Family Practice Sustainability Resources and Strategies

The purpose of this page is to act as a repository for resources and strategies to help support and sustain your medical practice.  If you are aware of information that would be useful to this page, please contact the Pacific Northwest Division of Family Practice. 

IN-PATIENT BRIDGE FUNDING 

At its October meeting, GPSC approved the expansion of in-patient care bridge funding to 13 additional hospitals, bringing the total number receiving funds to 53 hospitals. The expanded eligibility recognizes the commitment of family doctors who provide a significant portion of in-patient care.

The additional funding of $4.1 million is focused on networks and communities where the collapse of programs could be particularly destabilizing. Funding will come from GPSC’s projected unspent budget for 2022/23 and the annual budget for 2023/24. The funding period will run from November 1, 2022, to March 31, 2024.

For more information visit: GPSC in-patient bridge funding.

THE COMMUNITY LONGITUDINAL FAMILY PHYSICIAN (CLFP) PAYMENT 

There are new eligibility requirements for the Community Longitudinal Family Physician (CLFP) Payment 2023. Changes to the CLFP Payment eligibility criteria align with the new Longitudinal Family Physician (LFP) Payment Model, reflect feedback from physicians, and ensure we have as accurate and as up-to-date primary care data as possible.

The CLFP Payment for longitudinal physicians on fee-for-service or alternative payment models recognizes the additional responsibilities of community-based family physicians who provide long-term, relationship-based care for a panel of patients. The payment amount for each eligible physician is based on the size and complexity of their patient panel. 

Eligibility for the CLFP Payment now includes participation in the new Provincial Attachment System (PAS) by December 31, 2023. A key component of this is uploading your list of empanelled patients into the system and committing to updating your panel data. “Empanelled patient” means an individual patient for whom a family physician has accepted responsibility to provide and coordinate longitudinal, relationship-based, comprehensive, family medicine care.

Eligibility will also be based on having a minimum of 250 empanelled patients rather than the previous requirement of 50 MSOC (Majority Source of Care) patients. 

Using a minimum number of empanelled patients allows the CLFP Payment to include community longitudinal family physicians who are new-to-practice; took temporary leave in the previous year; share patients with other community longitudinal family physicians in a group practice setting; or, have small patient panels because they work part-time and/or provide facility-based care or episodic care. New-to-practice physicians will need to have a minimum of 250 empanelled patients within four months of beginning practice. In these situations, the criteria of 250 empanelled patients more accurately reflects the physician panels rather than the previous MSOC minimum requirement.

While the CLFP Payment 2023 will still be based on MSOC as an interim methodology, we’re working to transition future CLFP Payments to be based on patient panel information submitted by physicians. Changing the methodology responds to feedback from family physicians that MSOC calculations don’t sufficiently represent their panel size and complexity.

In addition to the CLFP Payment, eligible longitudinal family physicians will receive $6500 for completing the required panel registry work by December 31, 2023, which includes uploading and committing to updating their panel data and their availability for accepting new patients. Additionally, medical directors (or their delegates) can claim $2000 per clinic providing longitudinal family practice services when they validate and update their clinic information on the PAS Clinic and Provider Registry. They are encouraged to take these actions as soon as possible.

What you need to do next is panel clean up to develop an accurate list of empanelled patients. There are guides and resources available to help you, which can be found on the Health Technology Resources webpage. You can also submit a service request for assistance, or email psp@doctorsofbc.ca. Stay tuned for information about when you can start uploading your panel to the PAS Provider Registry and the process for doing so.

LFP-enrolled physicians are eligible for a CLFP Payment amount that is pro-rated for their time working under fee-for-service or an eligible alternative payment model in 2023 prior to joining the LFP Payment model.

More information about the CLFP Payment 2023 process, including Q/As, will be communicated in the weeks ahead.

LFP PAYMENT MODEL UPDATES | PANEL UPLOAD DEADLINES, PANEL PAYMENT ADJUSTMENTS

October 10 Longitudinal Family Physician (LFP) Payment Model newsletter:

  • Deadline for panel uploads using EMRs: Friday, October 13.
  • Provincial Attachment System: Key dates and timelines.
  • Panel payment adjustments.
  • LFP Payment Model expansion.

September 22 LFP Payment Model newsletter:

  • Submitting patient panels via EMR or Dr.Bill.
  • Provincial Attachment System updates.

For more information, visit New payment model: A choice for family physicians (Doctors of BC login required).

If you have questions or feedback, please contact LFP.Billing@doctorsofbc.ca

PROVINCIAL ATTACHMENT SYSTEM: ACCESS, TRAINING RESOURCES, TECHNICAL SUPPORT

The Provincial Attachment System (PAS) is now live. Doctors of BC’s September 25 In Circulation Special Edition outlined details and resources, including:

PAS information for doctors who are:

Training and support:

For additional information or support on the PAS, contact HealthBCSupport@phsa.ca.

BUSINESS PATHWAYS – Business Pathways is a Doctors of BC initiative that helps physicians navigate the operational side of running a practice. It is a customizable, one-stop shop to access support based on your current needs.

More information about Business Pathways including access to other supports, resources, and toolkits, can be found on the Business Pathways webpage.

Physicians who are looking for support while starting or revamping their practice can now access the Business Planning Toolkit to help develop a business plan.

