She worked full time, but because her assessment and treatments take longer than the plan allows, she bills for a fraction of her work. For example, assessing a new patient with chronic back pain usually takes three hours. The medical plan allows only one hour for assessment, she said. I shouldn't be the only one doing this work, but if doctors are not reimbursed, I will remain the only one in the province. She said she is one of only a handful of experts in the field of mechanical back pain because the work doesn't pay.
Doctors lose money every time they see patients with back pain.
Dr. Gillies has 60 names on her waiting list. She stopped taking new names last fall and hasn't seen a new patient this year. Last December, she wrote to the health ministry to announce she would de-enrol unless she could be paid a salary for her work. Under the government's alternate payments program, Dr. Gillies can receive a salary as long as a hospital acts as employer. St. Paul's Hospital has agreed, but has no space for the clinic.