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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, November 27, 2009 · 20 Business booming for medical brokers Continued from page 1 As for just how many are going, it's difficult to say. OHIP paid for 12,000 cases to be treated, diagnosed or tested in American hospitals and clinics last year. But those are only the patients from Ontario who qualified for OHIP pre-approval for a medical ticket south. "For every one of those, there's probably 10 who say, `I can't wait,'" said Rick Baker of Timely Medical Alternatives, a B.C.-based medical brokerage, a type of business that's sprung up to fill the gap as wait times put added strain on patients. For a price they've negotiated in advance with U.S. hospitals, brokers can get you surgery or diagnostics quickly and, they say, cheaper than you might think. For around $22,000, the cost of a midsize car, you can skip the lines in Ontario and have your knee replaced in Michigan or Colorado with the Windsor-based medical brokerage, International Health Care Providers. The time from the call to their office to specialist appointment to surgical table can be as little as two weeks, said the firm's president, Kelly Meloche. For about $700, a broker can get you in to a private diagnostic clinic for a MRI in Michigan tonight -- and many will even drive you there. "The world is changing, and saying, `That free system that we were all so happy to have, well, it was great. But, unfortunately it's not great anymore,' and more and more people, as something happens within the family, are finding that out," said Tracy Bevington, CEO of EcuMedical, another Windsor-based medical brokerage. "As they're finding it out, they're looking for options, and we're here offering those options." Even though Ontario has taken measures to reduce wait times, the system is still sagging under pressure and generating patient angst. Need an MRI? The wait is 109 days, according to provincial wait-time figures. As of Nov. 1, nearly 140,000 people were on waiting lists for CT and MRI imaging alone. Centres such as Unasource are more than willing to welcome Canadians looking for expedited care. The modern rooms, high-tech equipment and plush extras may not surprise choosy American patients. For Ontarians who are focused on faster care, the extras are an added comfort. At Sky Ridge Medical Centre in Colorado, "we were really designed with a new philosophy in mind that really takes into account a healing environment," said spokesperson Linda Watson. The Denver-area hospital has recently started booking Canadian patients for orthopedic surgeries. Every room in Sky Ridge is private, some with panoramic mountain views. Each is equipped with on-demand TV, allowing patients to take in the latest movie or learn PAUL FORSYTH / METROLAND MEDIA NIAGARA GROUP SIGN OF THE TIMES: This billboard on St. Paul Avenue in north Niagara Falls aims to entice Canadians to head across the border for medical services at a U.S. Clinic in New York State. more about their condition and treatment. case." There's in-room dining with filet mignon Brokers, or facilitators as they call themand create-your-own omelettes, prepared by selves, act as a type of medical concierge. chefs. Using their own networks of private hospiAt Sky Ridge, the wait time for a special- tals and specialists, brokers help clients get ist appointment and joint-replacement sur- diagnostics, treatment and surgery fast. gery is measured in days. In Ontario, where They'll also help book flights, arrange more than 8,500 people are waiting for hotels for longer stays, drive clients across knee-replacement surgery, 90 per cent of the border -- even help find someone to patients will have the surgery within the look after pets. Of course, it all comes at a provincial target of 182 days. cost. But, that wait only starts after the surgery But often, it's a price Canadians are more is scheduled, a process which can add than willing to pay if it spares their life or months to the timeline as patients wade improves their quality of living, said through referrals and specialist appoint- Meloche of International Health Care ments. Providers. The waits can be agony, and many people "One of the myths is how it's so incredilook south out of desperation, said Janet bly expensive," she said. "The truth is a conWalker, a B.C. nurse who is researching the sultation will cost a couple hundred bucks." impact of wait times on patients. If you go through a broker, that is. "In Canada, we hear that, yes there are Many brokers can offer clients a discount waits, but it's only for elective surgery," she rate because they negotiate prices with hossaid. "So, we imagine that it's not important pitals and specialists in advance. Most get and not painful, and that is just not the paid by the hospitals where the surgery or "The world is changing, and saying,'That free system that we were all so happy to have, well, it was great. But, unfortunately it's not great anymore,' and more and more people, as something happens within the family, are finding that out." Tracy Bevington, CEO of Ecumedical, a Windsor-based medical brokerage JOHN RENNISON / HAMILTON SPECTATOR treatment takes place. "We can get a coronary artery bypass, which the usual and customary cost for that is somewhere between $80,000 and $120,000. We sent a man (to the U.S.) recently -- he paid $16,000," said Baker, of Timely Medical Alternatives. "We've negotiated some deep discounts ... We sent a man from Vancouver for a procedure called angioplasty where they put a stent in the plugged artery. First of all, he called the Mayo Clinic and they wanted $90,000. He paid $15,500. He got it in two days." In addition to cost savings, brokers advertise quick and simplified care. EcuMedical of Windsor will pick up clients from the airport, book hotel rooms, ferry them across the border in a company van, and take them directly to the specialist appointment, hospital for surgery or cancer centre for chemo. Starting from $10,000, EcuMedical can arrange for clients to get a new knee, often in about two weeks. That's about 25 per cent less than you'd pay if you tried to price it out directly with the same hospital, said Bevington, the CEO. While some medical brokers act as advocates for patients within the Canadian system, others such as International Health Care Providers and EcuMedical deal exclusively in the U.S. Bevington said most of his clients pay out-of-pocket because they don't have the time to wait for OHIP approval. For many clients, it comes down to choosing between an expensive vacation and quality of life. The latter often wins, he said. "Today's baby boomer isn't like my mom and dad -- they want to be active. They don't want to be walking around with a cane or a walker looking like my father and my grandfather did. They want to get out on the golf course. They want to go for a walk. They want to go swimming. So they're saying, `No, I'm not waiting two years to get my knee replaced, I want to be on the golf course in spring.'" But for many there is still a stigma attached to the decision to opt out of the queue and take their medical needs stateside. Others point out the failure of the American system to accommodate the poor and uninsured. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 46.3 million Americans were without health insurance in 2008. Canadians entering into that market could be impeding the access of Americans who require the treatments, said Natalie Mehra, a director of the Ontario Health Coalition -- a public interest health care group. "At the end of the day, the Canadians who go south -- whether it be that the government is buying bulk services in U.S. facilities or they're paying on their own -- they are very likely jumping the queue in the U.S., See Health page 21