The Quebec Federation of General Practitioners has reached a partial deal with the Health Ministry regarding accessory fees.
As of Thursday, doctors will not be allowed to charge patients for items like eye drops, and Health Minister Gaetan Barrette said any patient who is charged should inform RAMQ.
There are very specific exceptions.
Barrette said he has already made arrangements with optometrists, dentists, and pharmacists so they can do their work and be compensated.
GPs are still working out all the details of what will be covered by the RAMQ, but have come to an agreement to cover services such as vasectomies, abortions, and minor surgeries, such as removing a cyst or benign tumour and repairing cuts.
They say there will be no additional costs to the public health care system.
The Quebec Federation of General Practitioners receives funding from the provincial government, and $2 million of that amount will be used to cover the costs.
Allergy tests will be covered, but patients may be required to purchase one component themselves at the pharmacy.
Vaccines may also have to be purchased at a pharmacy and brought in to the doctor’s office, but that issue is still up for discussion, Barrette stated Wednesday.
Medical professionals will still charge patients for doctors’ notes.
Because this is a partial agreement, many matters remain up for discussion that doctors say will affect patients until an agreement is reached.
“We have a problem with all the different aspects with this new application of incidental fees, like with vaccines, some medications, some furniture, blood samples and some administrative services,” said Dr. Louis Godin, president of the Quebec Federation of General Practitioners.
"It's not a step ahead to improve the access, to modernize our healthcare system."
Blood testing is one of the main issues the government and GPs are at loggerheads over.
Some offices used to employ a technician who worked for the office to take blood samples, but that will no longer be permitted.
However doctors' offices will still be allowed to have a third-party private testing company on the premises who can charge for testing. They must be an independent provider.
If there is no third-party technician available, patients will now be required to use the public system: to go to a CLSC or a hospital.
Doctors are trying to change that, and said Barrette is improvising.
"One day he says yes it's okay, the other day no, it's not okay," said Godin.
Barrette felt otherwise.
"How can they pretend we're improvising when we have announced the abolition of user fees in May 2016?" said the minister.
The Quebec Federation of Medical Specialists has not yet reached an agreement with the government whatsoever.
