Proposed Ontario health care transparency changes

TORONTO – The Ontario government has introduced a new bill it says will improve transparency in the province’s health care system. The wide-ranging changes would amend 10 existing pieces of legislation if passed. Here are the key changes:

— Mandatory disclosure of any payments pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers make to health care professionals.

— Granting paramedics the ability to transport patients to non-hospital settings, like a mental health facility, following a 911 call.

— New enforcement tools that would include higher fines and change the safety inspection program for the province’s long-term care homes.

— Clear regulations to ease public health enforcement of recreational water facilities like splash pads and wading pools and personal service settings like barber shops, tattoo parlours and nail salons.

— A new licensing regime for community health facilities which operate medical radiation devices like X-rays, CT scanners and ultrasound machines.

— New regulations for diagnostic medical sonographers who operate ultrasound machines.