The Alberta government is expanding access to self-referred, private-pay diagnostic testing. This means residents can pay out-of-pocket for screening MRIs, CT scans, and lab services, without needing a physician to order the test.
Many Albertans want faster answers and more control over their health decisions. Removing referral requirements may seem like a quicker, more convenient way to access testing.
What happens after you receive your results? While some findings are straightforward, many are not and can be difficult to interpret without medical guidance.
Test results can reveal something unexpected, harmless, or sometimes serious. Without a doctor’s oversight, they can raise a lot of questions without clear answers.
In Canada and around the world, physician referrals have always been part of the process when a diagnostic test is ordered. Doctors assess whether testing is appropriate, interpret results and guide patients through next steps.
Physicians carry a duty of care, meaning they are responsible for reviewing results and ensuring appropriate follow-up. This helps patients avoid unnecessary anxiety, missed diagnoses or inappropriate care.
The government has indicated that if a test uncovers a life-threatening condition, patients may be reimbursed. In those cases, follow-up care would return to the public health system.
But sometimes tests don’t give clear answers. They lead to more tests, more appointments and even treatments, frequently finding that nothing was wrong in the first place. This puts unnecessary pressure on Alberta’s testing systems, our health care workforce and the public system we rely on.
While initial self-referred testing may occur outside the public system, the resulting care does not. Expanding access to testing can strain diagnostic services and public resources, especially when follow-up care, physician consultations, repeat testing and specialist referrals are required.
There is currently no country in the world that allows diagnostic testing without a doctor referral. This reflects the importance of clinical oversight in ensuring appropriate and effective care.
Even modest increases in testing volumes can cascade into tens of millions of dollars in additional provincial spending.
Without appropriate clinical oversight, increased use could contribute
to ballooning provincial health care expenditures while diverting limited resources away from patients with more acute, urgent or complex needs. Estimates show that genetic testing alone could cost the province up to $10 million annually in downstream costs to manage.
Self-referred testing may improve short-term access, but it does not necessarily mean better or faster results for patients. It also carries serious implications for provincial health care spending and could escalate into tens of millions of dollars in unanticipated downstream costs. Expanding access must therefore be balanced with responsible use and a clear understanding of the health care system designed to deliver appropriate, efficient and high-quality care for Alberta’s patients.
Receive the latest updates on health care changes affecting Alberta patients and families.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
