At Patients Canada, we try to find very clear and concrete changes that might make the patient experience better. We develop these ideas after listening carefully to the many experiences that patients and families have when they encounter the health care system. Over these last few weeks we have been talking about parking. We pointed out that there was a very big difference between the views of providers and patients about the place of parking policy in health care. We noted some strong opposition to parking charges presented in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, which claimed that charging for parking violates the Canada Health Act because it means health care is no long free at the point of delivery. We noted that although parking is a miniscule part of the hospital budget, it is considered to be an important source of income because it is free of governmental or other restrictions, and allows for a greater flexibility in its use. Some patients do not object to high parking costs because they see them as a contribution to the good work of the hospital.
But still for many patients, parking costs are inordinately high and a significant cost associated with long waits in the emergency room or an appointment to see a specialist or visiting an inpatient. There are lots of ways to reduce the burden of parking in these cases.
Free parking
The most obvious way is the one adopted in Scotland and Wales where parking is free. In Canadian hospitals, this could easily be associated with voluntary donations for parking if people really wish to donate to the hospital. A major donor might be asked to donate to a fund that would provide free parking for all. The parking structure might be named after such a donor who would be appreciated by all those who park in her building. Various modalities can be introduced to decide who to charge for parking and who should get it as part of the hospital service. These discussions of hospital policy might by themselves be instructive and a useful basis for moving forward. In our discussions, we have come up with some ideas, for example: if an emergency room visit takes more than a designated time, free parking chits would be given to patients. These can be paid for from the emergency room budget, or the ER doctors’ joint budget or some other source relevant to ER funding.
Valet parking
In some hospitals, valet parking is offered at a slight fee to a patient with mobility issues so that they don’t have long walks to their appointments. This is an example of making the parking experience better for patients. Another similar service might include providing such valet services at the door of the Emergency Department so that accompanying family members can be right there when the sick person comes in to register.
Subsidized parking
Most hospitals and long-term stay facilities offer reduced rates for parking if there are going to be regular visits over a period of time from family members or others close to a patient. Often this practice is not well enough publicized. In the USA, specialists offer parking chits to their patients. Can this happen here? Might it relate to waiting time before the visit?
As you can see, there is no shortage of ideas about parking. We encourage you to write to us with your ideas of how parking policy can be improved.
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