Victor Boudreau introduces law to avoid doctor over billing

The provincial government has introduced legislation to make public the amount of money doctors in private practice bill to medicare.

The information will also let regionalhealth authorities determine which doctors may be able to see more patients, according to Health MinisterVictor Boudreau.

"It just gives them an extra tool to be able to measure what doctors may be able to take on more responsibilities, or more patients, because as we know we have more than 18,000 New Brunswickers on the patient connect list waiting for a family doctor," he said.

About50,000 people in the province don't have a family doctor, according to the New Brunswick Medical Society.

The bill is a response to a 2012 recommendation by the auditor general.

Kim MacPherson's report found some New Brunswick doctors were over billing medicare and not facing any penalties.

The auditor general's report also found that in some cases, doctors double billed, charging both medicare and the province's WorkSafeNB for the same service.

MacPherson said there were no deterrents to wrongful billing.