After announcing this winter that he would put in place measures aimed at reducing the administrative burden on doctors, the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, is taking action. Physicians and other prescribers will no longer have to periodically request renewal of reimbursement authorization from the RAMQ for certain exceptional medications.
The Régie de l’assurance santé du Québec (RAMQ) estimates that this measure will reduce 72,000 requests per year to be made by prescribers. This represents more than half of the total renewal requests. Ultimately, 72,000 medical appointments should be freed up annually, according to the office of the Minister of Health.
“The current process requires considerable time for covered medications from prescribers to complete forms, while available resources face an ever-increasing demand for services,” Minister Dubé said in a press release.
His office affirmed that the number of requests for exceptional drugs “continues to increase from year to year.” He explained that the “vast majority of new innovative products that are included in the List of Medicines are placed in the exception section due to their complex and expensive nature, which is necessary to ensure optimal use.” This makes the administrative process more cumbersome for prescribers and increases analysis times for the RAMQ.
“I am delighted with this further step which is being taken to optimize the accessibility of doctors and to put their expertise to good use where the needs are most pressing, that is to say directly with their patients,” commented Mr. Dubé.
A first phase will come into effect on July 4 and the list of medications will gradually expand over the coming months.
