Cutting red tape could free up the equivalent of 9,000 doctors, new report finds

A stock photo of a health care worker. (Pexels/Karolina Grabowska)

Canadian doctors are spending so much time on paperwork that cutting unnecessary administrative tasks could effectively add thousands of physicians to the health-care system, according to a new report.

Published this month, the report, “Losing doctors to desk work,” from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) and the Canadian Medical Association, estimates physicians lose about 20 million hours each year to red tape.

That workload is equivalent to roughly 9,000 full-time doctors - time that could otherwise be spent seeing patients or easing pressure on an already-strained system, the report said.

For individual physicians, the burden adds up to as much as nearly 200 hours a year, more than a full month of work. The findings were released as part of CFIB’s annual Red Tape Awareness week, which highlights how administrative inefficiencies affect key sectors.

Family physicians are carrying the heaviest load, the report found, raising concerns at a time when Canada is facing an ongoing shortage of primary care providers.

Researchers warn that every hour spent on paperwork translates into longer wait times and fewer available appointments for patients.

Most doctors surveyed said unnecessary administrative work stems from systemic issues, including health-system processes, insurance requirements, government forms, pharmacies and electronic medical record systems.

The administrative load is also taking a toll on physicians’ well-being, the report found, with 93 per cent of respondents saying paperwork disrupts their work-life balance and 95 per cent saying it reduces professional fulfillment, while nine in 10 linked it to burnout.

More than half said they plan to reduce their working hours and one in four reported considering early retirement because of the strain.

The report suggests that reducing red tape could have immediate benefits for both doctors and patients. Most physicians, nearly 80 per cent, said they would use reclaimed time to improve work-life balance, while 44 per cent would spend more time with existing patients and 43 per cent would take on new ones.

Strong support was also expressed for eliminating certain administrative tasks and improving system integration, particularly by making patient records more compatible across the health system.

Other proposed solutions include simplifying insurance processes, delegating administrative duties to other health professionals, providing protected paid administrative time and expanding the use of artificial intelligence.

While more than than a quarter of physicians already use at least one AI scribe tool, 42 per cent say they are interested in adopting them to reduce paperwork and free up time in patient care.