The provincial government expects no meaningful changes in how Flin Flon ER doctors are paid following a media-driven controversy around physician earnings.
A CBC television and online report last year detailed how the ER doctors were simultaneously working in three or four different on-call capacities and being paid for each role.
While that arrangement concerns some patients, it is neither illegal nor necessarily uncommon for a hospital in a small community like Flin Flon.
Nonetheless, the province told reporters it would investigate physician remuneration in Flin Flon to confirm that appropriate practices were being followed.
“Though this process is still ongoing, it is not anticipated that any significant changes will be made to the manner in which physicians in the Flin Flon ER are compensated,” a provincial spokesperson told The Reminder last week. “[Regional health care] remuneration practices are intended to ensure families have access to the care they need, when they need it, without a potential service disruption.”
Dual capacity
The spokesperson reiterated that there are times when a single physician may serve in a dual capacity, such as providing care in the ER while concurrently being on-call for another service. Those other services can include obstetrical, neonatal and hospital physician of the day duties.
“…in such circumstances that physician may receive payment for both those services,” said the spokesperson.
Bill Pope, registrar and CEO of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba, told The Reminder last year that the regulatory body has no specific policy on physicians who pull double duty.
He said it is “probably more common than not in smaller hospitals” and is a decision for individual health regions to make.
“It’s really a judgment call on the need” and whether there are outside doctors available to help if the need arises, Pope said.
The province and the Northern Health Region have both said there is indeed a process in place in Flin Flon to make sure an extra physician is readily available if required.
“While one physician covering both ER and on-call [for the hospital] may not be seen as optimal, the safeguards in place help ensure patient safety remains at the forefront,” a provincial spokesperson said last year.
Nonetheless, some area residents have publicly stated that more ER doctors are needed to deliver the best care possible to patients.
