A solution to fixing wait times for cataract surgery was announced Wednesday by Minister of Health and Community Services John Haggie at the Confederation Building.
Haggie said changes in the health care system will allow ophthalmologists to perform cataract surgeries in hospital operating rooms and their own approved clinics.
“Improving access to services in our health care system benefits everyone,” Haggie said
“I want to thank the NLMA for their input. I also want to thank the ophthalmology community and Dr. Justin French, whose proposal started a conversation that led to today’s announcement,” he added.
By making these changes, a subject that has been ongoing since mid-2018, the enhancement will improve access to those surgeries and also reduce wait times for everyone in the province.
This procedure will have no out-of-pocket cost for patients requiring the surgery if they have the procedure done at a hospital or approved clinic.
This comes as a change to regulatory practices that were put in place last year.
Haggie called it a transient issue, a loophole in the MCP system that needed to be addressed.
He said his department will consult with the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association (NLMA) about the appropriate physician fees for performing these surgeries.
The department will immediately begin work on patient safety and appropriateness of care criteria for ophthalmologists who want to provide these services, he said.
“We have an aging population here and with that comes issues such as these.’’
Haggie said there are approximately 5,500 to 6,000 cataract surgeries performed in Newfoundland and Labrador each year, and these changes will help patients obtain them faster.
“The Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association congratulates the government on moving in this direction. As part of our memorandum of agreement, the NLMA and the government agreed to look at ways to improve health system sustainability, including transitioning hospital-based procedures to the community,” said NLMA president Dr. Tracey Bridger.
“This approach to cataract surgeries is similar to other provinces in Canada. The decision today is an important step, but much hard work remains to put in place the compensation model and other aspects of service delivery. We look forward to getting started on these tasks immediately and to achieve improved access and reduced wait time for patients,” she added.
Haggie said people in his department, the NLMA and Dr. Justin French are having ongoing discussions on where these surgeries can be performed.
“Our ultimate goal is to make wait times as short as possible for all services,’’ Haggie said. “This gives us better value for our dollar, which is critical in all services.”
