Clinic Letter to Clients Regarding ICBC Opt-Out Decision
While my clinic and practice don’t do a lot of work currently with ICBC patients, I believe that communicating transparently with patients and empowering them with knowledge and understanding is important in navigating the new ICBC Recovery Network especially if your clinic is opting out. If your clinic is opting out of the new agreement terms, I have created a sample letter to communicate transparently with clients. Please feel free to use this as a resource in your communications.
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Dear Valued Patients,
I want to take a moment to personally share an important decision regarding our clinic’s relationship with ICBC. Recently, ICBC released a new set of terms that are to go into effect on March 22nd, 2025. After careful consideration, our team has made the difficult choice to opt out of ICBC’s Health Care Services Provider Network and to end our direct billing to ICBC, effective [insert date].
I understand that this will be a significant inconvenience for those of you relying on ICBC coverage for your rehabilitation, and I want to be fully transparent about why we’ve made this decision. The new ICBC provider agreement introduces terms that not only place an excessive administrative and financial burden and risk on clinic owners and practitioners, but also create significant risks for you as a patient.
Why we are opting out of the new terms and ending our relationship with ICBC:
The new agreement gives ICBC extensive control over how care is provided, including the ability to:
Dictate treatment decisions based on financial and performance metrics rather than clinical need.
Conduct invasive audits, including accessing your private health records without your explicit consent.
Refuse and claw back payment for care they later deem unnecessary, even after treatment has been provided in good faith.
Place restrictions on how and what services you can access, potentially limiting your ability to get the treatment that best supports your recovery.
These terms compromise both your privacy and our ability to provide you with the highest quality, patient-centered care. If we remain a part of ICBC’s provider network, we would be forced to accept their oversight into our treatment plans, subjecting you to decisions that may not align with your best health care interests. Additionally, the new contract puts you at risk of having your treatment retroactively denied, leaving you financially responsible for care that ICBC initially approved.
What This Means for You:
You can still receive treatment at our clinic. While we will no longer be a direct ICBC vendor, our practitioners are still available to support your recovery.
You can submit your receipts to ICBC for reimbursement. Instead of direct billing, you will pay for your treatment at the time of service and submit your receipts to ICBC for reimbursement. We will provide you with all the necessary documentation to ensure a smooth claims process.
You retain more control over your care. Without ICBC dictating the course of treatment, we can work together to ensure your recovery is guided by clinical expertise, not performance metrics implemented by insurance policies.
We are here to help. If you have any questions about this transition, how to submit claims, or what this means for your ongoing care, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
I know that navigating recovery after a motor vehicle accident is already extremely challenging and emotionally draining, and I deeply regret that ICBC’s policies have forced this difficult decision. However, I firmly believe that this choice ultimately protects you—your privacy, your access to care, and your ability to receive treatment based on your individual health care needs rather than insurance-driven metrics and restrictions. Maintaining a vendor account with ICBC under these terms would compromise our values and ethics and we cannot in good faith move forward.
My team and I remain fully committed to your health and recovery and we will do all that we can to support you through this transition. We will continue to communicate any changes or updates to you transparently as well. We anticipate many questions and concerns and as such, please feel free to direct them to us at [your email] or [your phone number]. Thank you for your understanding, trust and continued support as we reluctantly navigate this difficult transition.
With appreciation,
[Your Name]
[Your Clinic Name]
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Are you currently wrestling with your decisions around your ICBC Vendor Account or trying to figure out how to navigate this in a way that maintains your ethics and values AND keeps client’s best interests at the centre? This is my area of specialty and I would be happy to jump on a call to see if my consulting specialties can support your health care clinic and business.