• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Private Vancouver Emergency Clinic Reopens After Skirting Public Health Rules

Posted on: Monday, 9 April 2007, 12:00 CDT

VANCOUVER (CP) - A private Vancouver emergency clinic is reopening for British Columbia residents after apparently finding a loophole in provincial public health care rules.

The Urgent Care Centre at the False Creek Surgical Centre charges fees for on-site access to emergency room physicians. The state-of-the-art facility has been treating out of province and foreign patients since it opened last December.

The clinic was initially open to anyone but after discussions with the government, it pulled the plug on B.C. residents.

Medical director Dr. Mark Godley says the clinic has now hired emergency care doctors who have never enrolled with the B.C. Medical Services Plan, allowing them to levy private fees.

The clinic charges $200 to see a physician for diagnosis and treatment, plus additional fees for specific procedures such as putting a broken limb in a cast or stitching a wound.

"Our new approach to staffing means we are bringing additional doctors into B.C. and not taking any out of the existing public system," said Godley.

"We will also be able to relieve some of the pressure on hospital emergency rooms and help reduce wait times."

The 10-bed Urgent Care Centre has high-resolution MRI scanners, 3D ultrasound, digital X-ray and point-of-care blood testing that provides results within five minutes.

The False Creek Surgical Centre was established in 1997 for private surgical and diagnostic procedures.

Source: Canadian Press

More News in this Category