Regulating for-profit virtual care in Canada: Implications for medical profession regulators and policy-makers

Tracey L. Adams, Kathleen Leslie

    Research output: Contribution to journalJournal Articlepeer-review

    Abstract

    For-profit virtual medical care has been expanding rapidly in Canada, creating new societal and practical challenges requiring policy and regulatory reform. We mapped the current state of regulatory policy across 10 Canadian provinces by analyzing practice standards and guidelines for virtual care from medical profession regulators. Through a comparative framework, we assessed the extent to which virtual practice policies addressed issues around mobility and licensure, equitable access, privacy, complaints, and continuity of care. We also compared these regulatory documents to the model standards from the Canadian medical regulatory consortium and considered implications for practicing in for-profit virtual environments. We found considerable variation across provincial regulatory bodies, with most existing frameworks not adequately addressing equity, access, and practitioner competency and not providing flexible, nuanced, or risk-based approaches to virtual care provision. As we compared jurisdictions, we identified gaps and leading practices to inform recommendations for professional regulators and policy-makers.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)113-118
    Number of pages6
    JournalHealthcare Management Forum
    Volume36
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Mar. 2023

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