BE SEPARATE AND EXPLICIT.
4. THAT THE CURRENT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT POLICY WITH RESPECT TO NON-TAXABLE HEALTH BENEFITS BE MAINTAINED;
5. THAT THE COMMITTEE WORK TO ENSURE THAT CANADIAN PHYSICIANS, AS SMALL BUSINESSES, PAY NO MORE THAN OTHER PROFESSIONS UNDER ANY REPLACEMENT TAX FOR THE GST;
6. THAT ALL TAXES ON BUSINESS EXPENSES BE FAIRLY AND FULLY REMOVED UNDER ANY REPLACEMENT TAX FOR THE GST;
7. THAT IF ANY REMEDIAL STEPS ARE TAKEN TO ENSURE NO TAXES ARE LEVIED ON BUSINESS INPUTS, THESE BE APPLIED UNIFORMLY ACROSS ALL EXEMPT SERVICES.
8. THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CONSIDER THE TOTAL COST OF THE RETIREMENT SAVINGS SYSTEM BEFORE MAKING ANY CHANGES TO THE INCOME TAX ACT;
9. THAT THE EQUITY ESTABLISHED DURING PENSION REFORM NOT BE DISTURBED BY DISCRIMINATORY CHANGES AND THAT ANY FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES TO THE SYSTEM INVOLVE A PROCESS OF INFORMED AND THOUGHTFUL INQUIRY AND DEBATE;
10. THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOSTER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BY TREATING RRSP CONTRIBUTIONS AS ASSETS RATHER THAN LIABILITIES AND BY EXPLORING THE REGULATORY CHANGES NECESSARY TO ENSURE INCREASED ACCESS TO SUCH FUNDS BY SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES.
11. THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MAINTAIN THE CURRENT POLICY FOR THE LIFETIME CAPITAL GAINS EXEMPTION FOR SMALL BUSINESSES.
_______________
1 The Angus Reid Group, The Reid Report. Vol. 8, No. 7, July/August, 1993 and Vol. 8, No. 8, September, 1993.
2 Ibid.
3 Agenda: Jobs and Growth: Creating A Healthy Fiscal Climate (The Economic and Fiscal Climate), Department of Finance, October 1994.
4 Economic and Fiscal Reference Tables, Department of Finance, September 1994; Annual Financial Report of the Government of Canada, Fiscal Year, 1993/94.
5 Valaskakis K.: The Debt Monster, Montreal Gazette, November 5, 1994.
6 National Health Expenditures in Canada, 1975-1993. Health Canada.
7 Ibid.
8 World Economic Forum 1991: The World Competitiveness report 1990, Institut pour l'étude des méthodes de direction de l'entreprise, Lausanne, Switzerland.
9 Thomson A 1991: Federal Support for Health Care: A Background Paper. Health Action Lobby, Ottawa, June 1991.
10 See the 1995/96 Pre-Budget Submission to the Standing Committee on Finance by the Health Action Lobby (HEAL), November 15, 1994.
With economic growth having slowed, Budget 2009 provides an historic opportunity to invest in initiatives that will stimulate the Canadian economy in the short term while also strengthening it in the long term. With the federal government now considering several areas for potential fiscal stimulus, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) views infrastructure spending as the government's best option. In order to provide much-needed immediate economic stimulus and a responsible, long-term strategy to achieve economic stability, the CMA recommends the federal government invest $2.4 billion in health infrastructure upgrade initiatives to be carried out over the next two years. These initiatives fall into three priority areas:
1) Accelerating existing or "construction-ready" capital projects in health care facilities.
The CMA recommends a federal investment of $1.5 billion over two years to accelerate existing hospital and health facility construction projects. While investments in physical infrastructure are required across the continuum of care, a focus on hospital construction - specifically on construction-ready projects already approved at the provincial level - will allow funds to flow more quickly and thus provide a more immediate economic stimulus. Federal investment in hospital and health facility construction will create 16,500 jobs over two years and 11,000 jobs in 2009 alone. These projects may be financed through existing public-private partnerships (P3s). With targeted and strategic federal investment, health facility capital projects would also stimulate further investment in the form of private-sector financing of these capital projects.
2) Accelerating implementation of electronic medical records.
