Private clinic deal ends badly while Ontario inks up more

Health Edition reports that the Quebec Health Minister has decided not to renew the contract with RocklandMD, the private hospital that has done about 9,000 publicly funded surgeries since 2008 in Quebec. The contract expires September 2014.

While the private clinics have tried to edge into the business via simpler surgeries, RocklandMD claims to be able to perform a broad range of day surgeries, “from the simplest to the most complex, in various specialities and within very short times.”

The public health insurer found that RocklandMD was charging people illegal facility fees (a charge often leveled against private clinics). RocklandMD disputes this and is resisting attempts to recover the money. Health Edition reports that the matter is headed for (where else?) the courts.

Quebec plans to bring all the surgeries back into the public system.

Meanwhile, Ontario is looking to turn surgeries over to private mini-hospitals.

Photo:SCFP

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