'Many of the findings today are the same as our 2014 audit'
Ten years, it seems, is not enough to address the problems at Newfoundland and Labrador’s public medical care plan (MCP).
That’s because problems with the province’s MCP persist more than a decade after they were first flagged, according to Auditor General Denise Hanrahan.
In a new report covering April 2021 through March 2024, Hanrahan reveals that several previously identified flaws—some affecting how health care intersects with workplace safety claims—remain unaddressed.
"Unfortunately, our findings indicate areas of serious concern with the fulfilment of that mandate. What's worse, many of the findings today are the same as our 2014 audit," Hanrahan told reporters on Wednesday, according to a CBC report.
For instance, duplicate payments between the MCP and WorkplaceNL, according to the report.
There are tools already available to resolve these issues, but they’re simply not being used, Hanrahan said.
Also, the audit found that physicians and dentists collectively owed the province $2.2 million over a three-year span, but no meaningful action had been taken to recover the debt as of 2023.
Whether due to billing errors or fraud, the actual amount may be significantly higher, Hanrahan said, according to CBC.
"With low productivity and insignificant recoveries, I question the effectiveness of the department's internal audit function as an oversight measure for the MCP program," she said.
The latest auditor general report also calls attention to persistent IT control weaknesses and outdated systems.
Hanrahan said she didn't know why the department failed to act on recommendations made a decade ago.
In the latest report, the auditor general made six new recommendations, emphasizing the urgent need for:
- system upgrades
- coordinated oversight with WorkplaceNL when it comes to double billing
- improved money collections
- formal management approvals for dental reimbursements.
She also urged the Health Department to strengthen its internal audit processes to meet legislative and regulatory standards.
And the government has accepted all of the recommendations.
Hanrahan expressed cautious optimism this time, stating her office has received a stronger response from the Health Department than in past years.
"It will cost no money to implement those recommendations. These are about processes, existing staffing, existing systems," she said, according to CBC.
"And my intention in two years is to come back to see where they sit. And in three years I expect 100 per cent implementation."
Meanwhile, Progressive Conservative health critic Barry Petten also called for “an updated MCP system, with the proper controls and audits, so that health-care providers can truly focus on providing better health care for all of us," according to CBC.
