FPSC

Pilot program helps lift burden of after hours care

Dec 20, 2023

A pilot program that provides after hours care for attached patients of family physicians and nurse practitioners in the Langley, South Island, South Okanagan Similkameen, Thompson Region, and Victoria Divisions of Family Practice is already showing results. 

The six-month pilot, a partnership between the Family Practice Services Committee (FPSC) and HealthLink BC and five divisions of family practice, was developed to reduce the challenges that family physicians face in providing patients with care outside regular office hours. 

Team-based care revolutionizes health care in Langley

Dec 19, 2023

A revolutionary approach to health care is gaining recognition at the Murrayville Family Practice Group in Langley.

A collaborative team of eight family physicians, three nurse practitioners, three registered nurses, and a clinical pharmacist works cohesively to offer timely and comprehensive medical services for the group, which has offices in Murrayville and Willoughby.

Colin Fee, a clinical pharmacist with four years of experience at the practice, plays a crucial role on the team.

FPSC celebrates 20 years of visionary initiatives

Dec 18, 2023

The Family Practice Services Committee (FPSC) is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year following a series of programs and initiatives that have changed the way patient care is provided across the province.

FPSC – formerly the General Practices Services Committee – began in 2003 as a trial project bringing the medical association and the government together to improve patient care and draw more physicians to family practice amid concerns of low pay, morale, and job dissatisfaction.

‘Nobody missed’: Patients benefit from panel management

Dec 15, 2023

Dr Shireen Alam suspected the rates of mental health diagnoses had risen during the first few years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Her clinic, the Shelbourne Family Practice & Maternity in Victoria, decided to investigate during recent panel management. Erika Patterson, a panel coach with the Family Practices Services Committee (FPSC), discovered many patients had been coded with a generic health diagnosis, and not flagged for mental health.

Once the coding was corrected, the clinic’s mental health numbers skyrocketed.

Primary Care Partners Event Summary

Nov 23, 2023

On October 24, 2023, more than 350 primary care leaders from across the province came together at the FPSC Primary Care Partners Event in Vancouver to:

Dr Francis Vala returns to family medicine

Oct 30, 2023

Dr Francis Vala, a family physician and bariatrician based in New Westminster, recently made a return to family medicine after closing his practice in 2018 and spending five years focusing solely on obesity medicine. The new Longitudinal Family Physician (LFP) payment model was a major catalyst for his return to family medicine.

Dr Vala signed up for the LFP Payment Model in February 2023, and he says the new model’s advantages support him in providing the level of patient care he is committed to as a family physician—“There are expectations, ethical and moral.”

New eligibility requirements for the CLFP Payment 2023

Oct 12, 2023

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.

Refreshed Primary Care Network approach

Aug 22, 2023

Updated February 22, 2024

Five years after the launch of the Province’s team-based care primary care strategy and the creation of the first Primary Care Networks (PCNs) in British Columbia (BC), there are many successful examples of teams providing care for patients in new and innovative ways. As can be expected, there have been challenges as well. PCNs represent a major shift in the way we work, and we have learned a lot since we started.

Update on Primary Care Network (PCN) governance refresh

Aug 22, 2023

The following letter has been sent by FPSC Co-chairs, Ted Patterson (Ministry of Health) and Dr Sari Cooper (Doctors of BC) to PCN Steering Committee Co-chairs, CSC Co-chairs, PCN managers, Divisions of Family Practice Executive Directors, First Nations Health Authority Vice Presidents of Regional Operations & Regional Primary Care Managers, Nurse and Nurse Practitioners of BC Leaders, and Health Authority Primary Care Vice Presidents and Executive Directors.

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