Health system information technology is an area where infrastructure investments are needed and would provide significant return on investment through immediate economic stimulus and improved health system efficiency in the medium and long term. CMA recommends that the federal government make a strategic "strings attached" $225-million investment in an Electronic Medical Record Patient Transition Fund that could be managed by the Canada Health Infoway.
3) Modernizing information systems in small- and medium-sized health care facilities.
A federal investment of $700 million over two years to upgrade information system hardware and software in small- and medium-sized hospitals could be implemented within the next eight quarters and begin to create 7,700 jobs and rapidly improve health care efficiency.
These health infrastructure investments would create 27,000 new jobs over the next two years:
1. 16,500 jobs for existing hospital building projects that are "construction ready";
2. 4,950 jobs for electronic medical records (EMR) implementation for community-based health care offices;
3. 7,700 jobs for hospital information systems in small- and medium-sized hospitals.
Introduction
In these challenging economic times, the federal government is to be commended for casting a wide net in search of effective and immediate measures to stimulate Canada's economy. Of course, Canadians must also be assured that we will not be mortgaging our future by doing so.
In order to both provide much-needed immediate economic stimulus and a responsible, long-term strategy to achieve economic stability, the CMA recommends that the federal government invest $2.4 billion in health infrastructure upgrade initiatives to be carried out over the next two years. These investments would stimulate further provincial/territorial and private-sector investment. To be clear: these recommendations are in the context of a fiscal stimulus plan and do not encompass CMA's entire long-term vision for high-quality and patient-focused health care.
The CMA initiatives fall into three priority areas:
1) Accelerating existing or "construction-ready" capital projects in health care facilities;
2) Accelerating implementation of electronic medical records;
3) Modernizing information systems in small- and medium-sized health care facilities.
A critical factor in these recommendations is the fact that the federal government already has in place funding mechanisms to deliver stimulus funds rapidly in all three areas. Canada Health Infoway is such an established vehicle for the EMR initiative and the upgrading of hospital information systems. The Canada Foundation for Innovation or an expanded "Building Canada" program are initiatives that have organizations in place to administer the investments in hospital construction projects. Additionally, these initiatives are flexible in both size and duration.
Most economists agree that increasing infrastructure spending generally will boost the economy by creating jobs. In no sector is this more true than health care. Infrastructure investments, will lead to higher employment and more spending on products and services, and generate higher overall demand.i (See Appendix A for investment and job creation quarterly forecasts 2009/2010ii). The Business Register of Statistics Canada reports there were 75,615 establishments in the health service delivery (HSD) industry in 2003, employing 1.3 million people. That year, they accounted for 3.3% of all Canadian business establishments and 7.6% of total employment. In 2003, the GDP of the HSD industry was larger than wholesale trade, retail trade, and the upstream oil and gas mining industry, and almost as large as the construction sector. Physicians' offices (30,120 establishments) accounted for almost 39% of all HSD establishments and employed 142,000 people, or almost 11% of all HSD employees. By targeting investment in the three areas outlined above, the government will respond to Canadians' desire for a strengthened health care system, support Canada's competitive advantage and create 27,000 jobs in the next two years (Figure 1).
1. Accelerating Health Facility Construction Projects
The CMA recommends that the federal government invest $1.5 billion over two years to accelerate hospital and/or health facility projects that are "construction ready".
In 2001 the CMA identified inadequate investment in buildings, machinery and equipment and in scientific, professional and medical devices as major hurdles to timely access to health care services. While spending has increased in health care since then, governments have placed a lower priority on capital investment when allocating financial resources for health care.
The CMA recommends a federal investment of $1.5 billion over two years to accelerate existing hospital and health facility construction projects. This does not capture all the capital requirements in the health system in the medium- and long-term. While investments in physical infrastructure are required across the continuum of care, a focus on hospital construction - specifically on construction-ready projects - will allow funds to flow more quickly and thus provide a more immediate stimulus to the economy. Federal investment in hospital and health facility construction will create 16,500 jobs over a two-year period and 11,000 jobs in 2009 alone. These projects may be financed through existing public-private partnerships (P3s).
