Principles of effective and smart regulation

At ACCESS, we believe that good regulation should protect patients and strengthen healthcare delivery without creating unnecessary barriers. Clear, transparent, and balanced regulatory frameworks are essential to ensuring timely access, innovation, and excellence in cataract and other eye surgeries across Canada.

ACCESS adheres to the principles of effective and smart regulation. These governmental guidelines, developed by Québec’s Politique gouvernementale sur l’allègement réglementaire et administratif, provide a framework for fair and effective oversight.

These 8 guidelines state that regulations should be based on the following principles:

  1. Address a clearly identified need.
  2. Be developed and implemented transparently, with stakeholder consultation.
  3. Restrict trade and practice as little as possible.
  4. Be based on a thorough assessment of risks, costs, and benefits, and designed to minimize impacts on a fair, competitive, and innovative market economy.
  5. Minimize unnecessary differences or duplications compared with other governments, departments, and agencies.
  6. Be outcome-focused wherever possible.
  7. Be adopted in a timely manner, reviewed regularly, and abolished if the original need no longer exists.
  8. Be published and written in clear, accessible language.

Ontario is falling down on meeting its wait time commitments for cataract surgery

Ontario continues to face challenges in meeting cataract surgery wait-time targets, leaving many patients without timely access to care. For further context, see the Ensuring Access & Excellence in Cataract Surgery report from the Eye Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (EPSO).

Challenges with over-regulation in eye surgery

While regulation is necessary, in some provinces – particularly British Columbia and Alberta – eye surgery performed in community surgical facilities (CSFs) is subject to heavier regulation than comparable procedures performed in hospitals. These rules are often introduced with minimal input from ophthalmic surgeons. Such overly restrictive measures can slow the development of innovative approaches to eye care and surgery, limiting patient access and delaying progress in the field.