AON Feature Article: January 28, 2002
Doctors protesting Unfair OHIP audits stage Candlelight Vigil in Toronto
Jan 27,2003 Toronto:
Doctors who have been unfairly treated by the auditing process of the Ministry of Health held a candlelight vigil outside the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario offices on College Street, Toronto tonight. The vigil was well attended. The keynote speaker was neurologist Dr Keith Meloff who said at a press conference:

"Ladies and Gentleman thanks to everyone for coming out for this shortpress conference- we represent Ontario Doctors for Fair Audits.
My name is Keith Meloff.

I am a neurologist and I work mainly in Timmins.
A special thank-you to Peter Kormos for his sponsorship of this event and for his courageous advocacy for Dr. Tony Hsu, the dedicated, hard working and conscientious Pediatrician in Welland whose OHIP experience is so dreadful and appalling.
We have endured OHIP audits and want you to tell your audience about this mess.

OHIP has a Big Computer in Kingston that is programmed to profile doctors whose style of practice and billing patterns do not fit their Top Secret surveillance
system.  Because he works 70 hours a week and is on call every other night,
the Big Computer profiled Dr. Hsu. OHIP notified Dr. Hsu to defend his billings
and OHIP downgraded the value of his hard work by HALF!

Why?? -  He was so busy caring for sick children and talking to their families,
he did not complete tons of paperwork. Even though he did the work, OHIP said-
you did not write every detail down, we are downgrading your fees by half, and
if you appeal, it will cost you even more!  OHIP coerced 100,000 dollars of
penalties and interest from Dr. Hsu. He spends more time on paper work than
on caring for sick children! No surprise- Dr. Hsu  is too distressed to speak in
person about his ordeal.

Peter Kormos petitioned  the health minister in the legislature about this injustice-
why has Mr. Clement  not acted?

Ask OHIP why there is a critical shortage of Doctors in Welland.

A neurologist was penalized 40,000 dollars because he did not perform RECTAL
AND BREAST EXAMINATIONS ON ALL HIS PATIENTS DYING FROM LOU GEHRIG's DISEASE.
The OHIP committee agreed that he counselled the dying patient and the family
but disallowed the counselling fee because he did NOT PREBOOK the appointment
and did not record the time he spent.  If your loved one was dying from this terrible
disease, you would want to be counselled by this doctor   and you would wish he
were fairly paid.

An emergency-room doctor sees patients from Midnight to 8am. Patients who come
to the emergency room at these times are sicker than those who come during the
day. He charges for complex care for many of these patients because they are
sicker and their problems are complex and time-consuming.

OHIP's big computer in Kingston says this doctor's profile does not fit the
average! Of course it does not fit the average! His work is different and difficult.
OHIP downgrades his complex care to minor care and coerces him to repay the
difference-or face a bigger penalty!

Family doctors performing annual physicals this past fall also give their patients
flu shots-In fact the public is encouraged to get their flu shots as part of
a public health program. In combination with the annual physical, this is good
preventive medicine-right?  This also saves the patient an extra trip to the
office. Guess what? Because a flu shot was given at the same time as an
annual physical, OHIP's big computer disallows the fee for the  annual physical. T
he doctor has to pay back  $50.00 but gets to keep $8.00 for  the flu shot.

Does this make sense? Is this fair?

A Diabetes doctor sees her patients every three months, in accordance with Canadian
Diabetes Association Guidelines. Fewer visits mean POOR care. OHIP auditors
tell her she is over-servicing her patients!- another $100000 penalty.
OHIP penalized her for doing her job right! OHIP wants her to deliver substandard
care! OHIP does not care if her patients deteriorate or if she goes bankrupt!

Have you tried to get an appointment with an endocrine doctor lately?- Good
Luck

These doctors were not audited by true peers- only by non-peer doctors or lay
persons- people who know nothing about the work they are auditing.

Folks- this is regulation gone mad. Doctors, like every Canadian, deserve fair
play, and, we believe, fair pay. The Canada Health Act requires that physicians
be properly compensated. We want and expect natural justice. We
want an end to secret computer profiling.  We want a fee schedule that makes
sense in 2003. The doctors I speak about are judged on codes that are over thirty
years old! We want unbiased auditors who are not paid by OHIP. We want OHIP
to end the witch-hunts. We expect fair impartial audits by true peers- a pediatrician
auditing a pediatrician, an emergency doctor auditing an emergency room doctor,
a neurologist auditing a neurologist, or an endocrinologist auditing an endocrinologist.
We object to subservient auditors, ignorant of their victim's area of practice,
clearly biased, who have marching orders from OHIP to recover funds no matter
what, fairness be damned, coercing and bullying Ontario doctors. In short, we
want an end to the OHIP police state!

A neurology colleague who is appealing his audit says:

"When asked by my family why I am doing this, I say because I want the same
rights as any other Canadian when I am accused of wrongdoing. I want to be assumed
innocent until proven guilty like every other Canadian. This is the cornerstone
of our judicial system. I want to be judged by rules of Natural
Justice."

We are having a VIGIL tonight- we mourn the DEATH of democracy, the downgrading
of health care, the invasion of patient privacy, and the lack of proper judicial
procedures. Our patients are suffering- the waiting lists are growing.

The VIGIL is at the CPSO because OHIP pays the CPSO millions of dollars to extort
doctors. Why is a licensing body involved in billing disputes?  The College
says its mission is to protect the public. Why then is the College of Physicians
and Surgeons of Ontario in collusion with OHIP to downgrade patient care and
worsen doctor shortages?  Why does the CPSO serve as OHIP's
judge, jury and executioner? We demand that the CPSO divorce OHIP now! Even
the Pope would bless this divorce!

We have the solution- an independent tribunal, a properly described and defined
fee coding system that is realistic and current, a transparent, fair, and judicially
sound auditing process, a presumption of innocence, real peer review, and a
process that reflects natural justice, respect for human rights, and for the
provisions of fair compensation in the Canada
Health Act. The Minister of Health is a lawyer - he ought to know about concepts
like natural justice, human rights, and judicial fairness. OHIP is his responsibility.
OHIP audits are aggravating the doctor shortage! We seek an early face-to-face
meeting with Mr. Clement to resolve this mess properly
and fairly. Mr. Clement- this is important- are you listening?

Ladies and Gentlemen- a demoralized, depressed, degraded, harassed, humiliated,
and coerced doctor is not going to be much help to you when you are sick.

Will you please pause for a moment's silence while we mourn the death of democracy?

Thank you for your support.