With targeted and strategic federal investment, health facility capital projects can also stimulate further investment in the form of private-sector financing of capital projects. Across Canada hospitals are seeking to develop innovative approaches to financing capital infrastructure. The CMA agrees with other organizations such as the Canadian Healthcare Association about the need to explore the concept of entering into public-private partnerships to address capital infrastructure needs as an alternative to relying on government funding. Joint ventures and hospital bonds are but two examples of P3 financing.
As these types of partnerships are pursued, the CMA recommends that governments establish uniform requirements and regulations to ensure the transparency of the tendering process and adequate measuring of quality of care and cost-effectiveness in both public and private settings.iii
The federal government has long showed great leadership in partnering to build Canada's health care system - the Hospital Construction Grants Program of 1948 and the Health Resources Fund Act of 1966. Today our country and our health care system need a new vision for replacing aging physical infrastructure.
2. Electronic Medical Records - Accelerating Coverage for 26 Million Patients
CMA recommends that the federal government invest $225 million over two years to accelerate the implementation of an interoperable electronic medical record across Canada.
International studies confirm that Canada lags behind nearly every major industrial country
when it comes to the adoption of health information technology (Figure 8). The Conference Board of Canadaiv, the Organization for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD)v, the World Health Organizationvi, the Commonwealth Fundvii, and the Frontier Centre for Public Policy all rate Canada's health care system poorly in terms of value for money and efficiency. The impact of this underinvestment is longer wait times, poorer quality, greater health system costs and a severe lack of financial accountability - especially when it comes to federal dollars.
Health system information technology is an area where infrastructure investments are needed and would provide significant return on investment through immediate economic stimulus and improved health system efficiency in the medium- and long-term. CMA recommends that the federal government make a strategic, "strings attached,"1 $225-million investment in an Electronic Medical Record Patient Transition Fund that could be managed by the Canada Health Infoway.2 The fund would finance EMR capital equipment acquisition and EMR change management and transition support, specifically the conversion of 26 million patient records in 30,000 physician offices.
This federal investment would be matched by provincial-territorial funds and would thus provide a total of $450 million in economic stimulus and create 5000 new jobs over two years. While public funds would kick-start this initiative, they would stimulate considerable private sector activity in the provision of EMR capabilities across Canada. Assuming the current trend prevails, the ongoing management of the data holdings would be outsourced to private sector companies based on application service provider arrangements.
Moreover, these investments are consistent with the Building Canada plan's focus on broadband and connectivity, and with Advantage Canada's goals of creating a knowledge advantage and an infrastructure advantage.
Beyond providing immediate stimulus to the Canadian economy, a fully realized EMR system will improve patient outcomes, system efficiency and accountability and save billions of dollars annually. Technology consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton found that the benefits of an interconnected Electronic Health Record (EHR) in Canada could provide annual system-wide savings of $6.1 billion.viii These savings would come from reduced duplicate testing, transcription savings, fewer chart pulls and less filing time, reductions in office supplies and reduced expenditures due to fewer adverse drug reactions. The study also found that the benefits to health care outcomes would equal or surpass these annual savings, thus providing a possible combined annual savings of $12.2 billion.
By reducing wait times, an interoperable EMR will contribute to saving the Canadian economy billions of dollars each year. A study commissioned by the CMA conservatively calculated that excessive wait times involving just four procedures (joint replacements, cataract surgery, coronary artery bypass grafts and MRIs) cost the economy over $14 billion in 2007 due to lost output and government revenues.ix
The Electronic Medical Record Patient Transition Fund focuses on community care and the physician offices where most patient visits occur. Most of the emphasis on connectivity in Canadian health care to date has not focused on the point of care, even though the number of patient interactions with hospitals is greatly exceeded by the number of visits to physicians' offices.x Thus, patient-physician office interactions outnumber patient-hospital interactions by a ratio of 18 to 1. In Ontario (Figure 2), just 3,000 of an average of 247,000 patient visits per day, or 1.2%, are made in hospitals.
Figure 2 Patient visits per day in Ontario (Canada Health Infoway)
3. Modernizing Hospital Information Systems
The federal government should invest $700 million over two years to modernize information systems in small- and medium-sized hospitals.
Aging information systems in small hospitals (fewer than 100 beds) and medium-sized hospitals (100 to 300 beds) create considerable inefficiency in patient care and administration. While larger hospitals have upgraded their information systems, hundreds of smaller facilities have information systems that are at least 10 years old.
