Alberta doctors' college says virtual physicians cannot prescribe 'controlled substances' in response to WS investigation

CALGARY — After an investigation by the Western Standard into the potential fraud that can occur in the Canadian tele-health industry, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) has stated that online doctors are not able to prescribe "controlled substances" through over-the-phone appointments.In this investigation, I was able to obtain the highly addictive sleeping drug Zopiclone through an over-the-phone appointment with one of these online physicians, as well as two different sick notes despite not expressing any serious medical symptoms. In these appointments, I was offered sleeping pills by the physician and was also told if I paid more money, I could get more time off work. "Physicians providing virtual care cannot prescribe opioids or other controlled substances unless they have an ongoing relationship with the patient, have examined them in person, or are in direct contact with another health professional who has examined the patient," a statement from the CPSA reads in response to the Standard's investigation.In this statement, the CPSA also stated that "virtual medicine is an important part of increasing access to care," also saying that they "recognize the challenges that come with virtual care delivery and stress that it is meant to complement in-person care, not replace it.".The statement that the prescription of controlled substances by online doctors is forbidden shows that either this rule has not been enforced by the CPSA, or some physicians are actively gaming the system to enrich themselves.This is supported by the fact that, in both instances of dealing with these online clinics, payments were always made by e-transfer to either the clinic or the physicians themselves.It is most likely a combination of both factors, as in the statement the CPSA acknowledges that it is unable to track or monitor every appointment or interaction between patient and doctor, thus making enforcement of regulations difficult."We do not have the ability to monitor every individual interaction between a physician and a patient," the statement reads..Although the CPSA does not shift blame, the statement suggests that it has inadequate resources to properly monitor and regulate physicians in Alberta.When a request for comment was sent to the Alberta Ministry of Primary and Preventive Health Services, a spokesperson said that the government "fully expect(s) that all doctors maintain the highest professional standards and the CPSA ensures that its members provide the highest quality of care for all Albertans.”What these statements have highlighted is the lack of substantial regulatory oversight this burgeoning industry has.Although there are regulations in place to prevent abuse, these regulations are seemingly not enough to prevent these tele-health clinics from prescribing controlled medication despite having no previous relationship with the patient.As our investigation found, prescription drugs were offered by a physician who I had no previous relationship with and prescribed based on the results of an over-the-phone "appointment."By the CPSA's own rules, this should not have been able to happen, and yet it did, with very little effort as well.The Western Standard has followed up with the CPSA regarding this situation and are awaiting a response about whether they will be taking any disciplinary action against the physicians involved in this investigation.

Alberta doctors' college says virtual physicians cannot prescribe 'controlled substances' in response to WS investigation

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