Four Rivers Medical Clinic: Four Rivers Medical Clinic

Four Rivers Medical Clinic
In the news - recently numerous medical clinics have been under pressure by media due to rumours about screening patients.

Can a physician screen their potential patients? By law they cannot. But they also have to think of their practice as a business, and as a business owner do they have the right?

The College of Physicians and Surgeons says "No - The college certainly wouldn't condone screening or rejecting patients".

Four Rivers Medical Clinic in Winnipeg have stepped up to the table and publicly announced they will review their internal procedures so that everyone has the same rights to access medical services.

Taken from Sun news:

Walk-in history bars patients from clinic
Provided by: Sun Media
Written by: SHANNON VANRAES
Sep. 9, 2007

Hippocratic hypocrites?
Cherry-picking doctors
At least one Winnipeg medical centre is reviewing its practices after patients were rejected for previously visiting its walk-in clinic.

An official at Four Rivers Medical Clinic says it will examine its procedures after patients at the Broadway location were rejected by a family physician because they had visited its walk-in clinic.

"It's disappointing to hear that, and we'll look into it," said Daren Jorgenson of the Jorgenson Group of Companies, which owns the medical centre.

DIFFICULT OR AGGRESSIVE

He said doctors are allowed to set their own policies but he believes the rejections were based on a misunderstanding by administrative staff.

Sun Media spoke with Four Rivers staff on Broadway on two separate occasions last month and was told some doctors don't want to deal with walk-in patients because they may be more difficult or aggressive.

Jorgenson said policies will be clarified with staff, but added the purpose of Four Rivers is to provide medical services in areas where there is a strong need.

"We operate clinics in the toughest neighbourhoods in Winnipeg," he said, adding it isn't always easy to encourage physicians to work in inner-city locations.

Some physicians practicing family medicine enjoy meeting different people.

"It appealed to me because of the wide variety of people and interaction with people," said Dr. Benjamin Wiesenthal, who has been in practice since 1983.

Wiesenthal said doctors tend to focus on specific areas depending on their "temperament," adding he no longer treats children, referring them to other doctors instead.

ALL TYPES REPRESENTED

Jorgenson said doctors may limit who they accept as patients to ensure all types of patients are represented and that they don't end up with only one age group or sex.

Tom Bailey, president of the College of Family Physicians of Canada, said doctors are trained to deal with all types of patients.

"The college certainly wouldn't condone screening or rejecting patients," he said.

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This issue will be updated as it develops, reader comments are welcome.

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