This means that patients are often forced to provide their personal and health information many times: when checking in to the emergency department, then when having a diagnostic test performed, and again when being admitted to hospital. Each step creates room for error and needlessly wastes the time of health care staff and patients. In addition, these discrete systems may not be networked, a situation that risks compromising patient care.
A federal investment of $700 million over two years to upgrade information system hardware and software in small- and medium-sized hospitals could be implemented within the next eight quarters and begin to create 7,700 jobs and rapidly improve health care efficiency. The $700 million investment is based on a recent conservative estimate for outfitting hospitals across the country (see Appendix B).
There are at least 70 medium-sized Canadian hospitals requiring major system upgrades immediately at a cost of $15 million per hospital. The distribution of these hospitals would help spread out the fiscal stimulus regionally and mitigate against potential labour shortages.
The $700-million recommendation assumes that the majority of hospital information system investments (64%) would need to be focused on the hardware and professional services related to implementing the new systems, with the rest focused on system software. It is important to note that these investments would help support related Canadian software, hardware and professional services firms over the next 24 months and beyond. More importantly, the hospital information system sector is a multibillion dollar global industry.
A fiscal stimulus investment in this sector now would help Canadian firms to capitalize on a golden opportunity to export these goods and services, which are increasingly in high demand.xi It is also important that patients be involved in evaluating these systems in order to improve care and system efficiencies. As Roger Martin, Dean of the Rotman School of Business noted: "We can dramatically improve the production of globally competitive health care product and services firms, but only if we work to significantly improve the demand side (patients) of our innovation equation."xii This is in line with the CMA's call for patient-focused funding.
Conclusion
That these are extraordinary economic times is beyond question, but the CMA contends that it is precisely during such times that opportunities often present themselves. We think the federal government must continue to examine and leverage all available policy levers at its disposal, including studying how the tax system could be used to support renewal within the health care sector.
The tax system's level of support for people facing high out-of-pocket expenses remains a particularly pressing question. Currently, the medical expenses tax credit provides limited relief to those whose expenses exceed $1,637, or 3% of net income. The 3% threshold was established before medicare was introduced. Does it still make sense in 2009? Are there ways to enhance this provision to reduce financial disincentives facing many Canadians when they have to pay for health services?
The CMA encourages the federal government to undertake a comprehensive review of these and other tax questions pertaining to health. By itself, tax policy will not solve all the challenges facing Canada's health care system, but the CMA believes that the tax system can play a key role in helping the system adapt to changing circumstances, thereby complementing the other two components of our renewal strategy.
Similarly, the government must remember that almost five million Canadians do not have a family physician and that Canada needs 26,000 more doctors to meet the OECD average of physicians per population. The federal government wisely recognized the urgency of this situation when it committed to several targeted and affordable measures to begin to address the doctor shortage. It should follow through on its election commitment to take first steps towards addressing the shortage, including contributing $10 million per year over four years to provinces to allow them to fund 50 new residencies per year in Canada's major teaching hospitals, and $5 million per year over four years to help Canadian physicians living abroad who wish to relocate to Canada. These initiatives would begin to increase the supply and retention of physicians in areas of priority need, and could bring back as many as 300 Canadian physicians over four years.
Today, the federal government is focused on instituting specific, strategic and immediate economic stimulus measures, and rightfully so. However, we must not let the urgent crowd out the important in terms of building a sustainable health care system that provides timely access to quality health care services for all Canadians.
