Doctors say new model is a ‘seismic shift,’ with physicians able to leave fee-for-service system in February
The government of British Columbia is ushering in a new payment model for family doctors in February
Provincial health officials announced the news Monday morning, saying physicians will be able to opt out of the current fee-for-service system in the new year. Under that system, doctors are paid based on the number of patients they see in a day
The new model will take into account factors that include how much time a doctor spends with a patient, the complexity of their needs, the number of patients a doctor sees daily, as well as the total number of patients a doctor supports through their office and their administrative costs
Most family doctors in B.C. are currently paid about $30 per patient visit, whether they’re treating a common cold or a complex chronic health problem
In September, Health Minister Adrian Dix acknowledged B.C. has been in a health-care crisis since at least the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic
The number of people without a family doctor in the province has grown from about 340,000 in 2003 to 908,000 in 2017 and is expected to be higher this year, he said
Since he became health minister in 2017, Dix said, 38,000 new staff have been added to the health system in B.C
B.C. HEALTH MINISTER ADRIAN DIX ANNOUNCES A NEW PAYMENT MODEL FOR FAMILY DOCTORS
51 minutes agoDuration1:59The new model is an alternative to the current fee-for-service system and comes with a significant pay increase
Physician pay raise
Addressing the press and public Monday, Dix said the new payment model will make it more attractive for doctors to enter family practice and to retain existing physicians. He said it will give family doctors the flexibility and autonomy to create the kind of practice that works for them
We are making family practice the priority it should be,
said Dix
Family physicians will be getting a significant raise under the new compensation model
The provincial government says a full-time family doctor will be paid about $385,000 a year, up from the current $250,000, under the new three-year Physician Master Agreement (new window) reached with Doctors of B.C. last week
In addition to pay increases, the government says in a statement that the funds will also cover income disparities and new hourly premiums for after-hours services
The statement says the agreement provides more equitable payment for the work of family doctors and better recognizes their value in providing full-service primary care to patients
Full-service family doctors are those who work in communities to provide ongoing primary-care services for their patients
Dr. Ramneek Dosanjh, president of Doctors of B.C., praised the new agreement Monday — calling it the best in the country and a seismic shift
for the better in B.C
The goal is not only to stabilize family practice, but to make it sustainable and rewarding, Dosanjh said in the statement
Everyone deserves a family doctor, and this new option is a major step toward making that goal a reality,
he said
The new master agreement, which was developed between the Doctors of B.C., the province and B.C. Family Doctors, must still be ratified by physicians
In November 2021, a report published in the Canadian Family Physician Journal found up-and-coming family doctors are choosing more hospital-based work and specialized practice rather than family medicine — in part because they’re worried about the consequences of B.C.’s fee-for-service model
CBC News
