Alongside some claims that provinces are taking steps to help doctors and primary care providers with their paperwork, the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA) says it too has been working to reduce this burden. To that end, insurer members of the CLHIA in Nova Scotia have adopted the industry association’s template form for short-term disability and long-term disability claims.

“Members of the CLHIA have agreed to accept one consistent template form,” the CLHIA writes, pointing out that this has already been adopted in Nova Scotia. “We invite other provinces to do the same,” they state.

Alternative plan design 

The CLHIA says technology, over time, will also help with the administrative burden physicians face. “Historically, insurers have required a physician’s referral to support a claim,” they state. “However, new technology and alternative plan design are replacing this practice over time. Insurers, working with employers, are reducing and eliminating the need for doctor referrals for services like physiotherapy and orthotics.”

Citing widespread burnout, in 2022 it was estimated by the Canadian Medical Association that 46 per cent of doctors across the country would reduce their clinical hours in the next two years. In the survey of 4,121 physicians at that time found burnout among 53 per cent of respondents and low professional fulfillment among eight-in-ten.