Appendix A. Investment and job creation profile estimates 2009-10
B. Projected Costs to Implement / Upgrade Hospital Information Systems3
Assumptions
1. Total number of hospitals in Canada = 734
a. % small hospitals (< 100 beds) = 69%
b. % medium hospitals (< 300 beds) = 18%
2. Components in hospital information systems
a. Finance & Administration
b. Admission, Discharge, Transfer (ADT) System
c. Patient Information System
d. Radiology Information System
e. Laboratory Information System
f. Pharmacy Information System
g. Coding & Abstracting System
3. Cost to implement complete HIS for medium size hospital = $15 million
a. Ratio of software to hardware and professional services - 1:1.8
b. Software = $5,357,143
c. Hardware & Professional Services = $9,642,857
4. Small hospitals (i.e. < 25 beds) would not have the resources to manage a full HIS
a. Cluster implementations among 8 hospitals
b. Number of clusters = 33 (total # of hospitals = 270)
5. Small hospitals would have greater requirement for full implementation of HIS
a. % of hospitals requiring full implementations = 50%
b. Number of hospitals (exclusive of clusters in #4) = 117
c. Total number including clusters in # 4 requiring full implementation = 91
d. Cost to implement full HIS - 60% of medium hospital implementation = $9 million
6. Medium sized hospitals with systems > 10 years old would require full implementation
a. % of hospitals requiring full HIS implementation = 30%
b. Number of hospitals= 40
7. Major system upgrades are estimated at 40% of cost of a full HIS
a. Cost to complete system upgrade = $6 million
b. % small hospitals (# of beds between 25 - 99) requiring upgrade = 30%
c. Number of hospitals = 70
d. % of medium hospitals requiring upgrade = 30%
e. Number of hospitals = 40
Investment Needed
1. Investment required for small hospitals - full implementation
$ 9,000,000 x 91 = $ 819,000,000
2. Investment required for small hospitals - system upgrade
$ 6,000,000 x 70 = $ 420,000,000
3. Investment required for medium hospitals - full implementation
$ 15,000,000 x 40 = $ 600,000,000
4. Investment required for medium hospitals - system upgrades
$ 6,000,000 x 40 = $ 240,000,000
5. Total investment for HIS for small and medium size hospitals
$ 2,079,000,000
References
1 The conditions of this health information investment should include:
* Fifty-fifty FPT cost sharing;
* Involvement of the clinical community in the input and oversight of the program;
* Use of consistent standards.
2 See Table l in Appendix A for full investment horizon details.
3 Prepared for the Canadian Medical Association by Branham Group December 2008
see: http://www.branhamgroup.com/company.php
i Will Stimulus Help Employment in a 21st Century Economy? Wall Street Journal, Dec. 5, 2008.
ii These estimates were derived using the principle of an employment multiplier and adapted using the methodology applied by Informetrica for an infrastructure study they prepared for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (05/08).
iii Improving performance measurement, quality assurance and accountability in the public-private interface - CMA Policy Statement, It's still about access! Medicare Plus, July 2007
iv A Report Card on Canada see: http://sso.conferenceboard.ca/HCP/overview/health-overview.aspx
v Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD] (2007). OECD Health
Data 2007. Version 07/18/2007. CD-ROM. Paris: OECD.
vi World Health Organization [WHO] (2007). World Health Statistics 2007. see: http://www.who.int.
vii Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: An International Update on the Comparative Performance of American Health Care May 15, 2007 (updated May 16, 2007)
Volume 59
Authors: Karen Davis, Ph.D., Cathy Schoen, M.S., Stephen C. Schoenbaum, M.D., M.P.H., Michelle M. Doty, Ph.D., M.P.H., Alyssa L. Holmgren, M.P.A., Jennifer L. Kriss, and Katherine K. Shea
Editor(s):Deborah Lorber see: www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_id=482678
viii Booz, Allan, Hamilton. Canada Health Infoway's 10-Year Investment Strategy: pan-Canadian electronic health record, March 2005-09-06.
ix The economic cost of wait times in Canada, January 2008. This study was commissioned by the Canadian Medical Association to analyze the economic costs of wait times in Canada's medical system. The CMA's membership includes more than 67,000 physicians, medical residents and medical students. It plays a key role by representing the interests of these members and their patients on the national stage. Located in Ottawa, the CMA has roots across the country through its close ties to its 12 provincial and territorial divisions.
