Month: February 2013

Clinic February 26, 2012

We need to arrange a CT scan for a patient who has valid IFH coverage. He has a serious medical condition.

Now that we have finally been able to obtain a working user name and password, we can ( usually) log into the Blue Cross IFH site to arrange treatment and care for refugee claimant patients with valid IFH.

When we tried to arrange the CT scan at the hospital for our patient, we were denied by Blue Cross.

Why? Even though we are the most responsible provider of healthcare for the patient, Blue Cross would not work with us. They told us their rules stipulate it must be the hospital where the CT scan will be done that must now call Blue Cross to arrange a CT scan for our patient.

Does it surprise you we are still waiting while the patient deteriorates? Our only option now is to send him to the hospital ER, take up space unnecessarily, consume resources, and occupy medical staff while they care for emergencies. When we do that the ER requires  $500 up front the patient doesn’t have, to be seen. So, no CT.

We will keep bugging our hospital to call. They are rather busy with the patients in front of them. We and our patient are not holding our breath.

Again. Stumbling blocks no other ill person with coverage faces. We can arrange CT scans for all OHIP patients without the hospital have to call OHIP first.

Again. Does this sound like the healthcare system access Canadians receive? Is this better healthcare than what insured Canadians receive?

Again. Wasted taxpayers money and healthcare resources in our hospitals – where you or your loved one is trying to get care.

Mr Kenny has told us “bogus refugee claimants” are coming to Canada and getting better care than Canadians. Really!?

Mr Kenny – please consider this the appropriate time for a truthful response.

 

 

Clinic: February 19th 2013

More refugee claimants with useless IFH papers. Useless because community family physicians still can’t determine, after hours, if the patient is covered. It is a useless system.

Lydia is a refugee claimant from a dangerous part of the plant. She arrived in clinic with abdominal pain and a lump. She is 21. She is young and scared, and alone. She has been here 3 months with no health coverage. She had tried to seek care for her pain and lump at a GTA walk in clinic. Lydia sought care after 430 pm, after Blue Cross shut their phone lines down for the day.

The clinic told Lydia they could not access the Blue Cross site to determine if her IFH paper meant she had IFH coverage. The document refugee claimants are given, you see, does not say what health coverage they have.

Why? Two reasons. First, that would make it too easy for the doctor to treat her and bill IFH/Blue Cross. Best to make the physician call and wait half an hour, or never find out if Lydia comes after hours ( she is working under the table all day). Secondly, the Government is always reclassifying refugee claimant’s eligibility status and telling no one. Having a paper confirming health coverage would block them from their behind the scenes ” Adjustment Bureau” antics.

So, on Feb 19th, Lydia came to us with this health problem, and showed us her IFH paper. The CVC went on line too. We tried to log into the the Blue Cross site. It was 8 pm. We ( 3 of us tried) were denied access. We used the user name, and the ID password Blue Cross sent us after we spent a morning with them, on the phone, setting these codes.

Tonight, again we tried to access the Blue Cross site. We were told we had tried too many times. We were denied access. We were told to reset our use name and password, again — and again, and again ,and again……..

We hear from community physicians all the time, facing the same problems.

Lydie has obviously not been paying attention. She and her illness are not playing by the new IFH rules. She is getting ill after 430. No matter how many times we tell our refugee patients not to do that, it just keeps happening. You think they’d learn.

Sleep well in Ottawa.