{"id":635262,"date":"2026-04-29T00:39:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T00:39:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/635262\/"},"modified":"2026-04-29T00:39:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T00:39:08","slug":"exclusive-muhc-cancels-phone-line-for-booking-blood-tests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/635262\/","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive: MUHC cancels phone line for booking blood tests"},"content":{"rendered":"

Citing a labour shortage and the need to cut costs, the McGill University Health Centre is cancelling its telephone line for patients to arrange appointments for blood and other tests,<\/a> The Gazette can reveal.<\/p>\n

Patients will have no other choice than to go online using the Clic Sant\u00e9<\/a> website to set up a rendezvous to draw their blood \u2014 a process that is far from simple for some patients. The decision has angered the president of the Central Users\u2019 Committee of the MUHC, who warned that discontinuing the phone line will unduly penalize older patients, some of whom may not have a computer or access to the internet.<\/p>\n

This is yet another budget cut, and patients are paying the price.”<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPierre Hurteau
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPresident of the Central Users\u2019 Committee of the MUHC<\/p>\n

\u201cThis decision risks causing harm to many patients who do not have internet access or who have difficulty navigating Clic Sant\u00e9,\u201d Pierre Hurteau said, noting that spots on the website are often full weeks in advance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not a step in the right direction, and no mitigating measures appear to have been adopted,\u201d Hurteau added. \u201cThis is yet another budget cut, and patients are paying the price. This decision was also taken without consulting patients and the users\u2019 committee.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PierrePierre Hurteau, president of the Central Users\u2019 Committee of the MUHC, speaks during a news conference on May 25, 2017. <\/p>\n

The discontinuation of the phone line will not just affect the hospitals that belong to the MUHC like the Royal Victoria, the Montreal Children\u2019s and the Montreal General. Other hospitals that are part of the MUHC\u2019s Optilab service will be affected, including the Jewish General, St. Mary\u2019s, the Lakeshore General and LaSalle.<\/p>\n

The cancellation of the phone line was to occur on May 1, but a Gazette reporter confirmed Tuesday that anyone calling the line hears an automated message urging patients to go online instead to book blood tests.<\/p>\n

In an internal email to staff on April 23, Selda Elmas, who oversees project management and client services for Optilab-MUHC, explained the rationale behind eliminating the phone service.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the context of a labour shortage and due to a budget deficit affecting the continuity of this service, we must adjust our operating procedures,\u201d Elmas wrote in the email.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have therefore decided to close the Clic Sant\u00e9 telephone line at 514-934-8228, effective May 1, 2026. From this date forward, appointments must be booked exclusively via the QR codes or site-specific links already in place.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA phased communication approach has been implemented to ensure a smooth transition and keep patients well-informed using voicemail,\u201d Elmas added. \u201cInformation has also been sent to the managers of the blood collection centres, including QR codes, to facilitate the dissemination of information on the ground. We ask that you coordinate communications with the managers of the outpatient clinics to guarantee seamless access to your services.\u201d<\/p>\n

A longtime MUHC physician condemned the cost-cutting measure.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople seem pretty upset about this and its impact on marginalized or older or less tech-savvy adults getting timely bloodwork,\u201d said the doctor, who declined to have their name published so they could speak candidly about the issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs this penny-wise but pound-foolish?\u201d asked the doctor. \u201cI mean, I guess providing less care does save money if I\u2019m being totally cynical.\u201d<\/p>\n

Difficulties with Clic Sant\u00e9<\/p>\n

Critics have charged that it\u2019s become increasingly difficult to schedule blood tests under the public system using Clic Sant\u00e9, while appointments at private labs that charge fees \u2014 sometimes in the hundreds of dollars \u2014 can easily be found the next day <\/p>\n

Bianca Ledoux-Cancilla, a spokesperson for the MUHC, noted that patients using the phone service were often put on hold for a considerable length of time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe decision to discontinue the Clic Sant\u00e9 telephone line is part of a broader effort at the McGill University Health Centre to improve overall access to appointments rather than simply maintaining a phone service,\u201d Ledoux-Cancilla said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cDue to high demand of appointments at the test centre, users sometimes had to wait on the phone without any guarantee of securing a booking.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAny financial savings associated with this change are expected to be marginal,\u201d she added. \u201cThe main objective is to reduce overall delays in accessing care. The MUHC will be able to redeploy human resources previously dedicated to phone support toward administrative activities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, Ledoux-Cancilla acknowledged that some patients may find it hard to adjust.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe MUHC recognizes that some patients, particularly seniors, may feel more comfortable using the telephone. To support these individuals, alternative measures are in place, including working with \u2026 clinics in assisting these patients and managing long-term follow-ups, redirecting patients to services close to their homes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are aware that any change requires an adjustment period, and we are committed to supporting those affected throughout this time,\u201d Ledoux-Cancilla continued. \u201cThis transition is intended to reduce overall wait times, benefiting all patients, including the most vulnerable. Our priority remains the health and safety of all our patients.\u201d<\/p>\n

The discontinuation of the phone line follows a decision by the MUHC less than two years ago to restrict blood tests to patients who are being followed by its doctors, and not by family physicians who are unaffiliated with the hospital network.<\/p>\n

aderfel@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n

x.com\/Aaron_Derfel<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\tEditor\u2019s Picks\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Citing a labour shortage and the need to cut costs, the McGill University Health Centre is cancelling its…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":635263,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[49,48,84,392],"class_list":["post-635262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-health","tag-healthcare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=635262"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635262\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/635263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=635262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=635262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=635262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}