Alberta doctors warn self-referral programs could increase wait times for patients

Alberta doctors say allowing more people to access breast cancer screening could push more people into an overburdened health-care system.

The Alberta government is lowering the age for self-referred breast cancer screenings, which is raising concerns among health advocates about increased wait times for diagnostic testing.

The provincial government announced in Edmonton on Wednesday that is lowering the age of self-referral for breast cancer screening from 45 to 40 starting next April.

The expansion will allow more than 193,000 more women eligible for screening.

Primary and Preventative Health Services Minister Adriana LaGrange became visibly emotional at a press conference announcing the program.

“I have a very strong family history of cancer. I’ve watched my father die of colon cancer, my sister die of colon cancer at the age of 29,” said LaGrange.

“We’re all touched by it, so we have to remember to make it real and not just think about the dollars and cents and statistics — it’s human lives.”

While the news is welcome among those looking to self-refer for early cancer screenings, some health advocates say the change could add more pressure to an already over-burdened system.

Doctors have already warned testing without expert opinion will further burden the health care system and comes with stress and risks for patients.

“They may find a little lump there that is benign. It’s a cyst, not cancer, but then they have to get more tests, then they have to get biopsies and bad things could happen with indiscriminate testing,” said Paul Parks, a Medicine Hat-based emergency room physician.

The province recently introduced legislation that, if passed, would allow people to get other diagnostic tests they want, without a doctor’s referral, by paying private clinics. There would be a possibility for reimbursement in certain serious cases.

Parks worries that for-profit testing will attract technologists to private clinics when resources in the public system are already tight to complete doctor-recommended testing.

“I can’t get an ultrasound for a pregnant woman in her 30s, bleeding internally with her pregnancy after hours that might save her life… because we don’t have enough ultrasound technologists in all of our hospitals,” Parks said.

Alberta will soon need more technologists. The province has said it plans to spend $280 million to expand and upgrade diagnostic capabilities, including more cancer-specific imaging.

Fertility treatment funding for cancer patients

The province also announced on Wednesday that it will start offering cancer patients funding for fertility treatment, with $2.25 million put forward from Cancer Care Alberta for those facing urgent fertility decisions.

“This program will pay for IVF treatment for more than 250 patients, helping them preserve the possibility of building a family after treatment,” Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said.

At 32 years old, Katie Smith-Parent of Calgary was diagnosed with breast cancer. She said she was lucky enough to have the funds to pursue IVF and have a child after her diagnosis, but recognizes that opportunity isn’t available to everyone.

“It makes me emotional to know that other Albertans will have an easier time navigating this challenge because the government is acting on this important issue,” Smith-Parent said.

Most other provinces already offer fertility programs to support a wider range of people, not just cancer patients.

— with files from CTV’s Angela Amato in Edmonton