CUSM Joins Province-Wide Shift, Eliminates Hospital Cards for Patient Admissions
Montreal, QC – The Center universitaire de santé McGill (CUSM) has officially discontinued the use of hospital cards for patient admissions, following in the footsteps of other Quebec healthcare institutions. The change, implemented with the inauguration of its new downtown Montreal facility in 2017, streamlines the patient experience and aligns with a broader provincial initiative to modernize healthcare access.
The move reflects a growing trend across Quebec to rely solely on the health insurance card for identification and record-keeping. Health Quebec officials confirmed that several establishments are actively phasing out hospital cards, with the CIUSSS of the center-Sud-de-l’île-de-Montréal already requiring only the health insurance card at reception.The Quebec CHU, the University Institute of Cardiology and Pneumology in Quebec, and the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region are also poised to eliminate hospital cards in the near future. This shift is driven by the development of a comprehensive digital health file system intended to provide seamless patient care throughout the province.According to the office of Minister of Health Christian Dubé, “putting an end to hospital cards is putting patients first. Quebecers have a health insurance card which should allow them to access quality care, no matter where they are in Quebec. This is exactly the turn made by Health Québec, for a system really thought out for patients.”
While the elimination of hospital cards simplifies the admission process for many, the CUSM notes that new patients at its five hospitals - the Montreal General Hospital, the Institute of Neurology, the Montreal Children’s Hospital, the Royal Victoria Hospital, and the Lachine Hospital – are still required to create a file linked to their health insurance card at the admissions office. Existing CUSM patients must also update their personal information, especially if they visit multiple CUSM sites, by visiting the admissions office at each location.
The CUSM’s move is part of a larger effort to modernize Quebec’s healthcare system, with officials indicating that reducing reliance on fax machines – still prevalent in the network – is a future target. Dr.Forster of the CUSM stated, “This is a more complicated problem, but it is one of our next targets!”
