Statement on behalf of Stephen Frank, President and CEO, Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA)

News Release

The Canadian Medical Association’s (CMA) report, Losing Doctors to Deskwork, released today, reaffirms that our healthcare system is under strain and that support for physicians must come from all parts of the system. That’s why the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA) and its members are doing our part to help relieve administrative burden for physicians.

As partners in Canadians’ healthcare, delivering health benefits to 27 million Canadians, insurers are committed to working together with physician groups like the CMA to find new solutions that support patients and physicians.

The report recognizes that some administrative tasks are necessary, including forms for claims. For example, it is necessary to have a form filled out by a physician when a patient has medical reasons to be off work on disability.

While the form is necessary, insurers had heard from physicians that it would be more effective to have one that was streamlined so that physicians get the same questions for every request they receive. As a direct response, the CLHIA took action, and in October we announced that Canada's life and health insurers had worked together to harmonize the form used to initiate disability claims.

This helps physicians to spend less time on paperwork, and more time on patients. It also helps patients who need to be off work on disability to access their benefits more quickly so they can focus on their recovery. Every insurer in Canada has already begun accepting the form.

Physicians are widely supportive of this work.

Insurers continue to work together and are currently exploring solutions to better integrate the disability medical form into electronic systems that will make it even easier and faster for physicians to submit.

This work builds on the work insurers have already done to eliminate the need for physician referrals for services, such as physiotherapy and chiropractors, further cutting down on paperwork. We continue to urge employers and plan sponsors to do the same in order to streamline access to these important health services.

In addition, the CLHIA and its members do not support the use of unnecessary sick notes.

The CLHIA and its members look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with the CMA and other physician groups.

The CMA’s report is available online.