Cost cuts aimed at reducing excess lab testing and diagnostic imaging are not aimed at the medical practice of former Premier Ewart Brown — and Government hopes “self-policing” will solve the problem first.

Health Minister Jeanne Atherden, answering criticism directed at the initiative by Opposition Leader Marc Bean, said the parameters of the proposal known as pre-certification were contingent on responses to a recently-issued Request for Information (RFI).

Medical pre-certification emerged last year as a tactic to avoid “overuse”, according to former Minister Patricia Gordon-Pamplin, as the cost of healthcare in Bermuda continues to surge.

However, the scheme has been consistently opposed by the Bermuda Medical Doctors Association, and earlier this week Mr Bean joined its detractors.

Calling it “discredited”, Mr Bean suggested that pre-certification was aimed at the medical business of former Progressive Labour Party head Dr Brown.

Ms Atherden yesterday said the RFI’s own guidelines showed Dr Brown was not being targeted, since the document stipulated that “pre-certification will be required for all out-patient MRI, MRA, CT, CTA Scans, Pet, Nuclear Cardiology and Echocardiography tests ordered by non-specialist providers”.

The hospital would be required to submit for pre-certification, along with the practices of other physicians, she said.

The Minister said conditions would be set for the pre-certification operator only after replies to the RFI had been processed and a Request for Proposals (RFP) issued.

“This is where we would set time limits for pre-certification requests to be processed, and define how they would be submitted to the operator,” Ms Atherden said.

In response to Mr Bean’s charge that the second opinion for tests would lead to “death by delay”, she said there was no intent to delay treatment or endanger patients.

Government’s rationale for pre-certification was reducing tests, thereby reducing insurance claims and thus reducing premiums.

Conceding that private physicians still have concerns, Ms Atherden said Government was committed to cutting down on testing through self-policing and clinical guidelines.

“However, if these efforts do not produce results, we will have to move forward with pre-certification,” she said.

Plans to introduce vetting for high-costs tests first went public in November of last year, with the Bermuda Health Council overseeing the move.