Doctors dealing with too much paperwork, time being wasted: new report
Doctors Manitoba says a new report from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is shedding light on how much time is being wasted filling out needless paperwork.
On Monday, the CFIB released a new report called Patients Before Paperwork. The report says doctors across the country are spending around 18.5 million hours on unnecessary paperwork and administrative duties each year, which equals 55.6 million patient visits.
“Red tape hurts everyone, and we should be looking to reduce it wherever we can, especially where it promises to free up time in areas we care about,” said Laura Jones, CFIB vice-president and co-author of the report, in a news release.
In Manitoba, CFIB said doctors are spending 591,000 hours per year filling out unnecessary paperwork, which is equal to 1.8 million patient visits.
Dr. Candace Bradshaw, the president of Doctors Manitoba, said paperwork can be soul-sucking and is a big reason for doctor burnout.
“The CFIB’s recommendations make a ton of sense to us. Measure the admin burden in our province, set a target to reduce, and set up oversight to ensure that it happens,” said Bradshaw.
As part of the report, CFIB said if the paperwork was cut by just 10 per cent, it could mean 5.5 million more patient visits throughout Canada, and in Manitoba, it would mean 177,000 more patient visits.
WHAT COUNTS AS UNNECESSARY PAPERWORK?
When asked what kind of paperwork could be deemed unnecessary by doctors, she said she had an example of it Monday morning.
“I was filling out getting exception drug status approved on a patient who will need the medication in question for the rest of her life. Each year this paperwork is necessary because they will only approve her one year at a time. That doesn’t make any sense to me, this is never going to change, she will always need this medication.”
Bradshaw also notes several forms include “strange” questions that she says are not needed and take up the time she could spend with patients.
“For every patient visit that I have, I would say 60 to 70 per cent of it involves administrative duty, seeing the patient being probably the smallest portion of that time,” said Bradshaw. “We went into medicine to become physicians and care for our patients. We did not go into medicine to do data entry and fill out form after form with redundant questions and things that could be managed much differently or perhaps sometimes even by somebody else in the care team.”
In the report, CFIB refers to Nova Scotia, as the province has set a target to reduce administrative work by 10 per cent by 2024. The province has already identified areas to improve and CFIB said other provinces and territories should follow suit.
Bradshaw said if there is a system that is working then it should be looked at to be used in Manitoba.
“Everything has to be provincially specific because what’s working there isn’t going to necessarily work as well here.”
She pointed to the fact that Manitoba has several health regions and if a form is filled out for the wrong region for a procedure, then the form is rejected and the doctor must start again.
“These are Manitoba-specific issues and we would definitely have to pay attention to those kinds of details to be successful.”
In a prepared statement to CTV News Winnipeg, the government said it is working with Doctors Manitoba to alleviate administrative burdens and an update will be provided in the near future.
“This initiative is part of our government’s $200 million health human resource action plan to add 2,000 health professionals to the system,” a government spokesperson said.
The entire report from CFIB has been viewed here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
IN PHOTOS Northern lights dance across the night sky in southern Ont.
From London, to Mildmay, Collingwood and St. Thomas, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
Millions of Canadians have been exposed to potentially toxic chemicals, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
Dutch contestant kicked out of Eurovision hours before tension-plagued song contest final
The Netherlands' contestant in the Eurovision Song Contest was dramatically expelled from competition hours before Saturday's final of the pan-continental pop competition, which has been rattled by protests over the participation of Israel.
'I am angry': Alberta farmers will continue fight over world class motorsport resort
The rolling hills leading to the hamlet of Rosebud are dotted with sprawling farms and cattle pastures -- and a sign sporting a simple message: No Race Track.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.
Bouchard lifts Edmonton Oilers to 4-3 overtime win over Canucks in Game 2
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
opinion How to use your credit card as a powerful wealth-building tool
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
Cyclist issued fine for striking four-year-old girl crossing the street
A cyclist turned herself in and received a fine after striking a four-year-old girl who was crossing the street to catch a school bus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.