Issue 4, September 2006

Health Care Choice Gets a Lift
By Zoltan Nagy

Health care choice continues to press ahead. The latest step forward was the recent election of health care pioneer Dr. Brian Day as President-Elect of the Canadian Medical Association. Overall, the events of last three summers have heralded tectonic changes in the Canadian health care landscape. These positive developments make for a remarkable story. Read more...

Private Health Care and Health Insurance: Canada's Future By Kieran A.G. Bridge As all CIMCA members know, both private health care and health insurance systems are currently experiencing significant change. The changes that are coming will likely be equally important to both patients and those who pay for their care. This article is the first in a series that will address how we arrived at the current Canadian health care and health insurance systems and examine how these systems will likely change in the foreseeable future. The series will highlight the difference between health care and health insurance - a vital distinction in order to understand how the systems work. Read more...

Health Care Betrayal – Where Canada’s Health Care Fails
By Bert Brown

Health Care in Canada is in crisis! How many times have you heard that statement? After recent experiences with my own family’s adventure along the road of accessing health care in Alberta, I can say Canadians have been betrayed and will not realize it, unless one tries to access a specialist, tests, etc that are not emergencies.
Read more...

National Pharmaceutical Strategy: Collaboration Required

A Ministerial Task Force has been established under the direction of the First Ministers to develop and implement a National Pharmaceutical Strategy. The Task Force is to report on its progress in less than six months. The Task Force, which has now been working to its ultimate goal of a National Pharmaceutical Strategy for well over a year, is missing a key and decisive element, collaborating with stakeholders on innovative solutions. Read more...

Health Care Laws Challenged in Alberta Courts
By John Carpay

A chartered accountant named Bill Murray has launched a constitutional challenge to Alberta's health-care laws, which are almost identical to the Quebec law struck down by the Supreme Court of Canada last year in the landmark case of Chaoulli v. Quebec.
Murray, like all Canadians, is prevented by law from spending his own money on comprehensive health insurance. Forced to rely on the government's monopoly system, he suffered from severe pain in his left hip for over a year before being able to see a specialist. Read more...

Health Canada Issues a Notice of Compliance for FDG

International PET Diagnostics Inc. (“IPET”) has added another first to its leadership position in the provision of diagnostic imaging services to cancer patients and their doctors. IPET was the first in Canada to make PET scans available to cancer patients on a doctor referral basis when it opened the Vancouver PETSCAN Centre six years ago. One month ago IPET Pharmaceuticals Inc. became the first in Canada to be issued a Health Canada Notice of Compliance (NOC) for the radiopharmaceutical drug, FDG, used in PET scanning. Read more...

Dr. Day Elected CMA President 2007/2008
Congratulations to Dr. Brian Day who was recently elected President-Elect of the Canadian Medical Association for this year, and President for next year. Despite an 11th-hour challenge on the floor of the CMA's Annual Meeting in Charlottetown, Dr. Day persevered. Dr. Day's election is a victory for all Canadians who support health care choice and improved patient outcomes.

2007 CIMCA Health Care Summit
Back by popular demand, CIMCA is gearing up for another health care summit in 2007. The strength of last year’s event inspired CIMCA organizers to bring Canada’s health care innovators back to the conference room. Stay tuned for upcoming announcements.

CIMCA represents independent health care providers and their supporters to promote improved access to high quality and timely health care for all Canadians.

Our objectives are:

	To support high quality patient care and the highest professional and ethical standards
	To nurture cooperation between independent and public health care organizations
	To improve public policies that impact on access to health care
	To support innovation and new technology and promote accountability in the Canadian health system