Succinct, elegant piece by @danyaalraza.com and Braden Manns on what "dual practice" is and does. Where's the federal Minister of Health? This is a clear violation of the Canada Health Act. Don't look away. #Never51st isn't only about fighting against Trump's chaos. It's about fighting *for* us.

The Breakdown AB@thebreakdownab.bsky.social · 2mo ago

“parallel private-payment systems do not reduce public wait times. They increase them by diverting scarce resources away from public systems.” #abpoli #ableg #cdnpoli edmontonjournal.com/opinion/colu...

A fascinating article! The authors use PurposeMed, a start-up with a virtual care platform, as a case study to demonstrate how corporate powers are transforming Canadian health systems, exploiting communities and accumulating capital. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Privatizing and Prescribing Identity: How Canadian biotechnology firms capture queer, trans, and neurodivergent movements for profit

The pivot to telehealth through the COVID-19 pandemic spawned numerous private investor-owned virtual care firms, capitalizing on loopholes and outdat…

sciencedirect.com

“Doctors across Canada are deeply concerned about the Alberta government’s proposal to expand private health care” www.ctvnews.ca/calgary/arti...

Doctors, health groups warn Alberta’s ‘dual practice’ health plane could worsen wait times

Several national health groups warn Alberta’s plan to let doctors work in both public and private health systems could worsen wait times.

ctvnews.ca

New from @healthtechsoclab.bsky.social

Edward Xie@edwardxie.bsky.social · 7mo ago

As #virtualcare becomes increasingly embedded in health systems, our lit review attempts to map the evidence on private sector ownership and control of virtual care platforms. Bottom line: evidence gaps on quality, privacy, and health system impact Project led by Sheryl Spithoff, in @bmj.com Open

Coming up February 18 at 12pm EST. Free Webinar about Alberta's Bill 11, which is opening the door to private, for-profit health and putting Canada’s universal public health care system at risk. Sign up below! @policyalternatives.ca us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

RSVP for a link to join our latest webinar about Alberta’s Bill 11 and the dangers it poses to public health care in Canada.

Drs. David U. Himmelstein and Steffie Woolhandler are Distinguished Professors of Public Health at the City University of New York’s Hunter College AND co-founders of Physicians for a National Health ...

us02web.zoom.us

We spoke with @royinori.bsky.social and @thelocal.to about growing marketplace of online DTC virtual care platforms for lifestyle drugs. Check it out! thelocal.to/online-pharm...

Inside the Booming Industry Selling Lifestyle Drugs Online | The Local

From erectile dysfunction medicine to hair loss treatment to weight loss drugs—a thriving online market has emerged to seamlessly deliver drugs straight to your door. But what happens when prescriptio...

thelocal.to

A new commentary from the Health Tech & Society Lab in @healthydebate.bsky.social looks at an emerging model of commercialization of medical records in the Canadian healthcare system, and asks what we can learn from other jurisdictions. Check it out below! healthydebate.ca/2026/01/topi...

The quiet commercialization of primary care records - Healthy Debate

An emerging model is quietly turning Canadian patient medical records, and patients themselves, into lucrative commercial assets – often without patients' explicit knowledge or consent.

healthydebate.ca

Some holiday wishes via @healthydebate.bsky.social. Happy 2026 everyone! healthydebate.ca/2025/12/topi...

Not just Hamilton, but across the province. Ontario already has the second-lowest number of hospital beds per capita in Canada, and some of the lowest rates of public investment. www.thespec.com/news/hamilto...

Ontario is on track to lose thousands of nurses and hospital beds; Local MPP says situation a ‘disaster’ for Hamilton

Hamilton hospitals are already cutting jobs to combat projected deficits

thespec.com

www.cbc.ca/news/health/...

Millions of Canadians' health data available for sale to pharmaceutical industry, study shows | CBC News

Details about your health, medical history and prescriptions can all be found in your medical record. A new Canadian study found in some cases, private companies are accessing parts of that data and s...

cbc.ca

Our newest study reports on the primary care medical record industry in Canada. Data brokers claim to have acquired between 2-4 million records from for-profit chains of medical clinics. Their primary client is the pharmaceutical industry. #privacy Read more: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Check out this morning's interview with Dr Sheryl Spithoff, lab director, on CBC Metro Morning. She discussed how commercial data brokers are making money from Canadian medical records and what this means for patients. #privacy #Health #data #Canada #pharma www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...

© CBC/Radio-Canada 2025. All rights reserved.

cbc.ca

"Some health-data companies are selling access to patient records to pharmaceutical companies without patients’ knowledge, according to a new study." Yes, a Canadian finding. Via @healthtechsoclab.bsky.social. www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...

Health-data companies selling access to patient records, study says

Research paper highlights potential downsides when private companies are integrated into the health care system in crucial roles without enough oversight

theglobeandmail.com

New Canadian study from the @healthtechsoclab.bsky.social I expect will make news this week. Headline: For-profit primary care clinics are selling & using patient data w/o knowledge or permission in ways you may not expect. Brief thread below... jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Canadian Medical Record Industry Data Collection and Commercialization Practices

This qualitative study describes the data collection and commercialization practices of the primary care medical record industry in Canada and the implications for patients.

jamanetwork.com