Let doctors treat, not prove.
Dr. Michael Stewart’s push to bring practice in line with progress.
Dr. Michael Stewart has been treating patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) for more than a decade. He’s seen firsthand how far care has come – and how outdated policies are still holding it back.
“This is a disease that’s hard to see. It’s internal, and complex,” he says. “But we finally have the tools to manage it better – proactively, non-invasively, and effectively.”
Thanks to new imaging technologies, lab markers, and therapies, clinicians like Dr. Stewart no longer need to wait for a patient to be in crisis before taking action. They can track progress early and intervene fast.
And when patients get the right treatment up front, remission becomes more likely.
“With proactive care, we can get two-thirds of patients into long-term remission,” explains Dr. Stewart. “That’s a huge shift.”
How a proactive approach can help
The problem is that current policies in place across Canada don’t reflect the progress that’s been made in treating IBD. Instead, they require patients to try and fail older treatments, even when doctors know better options exist. That wastes precious time, adds unnecessary appointments, and worsens anxiety for patients already facing a complex, chronic illness.
From Dr. Stewart’s perspective, fail first policies are out-of-date. “These policies were created before we had the tools we do now… and they don’t match how we practice anymore,” he says.
Even worse, fail first policies tie up resources. If he didn’t have to spend time proving treatment failure, Dr. Stewart explains, he could reduce unnecessary follow-ups and clear more space for new patients on the waitlist.
The good news? Change is possible. Quebec has already scrapped outdated fail first policies. Other jurisdictions can choose to follow. With the right momentum - and public support - that shift can happen across the country.
Sign the petition now to demand change.
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