Read the following article from a website.
The temporary billing codes that let Ontario family doctors charge for video and phone visits are set to expire at the end of March, and the province must decide whether to make them permanent. Last year, remote visits made up nearly forty percent of all family doctor appointments in the province. The health ministry has asked doctors, researchers and patient groups for advice before it makes a decision. Right now, doctors receive the same fee for a remote visit as for an office visit.
Graziella Ortolani, a health policy researcher, says the numbers speak for themselves. “When patients no longer had to drive an hour or take an unpaid afternoon off, missed appointments dropped by almost a third,” Ortolani said. “A video visit with your own doctor beats a walk-in clinic with a stranger every time.” She wants prescription renewals and follow-up visits to stay virtual whenever the patient’s regular doctor holds the chart.
Henrik Oberg, a family doctor in Kingston, urges caution. “Some things I can only find with my hands,” Oberg said. “A swollen gland or a changing mole is easy to miss through a phone camera.” He accepts virtual visits for simple renewals, but he worries about clinics filling their schedules with screens. “If half my day becomes video slots, the patients who need an exam will wait weeks longer,” he said.
Wilma Pruitt, who plans health services for northern communities, says the quality of the connection is what worries her most. “A video visit is only as good as the internet behind it,” Pruitt said. “In some of our communities, the connection drops twice in a ten-minute call. If the province makes the fee permanent before it sets standards, patients in the north will get the worst version of virtual care.” Ezekiel Ogunwale, a patient advocate, says he supports remote care with one firm rule. “A screen can tell you what is probably fine,” Ogunwale said. “It cannot rule out what is serious. When it cannot, the patient must be seen in person within a week.”
Using the drop-down menu (▾), choose the best option according to the information given on the website.
According to Ortolani, once patients no longer had to travel, 2..
Henrik Oberg’s concerns would most likely be supported by 3..
This article was most likely written for 4..
The reporter presents the question as 5..
The following is a comment by a visitor to the website page. Complete the comment by choosing the best option to fill in each blank.
AI explanationShows the answer. Tap to open.
Correct Answer: whether doctors can keep billing for remote visits
Why this is correct: The billing codes for video and phone visits will expire, and the province must decide whether to keep them. Each speaker gives advice on that decision.
Passage Reference: the province must decide whether to make them permanent
Tips: Check each option against what Ortolani, Oberg, Pruitt and Ogunwale say. Think about what a short headline for the whole article would cover.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a shortage of family doctors in Kingston: Oberg works in Kingston, but nobody talks about a shortage of doctors there.
- a plan to train more nurses for rural towns: Nurses are not discussed in the article.
- a new hospital for patients without a doctor: No new hospital is mentioned in the article.
Correct Answer: fewer of them missed their appointments
Passage Reference: When patients no longer had to drive an hour or take an unpaid afternoon off, missed appointments dropped by almost a third
Why this is correct: Ortolani says patients no longer had to drive an hour or take an afternoon off. After that, missed appointments dropped by almost a third.
Tips: Read Ortolani’s sentences and nothing else. An option stays only if her words state it.
Why the other options are wrong:
- more of them asked for their test results: Test results are not mentioned in the article.
- offices lost money on every booking: Nobody says offices lost money. Doctors are paid the same fee.
- doctors had less time for each patient: Ortolani does not say this, and neither does anyone else.
Correct Answer: a study finding that cameras often miss lumps and skin changes
Passage Reference: A swollen gland or a changing mole is easy to miss through a phone camera.
Why this is correct: Oberg says some things can only be found with his hands. A swollen gland or a changing mole is easy to miss through a camera, so such a study would back him.
Tips: Read all of Oberg’s quotes. For each option, decide whether it would back his point or fit someone else better.
Why the other options are wrong:
- a finding that patients prefer seeing their own doctor: This fits Ortolani, who says a visit with your own doctor beats one with a stranger.
