On June 6, 2024, the federal government introduced legislation that will enable Canadians to access their own health data, and require health services to adopt common standards for secure information sharing.
This proposed legislation reflects advocacy by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) and our provincial and territorial counterparts to address a key contributor to physicians’ crushing administrative burden. The legislation would require all IT companies providing digital health services in Canada to adopt common standards and allow for protected and secure information exchange across various systems.
“Providers will benefit from the ability to share information across health professions and jurisdictions, cutting down on administrative burden and reducing the number of unnecessary tests.” — CMA Presidents Dr. Joss Reimer and Dr. Kathleen Ross
Moving to broad, nationwide connectivity will improve patient outcomes and their health care experience. It will also help physicians reduce unnecessary paperwork, one of the leading causes of physician burnout.
Amid Canada’s health care crisis, providers are working under immense strain while patients struggle to access timely care. Yet physicians spend 18.5 million hours on unnecessary administrative tasks every year — equivalent to 55.6 million patient visits.
“On average, physicians spend more than 10 hours a week on administrative tasks, often working after hours,” says CMA’s 2023-24 President Dr. Kathleen Ross. “Too much of that is either inefficient, duplicative or could be eliminated entirely.”
We are seeing results and remain hard at work to build momentum.
- The CMA participated in the Canada Revenue Agency’s Disability Tax Credit Advisory Committee. We are also working with the CRA and provincial and territorial associations to ensure the federal government implements a streamlined process for the new Canada Disability Benefit.
- We have seen the introduction of pan-Canadian licensure in Atlantic Canada, and are keeping governments accountable as mobility of physicians is embedded in bilateral agreements between the federal and provincial/territorial governments.
- We are tracking progress, releasing a joint report on how federal, provincial and territorial governments are responding to recommendations to reduce red tape.
- We have launched a digital health interoperability task force, jointly with Infoway, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the College of Family Physicians of Canada, to improve sharing of health data and information at the system level. A recent national survey about use of digital tools in doctors’ practices will help inform ongoing advocacy work.
- We’re investing in innovative projects to reduce administrative burden, jointly with MD Financial and Scotiabank. The Healthcare Unburdened Grant supports projects that reduce the administrative burden on physicians.
“We are losing so much cognitive power, skill, energy and time doing [administrative tasks], that by the time we get to clinical care, sometimes there are too few brain cells left.” — Dr. Jillian Horton, physician health and wellness expert
- The CMA’s 2023 Health Summit brought together more than 700 participants from across the country to discuss solutions to admin burden, maximize efficiency in medical practice and improve physician wellness. The CMA also collaborates with organizations such as the Canadian Federation of Independent Business’s to raise awareness of the impact of admin burden on health care.
- The CMA reached out to large Canadian employers — each with thousands of employees to raise awareness of the economic benefits of sick note elimination.
- The CMA tracks the impact of admin burden on physicians’ mental health and wellbeing through the National Physician Health Survey conducted every three to four years. In the 2021 survey, half (49%) of doctors reported time spent on electronic medical records at home was excessive or moderately high — contributing to worsening mental health in the profession.
While admin burden continues to be a critical challenge, change can happen quickly. Nova Scotia, for example, was the first jurisdiction to measure admin burden and has already implemented reforms that have reportedly saved physicians an estimated 200,000 paperwork hours per year.
Proposed legislation in Quebec will prohibit private insurers from requiring notes from physicians before reimbursing patients for treatments such as physiotherapy or medical equipment such as crutches.
Doctors of BC, meanwhile, is working with WorkSafe BC to improve its billing process, which physicians say is time-consuming and labour-intensive.
Learn more about the CMA’s focus on admin burden
“The time is ripe for governments across Canada to eliminate the administrative pressures on physicians,” says Dr. Ross. “The health and wellbeing of physicians and patients hinge on our ability to untangle the bureaucratic web that currently constrains our health care system.”