Created by Doctors of BC’s Business Pathways program, the toolkit has information and resources to help doctors, including:

  • Steps for opening a business
  • Strategic business planning
  • The pros and cons of different business structures
  • Hiring and retaining staff
  • Financial and succession planning
  • Developing a diversity and inclusion strategy

Business Advisors are also available to all physicians to help answer questions about the toolkit and provide additional support for a range of other business-related inquires.

Business Pathways introduces Business Advisors

Doctors of BC’s Business Pathways program now has a team of regional Business Advisors who understand business issues and can direct you to the right sources for starting a business, setting up a clinic, managing an office, optimizing your business, or closing your practice. 

As part of our service to BC doctors, they will provide one-on-one, personalized support to physicians’ business management queries, and provide direction to and context for valuable resources and information. They’re here to: 

  1. Listen to and understand your business needs
  2. Communicate your options and contextualize them to your unique situation
  3. Be there for you as you run your business, every step of the way

Learn more and meet the Business Advisor team here. 

PROVINCIAL PPE PORTAL –

PPE Portal shutting down June 30, 2024

The province-wide PPE Portal—established temporarily in 2020 to allocate and distribute PPE supplies during the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic—is to shut down on June 30, 2024. This decision was made by the Ministry of Health, Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), and the Ministry of Citizens’ Service due to the ministry lifting its medical masking mandates and the end of respiratory season. Since 2021, there has been a 65% decrease in the number of health care professionals using the portal.

Final PPE orders from the Portal will need to be made prior to June 30; however shipments of previously placed orders will continue after this date until all outstanding orders have been fulfilled. Physicians will also get a chance to provide feedback about the effectiveness of the PPE Portal later this summer, to help shape the future of health care supply management. 

The Ministry understands that the closure of the PPE Portal may raise some concerns from physicians, and it is committed to providing support during this transition period. If you have any questions about the closure of the PPE Portal, please email health.ppe@gov.bc.ca

CONTRACT OPTIONS FOR BC’S PHYSICIANS – The BC Ministry of Health has introduced a number of new contract options for BC’s physicians. They provide more choice for established and new-to-practice family physicians who want to move away from Fee-for-Service (FFS) and practice in a different way, and support for physicians whose Fee-for-Service practices continue to be significantly destabilized due to conditions resulting from COVID-19. Group contracts will also continue to be offered to anesthesiologists and ER physicians.

The Ministry consulted with Doctors of BC during the development of the contracts. If you have questions please contact Doctors of BC staff.

HEALTH TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES  | Doctors of BC – The Doctors Technology Office has developed a number of resources and best practice guides to inform and educate physicians across the province in better navigating the health technology landscape. The links below are grouped by topic. For further information or to request additional resources, please email the Doctors Technology Office.

SMALL BUSINESS AND INDIVIDUAL INCOME SUPPORTS FOR PHYSICIANS DURING COVID-19  – a summary of the supports that both the federal and provincial government have put in.

BUSINESS COST PREMIUM: INITIAL RETROACTIVE PAYMENT AND EXPANSION UPDATE:

The initial Business Cost Premium (BCP) retroactive payments for the 2023/24 fiscal year, which includes physicians registered under the expanded eligibility criteria, will be disbursed by Health Insurance BC (HIBC) on May 15, 2024.

Payments on claims for dates of service between April 1, 2023, and March 30, 2024, will appear on eligible physician’s remittance statements under adjustment code BQ. Payments will vary between eligible physicians and be lower for physicians who have already received some, or all, BCP under the original 2019 PMA guidelines.

For physicians who are eligible under the expanded criteria and have completed the BCP registration process, details regarding the retroactive payment calculations can be found on the BCP webpage. 

Additionally, due to automation challenges, the changes outlined in the 2022 PMA which expand the BCP to health care settings outside of community-based offices are still delayed. Currently the only BCP payments being processed are under the original 2019 PMA guidelines. Physicians cannot yet submit billing claims to receive the BCP on MSP services provided in a hospital setting or on MSP fees beyond Consultation, Visit, Counselling, and Complete Examinations.

We will continue to update physicians as progress is made on the expansion. Questions can be directed to economics@doctorsofbc.ca. 

COVID-19 SAFETY PLAN (Generic) – A COVID Safety Plan requires you to assess the risks, implement protocols, develop policies, develop communications, monitor your workplace, and assess and address risk.  This plan was drawn up using the WorkSafeBC template & the Doctor Is In Safely Plan appendix.

CFPC Logo and Link

THE COVID-19 PIVOT: AN OPPORTUNITY TO RE-EVALUATE HIGH VALUE CARE & CLINICAL PREVENTIVE SERVICES – The COVID-19 pandemic has seen family physicians shift to more virtual care and less in-office services.

CMA Logo and Link

RE-OPENING YOUR PRACTICE DURING COVID-19 – This material is for general information only; please follow the direction provided by your regulatory college, the Chief Medical Officer of Health and your local public health unit. This guidance was developed for the CMA in conjunction with the Centre for Effective Practice (CEP), one of the largest independent knowledge translation organizations for primary care in Canada.

COVID-19 RESOURCES FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS – COVID-19 resources for health professionals. To support our Fellows who are providing high quality patient care under these challenging circumstances, the Royal College has compiled evidence-based information and resources about COVID-19.