- a report that rural internet often cuts out: This fits Pruitt’s concern about poor connections in the north.
- a report that remote visits save patients unpaid time off work: This fits Ortolani, who says patients no longer had to take an unpaid afternoon off.
Correct Answer: people across the province who need health care
Passage Reference: The temporary billing codes that let Ontario family doctors charge for video and phone visits
Why this is correct: It reports a choice about how Ontario pays for remote care. That choice affects anyone in the province who sees a family doctor.
Tips: Think about why this report was written. Then imagine each reader in the options and ask if the story speaks to them.
Why the other options are wrong:
- medical students learning to examine skin: Oberg mentions a mole, but nothing here teaches exam skills.
- companies that sell home internet plans: Pruitt talks about weak connections, but nothing is aimed at internet companies.
- tourists planning a trip to Kingston: Kingston is mentioned only as where Oberg works.
Correct Answer: one to settle only after hearing many views
Passage Reference: The health ministry has asked doctors, researchers and patient groups for advice before it makes a decision.
Why this is correct: Outside the quotes, the reporter says the ministry has asked doctors, researchers and patient groups for advice before it decides.
Tips: Read the reporter’s sentences that sit outside the quotes. Which option matches how those sentences frame the matter?
Why the other options are wrong:
- one the ministry has already settled: The ministry has not decided. It is still asking for advice.
- a waste of money for the province: The reporter gives no opinion on the cost.
- a danger to patients in the north: This is Pruitt’s concern, not the reporter’s framing.
Correct Answer: nearly forty percent
Passage Reference: remote visits made up nearly forty percent of all family doctor appointments in the province
Why this is correct: Last year, remote visits made up nearly forty percent of all family doctor appointments.
Tips: The commenter needs a share of appointments. Find the figure for last year.
Why the other options are wrong:
- nearly twenty percent: The share in the article is about twice this.
- nearly sixty percent: The share in the article is less than half.
- nearly eighty percent: The share in the article is much smaller.
Correct Answer: a walk-in clinic
Passage Reference: A video visit with your own doctor beats a walk-in clinic with a stranger every time.
Why this is correct: Ortolani says a video visit with your own doctor beats a walk-in clinic with a stranger every time.
Tips: The commenter repeats the researcher’s comparison. Find what she says a video visit with your own doctor is better than.
Why the other options are wrong:
- an emergency room: Ortolani does not mention emergency rooms.
- a long drive: Ortolani mentions driving an hour, but her comparison is with a walk-in clinic.
- a nurse hotline: Nurses are not mentioned in the article.
Correct Answer: March
Passage Reference: are set to expire at the end of March
Why this is correct: The temporary billing codes for video and phone visits are set to expire at the end of March.
Tips: The commenter needs a month. Find when the temporary codes stop working.
Why the other options are wrong:
- January: January is not mentioned in the article.
- June: June is not mentioned in the article.
- September: September is not mentioned in the article.
Correct Answer: twice
Passage Reference: In some of our communities, the connection drops twice in a ten-minute call.
Why this is correct: Pruitt says that in some communities, the connection drops twice in a ten-minute call.
Tips: The commenter means the northern planner. Find how often she says a call cuts out, and do not confuse it with the length of the call.
Why the other options are wrong:
- three times: Pruitt gives a smaller number than this.
- four times: Pruitt gives a smaller number than this.
- five times: Pruitt gives a smaller number than this.
Correct Answer: weeks
Passage Reference: If half my day becomes video slots, the patients who need an exam will wait weeks longer
Why this is correct: Oberg says that if half his day becomes video slots, patients who need an exam will wait weeks longer.
Tips: The commenter shares the family doctor’s fear about his schedule. Find how much longer he says some patients would wait.
Why the other options are wrong:
- days: Oberg talks about a longer wait than this.
- months: Oberg does not say months. The wait he describes is shorter.
- a full year: Oberg does not mention a year.
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