Canadian Physiotherapy Association Working to Expand Access to Physiotherapy Care Across Canada

OTTAWA, ON – The Canadian Physiotherapy Association (CPA) delivered three formal recommendations to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance (FINA) that seek to optimize the role and expertise of physiotherapy professionals in Canada. Implementing these reforms would reduce wait times, improve equitable access and provide cost-effective, high-quality patient care.

Physiotherapy professionals have expertise that can help resolve Canada’s healthcare crisis, but variations in their permitted scopes of practice across Canada reduce their ability to help patients in need. The CPA is proposing practical solutions that would enhance patient care and alleviate the strain on Canada’s healthcare system:

• Include foot orthoses prescribed by physiotherapists for patients with diabetes through the government’s pharmacare plan in the Diabetes Device Fund. This inclusion not only improves patient quality of life but also significantly reduces healthcare spending.
• Empower physiotherapists in all jurisdictions with diagnostic imaging authority, which would reduce wait times, ensure quicker initiation of treatment, support earlier diagnosis and intervention, and improve patient care.
• Expand access to pelvic care physiotherapy expertise. Physiotherapy professionals specializing in pelvic care offer crucial lifelong support, and their services enhance health outcomes, reduce costs, and promote equality, empowerment, and quality of life for Canadians.

“Our latest recommendations, backed by economic modeling, show that expanding physiotherapy access can reduce healthcare costs by more than a hundred million dollars every year” said Fiona Livingstone, Acting CEO, Canadian Physiotherapy Association. “As the government continues to invest in improving healthcare outcomes for Canadians, the CPA remains focused on advocating for physiotherapy’s pivotal role in addressing the healthcare crisis.”

“We are pleased that the federal government is supporting Canadians with more equitable access to healthcare, including through the recent announcement of the Diabetes Device Fund,” said Allison Stene, President, Canadian Physiotherapy Association. “Physiotherapy plays a unique role in managing chronic conditions like diabetes, and people living with diabetes and other chronic conditions must have better access to the supplies and devices they need to improve their quality of life.”

To read the Canadian Physiotherapy Association’s Pre-Budget Submission and learn more about its three recommendations, click here.

Quick facts:

• Illness costs the Canadian economy $236 billion per year. Physiotherapy is already reducing the financial burden of osteoarthritis, back pain and coronary heart disease by $232 million per year.
• Increasing access to physiotherapy can further reduce the financial burden across these three diseases by an additional $144 million per year.
• Patients admitted to hospitals with diabetes‐related foot ulceration cost the system 50% more than those with other diabetic complications, and 25% more than those with other costly conditions such as congestive heart failure and pneumonia. Optimal foot orthoses can prevent approximately 80% of diabetes-related limb amputations.

Resources:

• The Written Submission for the Standing Committee on Finance’s Pre-budget Consultation
• Physiotherapy Scope of Practice: Optimizing Care for People in Canada (Position Paper)
• The Economic Impact of Physiotherapy in Canada (Deloitte Economic Impact Study)

ABOUT THE CPA

The Canadian Physiotherapy Association (CPA) represents physiotherapy professionals, including registered physiotherapists, physiotherapist assistants, physiotherapy technologists, and students across Canada. Physiotherapy professionals provide essential rehabilitative care and treatment, enabling Canadians to live well and actively participate in all facets of their lives.

CONTACT

Kayla Scott
Senior Director, Advocacy
kscott@physiotherapy.ca