Health Minister Gaétan Barrette announced on Thursday that all ultrasounds performed by radiologists in private clinics will be covered under medicare.
Previously, private clinics could charge patients for an ultrasound. Fees ranged from $125 for an ultrasound of a lymph node on the neck to several hundred dollars for a more in-depth scan.
“This demonstrates our efforts to optimize the network and improve the range, care and services offered to Quebecers,” Barrette said in a statement.
In addition to ultrasounds, optical tomography of the eyeball will also now be covered by the Régie de l’assurance-maladie du Québec (RAMQ). Private clinics, however, would still be able to charge for MRI, PET and CT scans.
The decision to cover ultrasounds followed an agreement between the government and the Fédération des médecins spécialistes du Québec. Under that agreement, the government set aside $30 million toward the payroll for specialists.
However, the president of the Association des radiologistes du Québec complained that his group has not still not reached an agreement with Quebec over fees that could be billed to RAMQ for ultrasounds in clinics.
Dr. Vincent Oliva, president of the association, criticized the process for being rushed.
Oliva noted that hospitals have five times as many ultrasound machines as private clinics, and the government should have exploited that public resource for a longer period to give the entire health system time to adjust.
“Covering ultrasounds under medicare is a certainly a good thing,” Oliva said. “But what we’ve been saying since the beginning is that this needs to be done progressively. It’s a bit of a shock to the system and it’s not clear that all the private clinics will be able to meet the demand.
“The minister wants to improve accessibility, but the way we regard this is that he wants fast-food-style medicine,” he added.
Presse Canadienne contributed to this report.
