Winnipeg, February 3, 2023 – Today, Health Minister Audrey Gordon announced that the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) will join the Manitoba government and Doctors Manitoba on a new joint task force to identify and reduce red tape for physicians.
“This initiative is important on so many levels,” said Laura Jones, CFIB executive vice-president. “Not only does it promise to improve the lives of doctors and the patients they serve, but it is innovative thinking that can be applied to other policy challenges. Manitoba’s leadership in red tape reduction continues.”
This announcement comes on the heels of a report CFIB released earlier this week titled Patients before Paperwork quantifying the number of hours doctors spend filing paperwork each year and highlighting that even a small reduction in that burden could result in a significant number of additional patient visits.
The report urges other provinces and territories to follow what Nova Scotia has done and commit to measuring and reducing the physician red tape burden in their jurisdictions. In Manitoba, the report indicates that just a 10% reduction in the physician administrative burden could amount to over 177,000 additional patient visits annually.
“We commend the Manitoba government for taking up CFIB’s recommendation to identify and reduce the physician administrative burden,” said Brianna Solberg, CFIB director of provincial affairs for Manitoba. “Our health system is facing many complex challenges, but we firmly believe that reducing physician red tape is one measurable step governments can take to avoid physician burnout and improve patient care.”
CFIB recommends that other provincial and territorial governments work with their respective medical associations to estimate the administrative burden and its impact in their jurisdictions, identify key red tape irritants to resolve, and set measurable targets to reduce physician red tape.
For media enquiries or interviews, please contact:
Brianna Solberg, CFIB
306-713-8071
Brianna.Solberg@cfib.ca
About CFIB
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 97,000 members across every industry and region, including 4,000 in Manitoba. CFIB is dedicated to increasing business owners’ chances of success by driving policy change at all levels of government, providing expert advice and tools, and negotiating exclusive savings. Learn more at cfib.ca.
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