The Medical Association is looking for a breakdown of the contract awarded to Fonemed to provide 811 virtual care to residents of Newfoundland and Labrador.
In a letter to members, NLMA President Kris Luscombe says an Access to Information Request has revealed new details about government’s contract with Fonemed which provides the 811 service.
Luscombe says they were hoping to see a breakdown of the cost of 811 virtual care appointments, but instead, the contract has a single rate for all HealthLine services—of more than $31 million over a five-year period starting March 1, 2022.
That amount, according to the contract, says Luscombe, will cover up to 72,000 service calls from residents which translates to approximately $82 per call as the average price for all HealthLine services in the first year of the contract. That gradually increases yearly up to approximately $92 per service call in the final year of the contract according to Luscombe. If the program receives more than 72,000 calls in a given year, government will pay Fonemed approximately $58 to $66 per additional call.
That’s far in excess of the $37 MCP pays for a standard in-person family physician visit and $47 for a virtual care visit with a family physician. Patient visits are also capped at 40 visits per day for family physicians.
Luscombe says family physicians are already feeling “overstretched and undervalued” and they’re seeking an explanation from government of the discrepancy between physician rates and what is being paid for non-physician virtual care.
