An innovative mental health resource from Salt Spring Island is featured in the April 2018 GPSC Column of the BC Medical Journal, highlighting its value as a customizable resource for all BC communities.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC has announced changes to its physician search directory—specifically, removing the feature that allows family physicians to identify themselves as accepting new patients. Once the feature is disabled on March 1, 2018, patients who phone the College looking for a family physician will be referred to HealthLink BC.
A “one-for-all” approach to GP recruitment on Vancouver Island has yielded success and a model for regional collaboration elsewhere in BC.
Family doctors are reminded to submit the GPSC Portal (G14070) or GPSC Locum Portal fee (G14071) at the start of the new year.
Effective January 1, 2018, GPs will need to bill G14070/71 in the following way to avoid billing refusal. Changes for 2018 are highlighted in red.
PHN#: 9753035697
Patient Surname: Portal
First Name: GPSC
Date of Birth: January 1, 2013
ICD9 Code: 780
As the opioid crisis continues in BC, it’s projected that there will be more than 1,500 overdose deaths by December 31, 2017.
To help reduce the impact of retirement on physicians and their patients, a number of divisions of family practice have collected and/or created resources to help physicians prepare for retirement. These include resources that support GPs to incorporate succession planning into their practices and to optimize their practices as they move toward retirement. Additional support strategies include mentoring and matchmaking between new-to-practice doctors and retiring GPs. See here for more information.
The committee is pleased to welcome Ted Patterson as the new GPSC Ministry of Health co-chair and Dr Mitch Fagan as the a new Doctors of BC representative.
At its October meeting, with input from health authority and division representatives at the table, the GPSC committed to make two important operational changes in order to improve linkages between local and regional collaborative tables and the GPSC, and to give the GPSC more flexibility as it supports turning provincial policy and strategy into action at the regional and local levels.
First, the committee will decrease the frequency of its meetings from eleven to five times a year. This new schedule will be in effect after the November 2017 meeting.
Through their local divisions of family practices, family doctors around the province are working with partners in their communities on projects to support the care of patients with mental health and substance use issues.
This work includes a wide range of materials that have been created for patients and physicians, including emotional wellness handouts, resource lists, presentations, referral forms, and lists of signs and symptoms that can help patients (or their friends and family) identify when they might need help.
Many GPs are working in practice teams to increase capacity for themselves and their practices. To support this approach, and in response to physician feedback through the GPSC visioning consultations, the GPSC has simplified and aligned some of its incentive fees.