Is Private Healthcare coming to Ontario? | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Is Private Healthcare coming to Ontario?

Mad Mike said:
These businesses have really changed in the last decade. Most are running sophisticated health management systems that include CRM, Booking/scheduling, and sophisticated tools that help them maximize revenues. It's amazing that my son (with no dental issues or insurance) gets billed about $500/year for checkups and cleaning. His sister (full benefit plan) gets billed 25% more for the same procedures AND gets scheduled for 4 cleanings a year. When I go in, the sales lady has all the services the insurer will allow (panoramic Xrays, gum measurements, etc) on a worksheet for the hygenist and dentist.
Click to expand...
I've been in doctors' offices that had a big sign 'Only one health complaint per visit'....

They're literally wanting to have people return for different issues in order to bill higher, instead of having all issues identified at once.

My mom is complaining that 'nowadays doctors don't have time to talk about my problems' ... yes, it's because old ladies / grandmas are bored, and talk about everything under the sun and that's not profitable for a doctor. In/out...doctors want healthy patients that come in for minor issues that can be resolved with a visit, and a prescription. I've seen older / unhealthy patients be pushed out because they take too much time, and are not easily treated. It's ridiculous.
 
油井緋色 said:
I've fired my dentist for this before.

Tbh I don't care if they want to maximize me to make profit. I start caring when their actions waste my time however, which is that exact "6 cavities" scenario....damn ********.
Click to expand...
She was on the cusp of retirement (I didn't know at the time), and was pumping her books for selling the practice.

The new dentist is great, and I 'enjoy' going to see him. He's pumped a crapload of money into the practice and has opened multiple offices in Mississauga...and they're all booked 95% of the time.
 
mimico_polak said:
My mom is complaining that 'nowadays doctors don't have time to talk about my problems' ... yes, it's because old ladies / grandmas are bored, and talk about everything under the sun and that's not profitable for a doctor. In/out...doctors want healthy patients that come in for minor issues that can be resolved with a visit, and a prescription. I've seen older / unhealthy patients be pushed out because they take too much time, and are not easily treated. It's ridiculous.
Click to expand...

I'm on the other end of this story wise....

It's not entirely due to minor issues. Old folk have a tendency to blabber because they're bored, I get it, it's gonna happen to me as well. The problem is, that young doctor/surgeon/audiologist/whatever is not a therapist and wants the patient to shut up so they can get on to the next task/patient, whether to maximize profit/commission or to help as many people as possible. This obsession with "be as efficient and effective as possible" is something that got them into the field to start with.

Also, empathy burn out is real. My empathy burns out extremely fast so I can imagine my friends who have to hear the same person talk about how they're depressed due to their dead spouse from 4 years ago. Yeah, this sounds very *******-y as I type it....but I know many here, from their posts, have undergone empathy burnout whether or not they know; many don't have jobs that require you to tap into empathy constantly though.
 
GreyGhost said:
Dunno. Southern ontario but not GTA may affect availability? Doctor may have ****** off scanning department? When your doctor gives up, there isn't a lot you can do as a patient to move things along.
Click to expand...
I've experienced emergency departments across Canada and the USA - dozens of them. There is definitely a difference between big city and small city care -- you can't avoid that -- like education, healthcare's best are attracted to key centers for both education and work.

Think about the doctor or nurse educated at UofT. They were in the top echelon of students to start, get rotational training on Hospital row at 5 of the best hospitals in the world. Students that can't get into a top school go to smaller centers where they might train at one or 2 regional hospitals that have limited acute capabilities -- not the same access in class or during practical. Upon graduation, the competition to get a hospital row placement is tough too, with most coming from very few schools, so as you get further from the city center...

I have a hospital walking distance from me, I've watched it evolve over 20+ years. It still would not be my first choice, but over time they have dramatically improved the customer experience and really improved responsiveness.
 
mimico_polak said:
I know a LOT of dentists that cover the 20% if your plan only covers 80%.

Cleaning with insurance: $250
Cleaning w/o insurance: $50-100

It's ridiculous. I had one dentist tell me that I owe them for the last 20%...

- why?
- because your plan covers only 80%
- ya, but your cost to the uninsured is less than 50% of your insured bill
- oh....
- yes, lots of friends come here and they're contractors w/o benefits. We all talk
- Ok. Don't worry about the 20%

One dentist found out I was quitting my job and would lose benefits for 3-6 months, and somehow magically she found 6 cavities. The week before that my teeth were in perfect health...shocking.
Click to expand...
Is your dentist on Main Street Markham?
 
油井緋色 said:
I'm on the other end of this story wise....

It's not entirely due to minor issues. Old folk have a tendency to blabber because they're bored, I get it, it's gonna happen to me as well. The problem is, that young doctor/surgeon/audiologist/whatever is not a therapist and wants the patient to shut up so they can get on to the next task/patient, whether to maximize profit/commission or to help as many people as possible. This obsession with "be as efficient and effective as possible" is something that got them into the field to start with.

