Paying for MRIs one step closer in Saskatchewan

A doctor referral to obtain an MRI will still be needed.

The Worker’s Compensation Board and Saskatchewan Roughriders are already following this model and now the health minister believes it can work on a larger scale.

“We certainly know for Workers’ Compensation and the Roughriders it is cost-effective for them to do this, to essentially provide us with an additional scan from the public list.”

The number of patients getting MRI scans has gone up 115 per cent in the last seven years. More than 33,000 had an MRI in 2014/2015 compared to 15,700 seven years ago. An estimated 4,000 to 5,000 patients are waiting for an MRI currently, and many others going either out of province or out of country to have the service done privately.

The health minister was asked about the issue of jumping the queue, where a patient with a less urgent need pays to have the service done and is therefore that much closer to surgery versus somebody with a more urgent need who can’t afford a private MRI. Duncan said an MRI doesn’t necessarily mean patients will always end up on the surgical list. Plus, he said people are already going to other provinces or countries to get this service done. He said it’s all a balancing act.

“How do we keep some of those dollars in the province and how do we also see that there is a benefit for the public system for what is a practice that is already ongoing,” he stated.

Duncan outlined how it will be the private company who will set the price. That cost will effectively have to cover both the private and public scans.

He was also asked about the possibility of people being overcharged.

“What exactly would be overcharging the customer? It’ll really depend on whether or not you as a customer think it’s cost-effective to stay in Regina to get your scan or wherever else it may be offered in the province.”

It may cost less in other jurisdictions, Duncan said, but once you factor in travel and accommodation costs it might make more sense to get the service done in Saskatchewan. He admitted if people think the price is too expensive they’ll continue to have the option of going elsewhere.

Right now there are two private MRI facilities in Regina. He can’t say if there will be more, since it will be dependent on private companies themselves, who must be licensed and will have to abide by the province’s new laws if they think there’s a business-case. If they don’t abide and offer a public scan, Duncan said there will be onerous financial penalties along with the possibility of having licenses pulled.

He added there’s already been some interest among private companies.

Duncan is hopeful the new changes will take effect in spring 2016. The model will be re-evaluated after one year.

news@panow.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell

by Kevin Martel

Paying for MRIs one step closer in Saskatchewan

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