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.
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
The Community Longitudinal Family Physician (CLFP) Payment recognizes community-based family physicians who work under fee-for-service and who care for a panel of patients for providing long-term, relationship-based care.
Longitudinal care includes providing patients with ongoing medical care, maintaining patients’ medical records, and coordinating referrals to other health care providers when needed. The CLFP Payment recognizes the additional, non-clinical responsibilities required to provide ongoing, coordinated care for which fee-for-service physicians are not compensated.
As part of its supports for longitudinal family medicine, the GPSC provides eligible family physicians with the CLFP payments, which recognize the additional responsibilities of CLFP physicians to maintain or enhance relational continuity between doctors and patients.
More information
Eligible physicians, including new-to-practice physicians, will receive an email from GPSC with payment details.
Additional information about the CLFP payment can be found on the GPSC website. If you have questions, please contact gpsc.billing@doctorsofbc.ca
NEW PAYMENT MODEL: Information & Resources for Doctors
On October 31, the BC government and Doctors of BC announced a new payment model option for family doctors providing longitudinal care that will launch on February 1, 2023. For detailed information, including a payment calculator, FAQs, and a recording of the online Town Hall, visit the Doctors of BC website: New payment model: A choice for family physicians (member log-in required).
BC Family Doctors is now offering complimentary temporary memberships to enable non-members to access resources on their website that includes additional FAQs on the payment model, as well as their simplified fee guide and billing questions library.
Stabilization funding: Application process
On Tuesday, September 6, family doctors received emails detailing the funding application process for the primary care stabilization funding announced by Doctors of BC and the BC government in late August 2022.
Clinic Stabilization Payment
- Clinic Stabilization Payment claim form (login required).
- Clinic Stabilization Payment FAQ.
- Questions: fpstabilization@doctorsofbc.ca.
Community Longitudinal Family Practice (CLFP) payment from GPSC
- CLFP payment FAQ (login required).
- Questions: billing@doctorsofbc.ca.
Please note that there are six categories of CLFP funding and doctors received individualized emails according to their eligibility. Access the claim forms (login required) for:
- Fee-for-service (FFS) CLFPs.
- FFS new-to-practice CLFPs.
- FFS CLFPs who took parental leave in 2021.
- CLFPs on a blended capitation model.
- CLFPs on alternative payments subsidiary agreements (APSA) contracts, and who pay overhead.
- CLFPs on group practice contracts.
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.
HEALTH AUTHORITIES ACCEPTING EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST FOR COVID SERVICE CONTRACTS – Health authorities are accepting Expressions of Interest (EOI) for the Simplified COVID Service Contract. Doctors who are interested in potentially transitioning to the contract should contact their health authority’s medical affairs department to formally express their interest and discuss next steps. Physicians will be eligible only if they have experienced a decrease in their FFS (fee for service) billings of at least 20 per cent compared to the corresponding period in the previous year. Visit the Doctors of BC website for information on eligibility criteria and the EOI process.
PROVINCIAL PPE PORTAL – The Ministry of Health’s Health PPE Portal provides personal protective equipment (PPE) and critical supplies to family doctors and specialists in BC community clinics.
Since its launch, the Health PPE Portal has provided personal protective equipment (PPE) and critical supplies to BC family doctors. Doctors who have used the portal will soon receive an email containing their unique customer identification number and an invitation to place their next order for up to three months of PPE and critical supplies. Reordering is available starting December 1, 2022 (please allow 12-15 business days for delivery).
Doctors who work in both health authority and private community clinics can use the portal to access PPE for their private community clinic.
If you do not receive an email by December 15, 2022, or have yet to order from the portal and are eligible, please email health.ppe@gov.bc.ca for assistance.
For more information about the Health PPE Portal:
- Pathways (login required).
- Health PPE Portal FAQ (login required).
- Contact 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.
BILLING CHANGES – COVID-19 – General Preamble changes; Section of General Practice Preamble changes New COVID-19 Office Visit Codes. Two new, temporary office visit fees have been introduced for physicians treating patients with suspected or active COVID-19 symptoms, one with test and one without test.
THE DOCTOR IS IN: SUPPORTING PHYSICIANS IN RE-OPENING OFFICES – “The Doctor is In: Recommendations for expanding in-person care in community-based physician practices” provides a one-stop source of information to support physicians in the gradual re-opening of offices and clinics.
BUSINESS COST PREMIUM EXPANDS TO INCLUDE TELEHEALTH – This article has been updated with answers to some of the questions we have been asked by physicians. Click here to read the Physician Q&As. Effective May 1, 2020, the Business Cost Premium (BCP) will be temporarily expanded to apply to telehealth fee items, including phone and video communication with patients. This change ensures the BCP is paid during the COVID-19 pandemic, given these services would have normally been provided in person in physician’s offices.
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.
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.
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.