Also, empathy burn out is real. My empathy burns out extremely fast so I can imagine my friends who have to hear the same person talk about how they're depressed due to their dead spouse from 4 years ago. Yeah, this sounds very *******-y as I type it....but I know many here, from their posts, have undergone empathy burnout whether or not they know; many don't have jobs that require you to tap into empathy constantly though.
Click to expand...
For those types of issues, it would likely be beneficial for doctors to have an easy referral to a group. Put the widows together to hang out, chat, do something helpful/constructive to have meaning, etc and they should he happier and healthier. Free up the docs time for physical doctoring and offload mental health to a practitioner that is better able to deal with it (and mental health is not a one and done like most GP's deal with, it needs constant work).
 
油井緋色 said:
...

Also, empathy burn out is real. My empathy burns out extremely fast so I can imagine my friends who have to hear the same person talk about how they're depressed due to their dead spouse from 4 years ago. ...
Click to expand...
Health care providers are trained on why and how to be empathetic -- it's part of the job -- failing is not an option.
 
GreyGhost said:
For those types of issues, it would likely be beneficial for doctors to have an easy referral to a group. Put the widows together to hang out, chat, do something helpful/constructive to have meaning, etc and they should he happier and healthier. Free up the docs time for physical doctoring and offload mental health to a practitioner that is better able to deal with it (and mental health is not a one and done like most GP's deal with, it needs constant work).
Click to expand...

I think gen z, and whatever gen after that is more comfortable with therapy.

Millennials < x < boomers likely have increasingly negative views (if we could quantify the age group average attitudes) due to upbringing. That might be why they treat GPs like therapists.

Mad Mike said:
Health care providers are trained on why and how to be empathetic -- it's part of the job -- failing is not an option.
Click to expand...

I know, they will get fired if they display provable empathy burnout, hence I know of the tricks (like giving the racist patient to the "older doctor", who's actually a jaded *******.)

...some patients need to be dropped on the head repeatedly lol health care professionals fire patients all the time; they just need to do it in a way where the patient smiles.

EDIT: Also...worth noting, I know where that kind of thought pattern comes from. It's ****** me over in the long run lol. Honestly don't think it's healthy any health care profession be held up to a higher than human standard.
 
Wingboy said:
My observation.
In and out of hospitals for my wife over the last 5 yrs. Hamilton, Cambridge, Kitchener 1, Kitchener 2. All were not pleasant. Understaffed and overworked.
Now she is Waterloo Hospice and it's like a 5 star hotel. Very peculiar.
Click to expand...

Glad you got that sorted Rick. Hopefully you can manage some sleep without that hanging over your head 24/7
 
I wouldn't mind having the option to pay for services quicker. I went to my doc over a month ago, and the earliest ultrasound I was scheduled for is end of June. I really would like to have some answers sooner rather than later in case things get worse.
 
daught said:
Private or public corruotion and fraud will ruin anything. Globe and mail had a bunch of good articles how a private contractor stole millions from hospital work. No criminal charges. Corruption is becoming the new standard. We need heads on spikes.

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Yup I can only see this as a bad thing for the general public. My impression of our Health Care is that it is poorly run (requested a specialist appointment last July, only got booked recently for this year Aug 🤷‍♂️). Opening it up to more privatization will only allow those with financial agendas to manipulate the situation even further, with a gov complicit to allow it to happen.
 
Amazon said:
I wouldn't mind having the option to pay for services quicker. I went to my doc over a month ago, and the earliest ultrasound I was scheduled for is end of June. I really would like to have some answers sooner rather than later in case things get worse.
Click to expand...
Sorry but I do not agree with that. Healthcare is one of the few interest we have left in common across all classes. I prefer it continues to be a common interest.

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk
 
sburns said:
Yup I can only see this as a bad thing for the general public. My impression of our Health Care is that it is poorly run (requested a specialist appointment last July, only got booked recently for this year Aug 🤷‍♂️). Opening it up to more privatization will only allow those with financial agendas to manipulate the situation even further, with a gov complicit to allow it to happen.
Click to expand...
On the flip side, what if you're health care provider was more like a supermarket - see your GP then go down the hall to see a specialist? That's how my health care was delivered when I lived in the USA, quicker and more efficiently.

If I scuffed a knuckle and needed a stitch, the clinic dr would do that on the spot. Here, my family Dr sends me to emerge where I get to take up the time of a triage nurse, check-in administrator, another nurse then a doctor.
 
daught said:
Sorry but I do not agree with that. Healthcare is one of the few interest we have left in common across all classes. I prefer it continues to be a common interest.

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
So crap for all is better? It's pretty obvious that the current system cannot be changed to function well. Far too much embedded stupidity to ever clean up.
 
Mad Mike said:
On the flip side, what if you're health care provider was more like a supermarket - see your GP then go down the hall to see a specialist? That's how my health care was delivered when I lived in the USA, quicker and more efficiently.

If I scuffed a knuckle and needed a stitch, the clinic dr would do that on the spot. Here, my family Dr sends me to emerge where I get to take up the time of a triage nurse, check-in administrator, another nurse then a doctor.
Click to expand...
That would be a great setup, I've spent countless time visiting my GP, get x-ray appointment, go back to GP.
Why can't it be structured that way now?
 
A little off topic but I throw it out.

If you're on a prescription and are retired or have no benefits plan ask for a few repeats of your scrip. I was paying a 12$ dispensing fee every 3 months. Then I asked if I could get more at once and (after checking the expiry date) he gave me almost a years worth for the same 12$ dispensing fee.

Might as well save where you can.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom