The GPSC improves access to fees that support doctors providing mental health and substance use care

Update: A recording of the webinar mentioned below is now available to watch on YouTube.

Recognizing that the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the growth of mental health needs and the risk of substance use disorder in patients, the GPSC is improving access to the mental health management fees and expanding the personal health risk assessment fee to better support family doctors and their patients.

Family doctors can begin billing the expanded fees on MSP Teleplan starting October 5, 2021 and retroactively bill the fees for services provided from October 1, 2021.

Improved access to mental health management fees

Mental health management fees, 14044-14048, are now easier to access when providing mental health care to patients. MSP provides payment for up to four individual counselling visits per patient per year. Once a patient reaches this limit, the GPSC provides four additional individual counselling visits per patient through the mental health management fees. This means patients who may benefit from additional care can receive up to eight counselling visits per year and a mental health planning visit if needed.

What is changing with the fee?

The mental health planning fee, 14043, is no longer required to access the four additional mental health management visits. Family doctors are encouraged to provide a mental health planning visit, 14043, to their patients when appropriate.

Who is eligible for the fee?

Mental health management fees are payable to the family doctor who is most responsible for the patient’s longitudinal primary care and who has submitted and met the requirements for the community longitudinal family physician (CLFP) portal code, 14070, or the locum CLFP portal code, 14071, in the calendar year.

For billing and eligibility information, read the fee guide.

Personal health risk assessment fee expanded to cover patients at risk of substance use disorder

The personal health risk assessment fee, 14066, now supports family doctors providing clinical prevention care to patients at risk of substance use disorder. The fee already covers tobacco use and smoking, unhealthy eating, physical inactivity, or medical obesity.

Family doctors using this fee are expected to develop a plan to address the designated risk and recommend targeted clinical prevention actions consistent with the Lifetime Prevention Schedule and relevant BC Guidelines.

Who is eligible for the fee?

The fee is payable to the family doctors who is most responsible for the majority of the patient’s longitudinal primary care and who has submitted and met the requirements for the CLFP portal code, 14070, or the locum CLFP portal code, 14071, in the calendar year.

For billing and eligibility information, read the fee guide.

For questions about GPSC fees, contact gpsc.billing@doctorsofbc.ca.