Reducing administrative burden and abolishing unnecessary paperwork for each doctor may free up to 199 hours per year, or over a month of working time, according to a report by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) and the Canadian Medical Association (CMA).
In its media release announcing the new report titled “Losing Doctors to desk work: Canadian physicians lose 20 million hours each year to red tape,” CFIB noted that the red tape leads to lengthy wait times and decreased access for the communities served.
“Health care challenges, such as long wait times, emergency department closures, and staffing shortages, affect everyone, including family doctors that own practices,” said Corinne Pohlmann, CFIB executive vice-president of advocacy, in the media release.
According to CFIB, the physicians polled attributed the unnecessary work to:
- health system processes (85 percent)
- insurance companies (76 percent)
- government forms (59 percent)
- pharmacies (58 percent)
- electronic record systems (51 percent)
The doctors surveyed claimed that the most demanding tasks included insurance paperwork, referrals and test requisitions, and electronic documentation. The survey respondents said some of the most time-consuming forms involved disability tax credits, private insurance, and Canada pension plan disability.
According to the physicians polled, apart from taking up their time, the administrative load:
- makes them feel less fulfilled professionally (95 percent)
- disrupts their work-life balance (93 percent)
- causes burnout (90 percent)
Acknowledging the country’s ongoing shortage of family physicians, CFIB explained that the administrative burden took a greater toll on them, compared with other medical specialists.
Due to the administrative load, more than half of the survey respondents intended to reduce their hours, while a quarter considered retiring early.
Ways to lessen burden
Dr. Margot Burnell, CMA president, stressed the need for urgent action.
“Every step we take now means faster access to care for Canadians and stronger support for the communities that need it most,” Burnell said in the media release.
“Doctors are spending too much time on work that could be eliminated entirely or done by someone else,” Pohlmann added. “Cutting red tape isn’t optional anymore, it’s a critical solution we can’t afford to ignore.”
The doctors surveyed supported the following solutions for reducing red tape:
- abolishing some administrative tasks (72 percent)
- improving system integration, particularly via the interoperability of patient care records (71 percent)
- streamlining insurer processes
- delegating duties to other health professionals
- offering paid and protected administrative time
- using artificial intelligence (AI), with 28 percent utilizing at least one AI scribe tool and 42 percent expressing interest in such technologies
If granted a reduced administrative burden, the physicians polled planned to:
- devote the freed-up time to improving their work-life balance (79 percent)
- dedicate more time to existing patients (44 percent)
- accept new ones (43 percent)
“Reducing the crushing administrative burden and modernizing health systems will free doctors to do what they do best — deliver care,” Burnell said in the media release.
“Reducing paperwork would ease stress and give doctors more time for quality patient care, professional growth and personal well-being,” added Keyli Loeppky, CFIB director of interprovincial affairs. “Even small cuts to the physician administrative burden can make a big difference for millions of Canadians.”
CFIB noted that it has released the report to mark the 17th annual Red Tape Awareness Week.