See: www.cma.ca/multimedia/CMA/Content_Images/Inside_cma/Media_Release/pdf/2008/EconomicReport.pdf
x Sources: Physician visits - CIHI - Physicians in Canada: Fee-for-Service Utilization 2005-2006. Table 1-21. Hospital contacts - CIHI - Trends in Acute Inpatient Hospitalizations and Day surgery Visits in Canada 1995-1996 to 2005-2006 and CIHI -National Ambulatory Care Reporting System - Visit Disposition by Triage Level for All Emergency Visits - 2005-2006.
xi Canada boasts a sophisticated network of providers, many globally-recognized hospitals, and a number of major centres for health research. We spend aggressively in global terms on health research, which is supported nationally by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). But against this backdrop lies a mystery: why do so few Canadian health care firms sell their products and services in the international market? Only nine sell as much as $100 million of any product or service to customers outside the country, with total sector sales outside Canada of less than $5 billion. This sector total compares unfavourably with the foreign sales of individual firms such as Bombardier at $22 billion, and Magna International at $14 billion; overseas health-care sales are even dominated by the export of sawn logs, at $9 billion. see: http://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/rogermartin/Canadianhealthcaremystery.pdf (accessed January 7, 2009)
From: Roger, Martin, The Canadian Health Care Mystery: Where Are the Exports? Rotman magazine (Winter 2006).
xii Ibid.
The Canadian Medical Association will establish a Canadian physician support trust to provide timely financial and personal support to physicians in need as a national program administered by the provincial/territorial medical associations.
The Canadian Medical Association will establish a Canadian physician support trust to provide timely financial and personal support to physicians in need as a national program administered by the provincial/territorial medical associations.
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The Canadian Medical Association will establish a Canadian physician support trust to provide timely financial and personal support to physicians in need as a national program administered by the provincial/territorial medical associations.
The Canadian Medical Association, in collaboration with the provincial/territorial medical associations, calls upon governments to establish a jointly funded, independent centre for excellence in Canadian population health outcomes to undertake research and report annually to Parliament on achievements made in reaching national health goals.
The Canadian Medical Association, in collaboration with the provincial/territorial medical associations, calls upon governments to establish a jointly funded, independent centre for excellence in Canadian population health outcomes to undertake research and report annually to Parliament on achievements made in reaching national health goals.
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The Canadian Medical Association, in collaboration with the provincial/territorial medical associations, calls upon governments to establish a jointly funded, independent centre for excellence in Canadian population health outcomes to undertake research and report annually to Parliament on achievements made in reaching national health goals.
The Canadian Medical Association will incorporate in its Toward a Blueprint for Health Care Transformation: A Framework for Action a call on all levels of governments to ensure that change initiatives in health care be clinically driven from inception to implementation and include appropriate physician representation from practising physicians who are representative of and accountable to their colleagues.
The Canadian Medical Association will incorporate in its Toward a Blueprint for Health Care Transformation: A Framework for Action a call on all levels of governments to ensure that change initiatives in health care be clinically driven from inception to implementation and include appropriate physician representation from practising physicians who are representative of and accountable to their colleagues.
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The Canadian Medical Association will incorporate in its Toward a Blueprint for Health Care Transformation: A Framework for Action a call on all levels of governments to ensure that change initiatives in health care be clinically driven from inception to implementation and include appropriate physician representation from practising physicians who are representative of and accountable to their colleagues.
Good afternoon Madame Chair. The Canadian Medical Association is pleased to address the committee as part of its ongoing study of H1N1 planning and response.
In the broad context of pandemic planning, the CMA has focused on developing information and education tools on cma.ca to ensure Canada's doctors are equipped to provide the best possible care to patients.
We have also engaged in discussions with the Assembly of First Nations to address workforce shortages in First Nations and Inuit communities during a pandemic.
Despite the work of governments and others, there remains much to do.
To provide optimal patient care, individual physicians - primary care providers and specialists alike - require:
* Regular updates on the status of H1N1 in their community;
* Timely and easy access to diagnostic and treatment recommendations with clear messages tailored to their service level;
* Rapid responses to questions; and
* Adequate supplies of key resources such as masks, medications, diagnostic kits and vaccines.
The CMA commends federal, provincial and territorial governments for creating the Canadian Pandemic Influenza Plan for the Health Care Sector.
The CMA was pleased to provide feedback on elements of the plan and we are participating on the anti-viral and clinical care task groups.
There are three issues that still must be addressed:
First, the communications gap between public health officials and front-line providers; Second, the lack of adequate resources on the front lines;
and finally, variability that exists across the country.
The Communications Gap
Physicians must be involved in the planning stages and must receive consistent, timely and practical plain-language information. They should not have to seek information out from various websites or other sources, or through the media.
This communications gap also includes a gap between information and action.
