Update (November 14, 2022): GPSC in-patient bridge funding approved for 13 additional hospitals
Doctors of BC and the Ministry of Health are currently working on a new payment model for longitudinal primary care. As this model expands, we anticipate this will significantly impact the approach to the provision of in-hospital care by community longitudinal family physicians.
The General Practice Services Committee (GPSC) is pleased to welcome Dr Janet Evans as the newest Doctors of BC member.
Dr Evans is a family doctor and medical director at CGB Medical in Kelowna. She opened the office in 2016 after a 10-year hiatus from family medicine. Given how much the world had changed in that time, Dr Evans was astounded to find nothing had changed in family practice.
Doctors of BC and the Joint Collaborative Committees recently hosted a Truth and Reconciliation ceremony to honour our commitment to walking with First Nations, Metis, and Inuit peoples on our collective journey to ensure Indigenous patients have access to culturally safe health care.
As a representation of this commitment, we worked with Indigenous artist sɬə́məxʷ Rain Pierre to design a print for display in BC medical offices to help create a welcoming space for Indigenous patients, inspire conversations, show support, and signify the importance of culturally safe care.
On Tuesday, September 6, family doctors would have received emails detailing the funding application process for the $43-million Community Longitudinal Family Physician (CLFP) 2022 payment from GPSC. The personalized emails included details on funding eligibility and links to application forms. Detailed information including eligibility is available in the 2022 CLFP FAQ.
Just in time for the fall series starting September 22, the GPSC Billing Education Webinar Series is now approved for accreditation through the UBC Faculty of Medicine, Division of Continuing Professional Development (UBC CPD). Family doctors and residents will now receive up to 10.0 Mainpro+® credits for attending GPSC billing webinars.
Led by physician billing educators, these live webinars offer:
Updated October 13, 2022 | In the midst of the turmoil in primary care, doctors are developing some innovative approaches with the support of Divisions of Family Practice to ease their burden and better support their patients.
Pregnant patients in BC are now able to easily find information about maternity care providers available in their area, thanks to a new feature launched this month on the Pathways Medical Care Directory. Pathways is a non-profit organization supported by Doctors of BC and the British Columbia Ministry of Health through the General Practice Services Committee (GPSC).
The Find a Maternity Care Provider provides information and resources so that expectant parents can:
POWELL RIVER – Today, the Powell River Division of Family Practice officially changed its name to qathet Division of Family Practice. The Tla’amin Nation leadership supports the use of the word qathet, which means “working together” and is pronounced “KA-thet.” The name change reflects the division’s commitment to reconciliation and acknowledgment of Indigenous-specific racism in the health care system.
An urban locum coverage pilot program is starting in fall 2022 to support family doctors in receiving much needed practice coverage for up to 10 days per year.
It is intended to help address one of the top challenges facing family doctors: finding locum coverage to maintain continuity of care during leaves, which was consistently raised as a top priority in Doctors of BC’s recent engagement sessions. It is hoped that such a program can also help address the need to recruit and retain family doctors in community longitudinal practice.
Practice support coaches for the GPSC Practice Support Program (PSP) are onboarding into their roles at Doctors of BC throughout July, August, and September. It’s a key step in bringing together all PSP staff onto one team and transitioning service delivery from the health authorities into Doctors of BC. The committee announced in fall 2021 that GPSC-funded practice support staff from the health authorities would move to Doctors of BC, following extensive consultation with physicians, Divisions of Family Practice staff, and other key stakeholders.