Read the Column If you’re like most Canadians, you often have trouble getting to see your family doctor. But some Canadians don’t have any trouble at all. Quebec government data indicate one patient saw their family doctor 362 times in 2024. You have to wonder: which three days didn’t they meet with their doctor? Christmas? Easter? The Super Bowl? Article content Patient confidentiality means we’ll probably never know what was going on. What is clear, however, is that all provincial governments should review cases of excessive doctor appointments more closely, for government data obtained by SecondStreet.org shows Quebec’s experience is not unique. No doubt most doctors and patients are completely ethical, but we should all be concerned when the system is abused. Over-use costs taxpayers and takes resources from those with legitimate needs. Quebec’s super-patient isn’t a one-off. The province’s other “top 10” users ranged from 295 to 346 general-practitioner appointments that same year. Manitoba’s top patient had 252 appointments in a single year, while B.C. and Saskatchewan topped out at 209 and 199 visits, respectively. In Alberta, the government reports, 9,331 patients had 100 or more appointments in 2024. It has already promised to look into these numbers. The big question is, of course: how many of the high-volume cases in each province are legitimate and how many involve either patients taking advantage of “free” health care or doctors abusing their ability to bill the system? The evidence suggests abuse is happening, it’s just a question of how much. Article content Late last year the Ontario government’s auditor noted that “one physician billed more than 24 hours of services on 98 days between May 2021 and April 2022. On one of these days, this physician billed 114 hours of services.” Who is this mysterious doctor who can bend time to squeeze in so many hours in a single day? The report went on: “the Ministry’s post-payment audit found that the physician’s clinical records failed to show start and stop times for services provided. The Ministry identified almost $1.4 million in overpayments.” The same report also noted: “Another physician billed over 24 hours of services on 15 days within a six-month period in 2020-21.” On the other hand, several social media posts…​Read More