For example, we are told to keep at least a six-foot distance between an infected patient and other patients and staff. This will not be possible in a doctor's waiting room, nor will disinfecting examining and waiting rooms in-between each patient.
Adequate resources
Patient volumes may increase dramatically and there are serious concerns about how to manage supplies if an office is overwhelmed. There is also considerable concern over whether we can keep enough health care professionals healthy to care for patients, and whether we have enough respirators and specialty equipment to treat patients.
Intensive-care units of hospitals can also expect to be severely strained as a second-wave pandemic hits. This speaks to a general lack of surge capacity within the system. Also, pandemic planning for ICUs and other hospital units must include protocols to determine which patients can benefit most when there are not enough respirators and personnel to provide the required care for all who need it.
Beyond the need for more supplies, however, there is also the concern that there are only so many hours in a day. Doctors will always strive to provide care for those who need it, but if treating H1N1 cases takes all of our time, who will be available to care for patients with other conditions?
Variability across the country
CMA has consulted with provincial and territorial medical associations and their level of involvement in government planning as well as the general state of preparedness varies greatly. There is also marked inconsistency province-to-province around immunization schedules. We need a clear statement of recommendation to clear up this variability.
In summary, there remains a great deal of uncertainty among physicians about: the vaccine, the supply of antivirals, the role of assessment centres and mass immunization clinics, delegated acts, and physicians' medico-legal obligations and protections.
The bottom line is that there is still more work to do at all levels before front-line clinicians feel well prepared with information, tools and strategies they need.
The CMA was pleased to meet with Dr. Butler-Jones to discuss our concerns last week and will continue to work closely with Public Health Agency of Canada to identify gaps and to prepare user-friendly information for clinicians.
Thank you and I welcome any questions.
That the Canadian Medical Association recommend that the governments of Canada review and, where necessary, revise current health legislation or regulations that unnecessarily restrict the personal choices of consumers and providers regarding alternatives in private insurance and other health care financing arrangements.
That the Canadian Medical Association recommend that the governments of Canada review and, where necessary, revise current health legislation or regulations that unnecessarily restrict the personal choices of consumers and providers regarding alternatives in private insurance and other health care financing arrangements.
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That the Canadian Medical Association recommend that the governments of Canada review and, where necessary, revise current health legislation or regulations that unnecessarily restrict the personal choices of consumers and providers regarding alternatives in private insurance and other health care financing arrangements.
The Canadian Medical Association, in collaboration with provincial/territorial medical associations and affiliates, calls upon governments to implement a routine deafness-screening program for newborns.
The Canadian Medical Association, in collaboration with provincial/territorial medical associations and affiliates, calls upon governments to implement a routine deafness-screening program for newborns.
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The Canadian Medical Association, in collaboration with provincial/territorial medical associations and affiliates, calls upon governments to implement a routine deafness-screening program for newborns.
That all levels of government be encouraged to develop, in consultation with health care providers and the public, a comprehensive and coordinated public policy for disease prevention and health promotion.
That all levels of government be encouraged to develop, in consultation with health care providers and the public, a comprehensive and coordinated public policy for disease prevention and health promotion.
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That all levels of government be encouraged to develop, in consultation with health care providers and the public, a comprehensive and coordinated public policy for disease prevention and health promotion.
That the Canadian Medical Association endorse efforts by the PMPRB to adopt more stringent price controls on drugs judged to be of "minimal or no therapeutic" benefit.
That the Canadian Medical Association endorse efforts by the PMPRB to adopt more stringent price controls on drugs judged to be of "minimal or no therapeutic" benefit.
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That the Canadian Medical Association endorse efforts by the PMPRB to adopt more stringent price controls on drugs judged to be of "minimal or no therapeutic" benefit.
That the Canadian Medical Association working through its divisions, affiliated societies and members, be committed to assist members in becoming more knowledgeable in matters of physician resources planning, health administration, health care planning, regionalization strategies and health cost.
That the Canadian Medical Association working through its divisions, affiliated societies and members, be committed to assist members in becoming more knowledgeable in matters of physician resources planning, health administration, health care planning, regionalization strategies and health cost.
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That the Canadian Medical Association working through its divisions, affiliated societies and members, be committed to assist members in becoming more knowledgeable in matters of physician resources planning, health administration, health care planning, regionalization strategies and health cost.
