Residential Care Update

The Oceanside Residential Care Initiative met in early October for their quarterly meeting, and we are now accepting applications from members of the Oceanside Residential Care Initiative to carry out pilot Quality Improvement projects from January-March, 2020.  These projects will aim to address any of the following:

• Improving communications/relationships with facilities
• Enhancing physician engagement with the initiative
• Improving protocols for residential care

The Expression of Interest can be filled out online, and will need to be submitted by November 30th for consideration by the board of directors.  The link to the EOI was sent to all Oceanside Residential Care physicians - if you need it, please contact Sharon Todd.

Patient Medical Home Update

In October Dr. Biglow at Qualicum Associates began training a Nurse in Practice. They will be offering support to other interested clinics in the Oceanside area. An engagement session will be held early in the New Year to talk about the learnings. The NiP is very excited about this opportunity to work in primary care and help the beginning of the work of the PCN by offering services to other GPs in the area.

The Palliative Network meeting is on November 13th.  We will be having two MAID physicians coming to speak, Dr. Diane Wallis and Dr. Marie-Clare Hopwood along with Oceanside Hospice nurse, Susie Coen.
MOA Network meetings began October 10 in Oceanside. Very successful evening with 18 MOAs in attendance. First ever combined network with Port Alberni, having 6 MOAs who came over to attend meeting. Presentation given by Island Health and a program called EMR connect. Next network meeting will be held in Port Alberni.

Central Island Division of Family Practice 2019 Holiday Mixer

The Board of Directors and Division staff invite members and their spouses/partners to join us for a Holiday Dinner at Cuckoo in Coombs Trattoria and Pizzeria.
Date: Thursday, December 5th
Time: 6-9 pm
Location: Cuckoo in Coombs
Please make sure to RSVP by email to oceansideadmin@divisionsbc.ca or with your Eventbrite invitation.
We hope that you will all join us in closing out the year with some mingling, laughs and good times

OHC Community Referral Form Working Group

Colleagues,
There have been some changes in the community intake process and an expansion of the days and hours that the intake can be accommodated.  While this seems like a simple thing: it isn’t, and it has resulted in changes to forms required to access services for your patients.  We have heard that there is some concern with these changes and with the fact we no longer have a single form for all Oceanside community services.  We would like to make this as simple as possible, ensure the right information is provided to the right service and most importantly we can provide the right care to the patient as soon as possible.  To help make improvements we would appreciate a couple volunteers from the Division to review and make any required change to meet the above goals.  I am not looking for any more meetings so will make sure this is to the point and results in meaningful change if this is determined to be the best way forward.  Please contact me at drew.digney@viha.ca if you can help.

Thank you,
Drew Digney

OHC Urgent Care Vacancy

The Oceanside Health Centre Urgent Care is seeking physicians for full or part-time family practice/emergency care effective March 1, 2020.    The Urgent Care is open from 0730-2130 daily and physicians usually work 8-hour shifts. Emergency certification is not required, but physicians working here should be comfortable providing acute care.  For more information, please see:
https://medicalstaff.islandhealth.ca/careers/opportunities/873/family-practiceemergency-urgent-care-centre-200-0882

NEW Vascular Surgery Centralized Referral/Triage starting December 2nd, 2019

The Division of Vascular Surgery has been working together to improve access and decrease wait times to vascular surgery consult. This initiative is supported by a grant from the Specialist Services Committee (SSC) to improve patient access to specialists.
What will Centralized Referral and Triage for Vascular Surgery mean to me and my patients?

• A single fax number for referrals to all four surgeons 250-298-6186
• Referrals will be centrally triaged and assigned to the next available surgeon unless otherwise specified
• Clear requirements of what satisfies the referral criteria for vascular surgery
• Acknowledgement of all referrals back to the referring MD
• Direct communication with patients to expedite appointments and any required diagnostic testing

IMPORTANT CHANGES

1. A new Referral Form is available  - click here for a fillable form (also available in Pathways) and the dates below for when this form is available in EMRs
2. Upon receipt of the referral you will receive an acknowledgement letter within 5 business days
3. In the event that required information is not provided, the referral will be put on Hold
4. We will directly contact your patient to book an appointment and any other required tests.
5. If a referral is sent with pertinent diagnostics pending, your patient will be triaged, but will not be booked until results are available.
6. URGENT REFERRALS: (need to be seen within 72hrs) Contact ON CALL Vascular Surgeon via RJH Switchboard – 250.370.8000

The new referral form will also be available from the following vendors on the specified dates below:

• Accuro QHR - available NOW
  keyword ‘VVC’ or ‘Victoria Vascular Surgery’
• Oscar - available early Dec
• Intrahealth Profile - available early Dec
• TELUS Osler - December 1
• TELUS Med Access - December 6
• TELUS Wolf - February 15   

Please refer to your Pathways site for more detailed information:
“Vascular Surgery”
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to sheena@surgicalassociates.ca

Therapeutics Initiative Best Evidence Webinar: Topical Analgesics – Can we directly apply the evidence?

The Therapeutics Initiative at the University of British Columbia will be hosting the next CME webinar of our Best Evidence Webinar Series on topical analgesics on November 26th, 2019. This webinar is geared toward primary care physicians, pharmacists, and other interested clinicians.

Please click here to Register.

Please click here for more information.

Update on Outpatient Neurological Rehabilitation services at Victoria General Hospital

The Outpatient Neurological Rehabilitation Program at Victoria General Hospital has updated their program criteria and we will no longer accept referrals for clients with Concussion and Persistent Post Concussive Symptoms.

Please click here for a letter outlining this change. Please click here for our revised Outpatient Neurological Rehabilitation Program brochure.

Please note, we will continue to accept clients with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury who may have ICBC coverage.

55th Annual Post Graduate Review in Family Medicine | Feb 27-29, 2020

55th Annual Post Graduate Review in Family Medicine
Date: Feb 27–29 (Thu–Sat)
Location: Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel, Vancouver BC
Target audience: family physicians, nurse practitioners, residents & students
Credits: Up to 16.0 Mainpro+ credits
Course content: click here
Register: click here
Highlights:
• Top 5 Practice-Changing Articles for Outpatient Primary Care | Dr. Steve Wong
• My Patient is Using Cannabis—What Do I Need to Know | Dr. Launette Rieb
• Obesity—Office Management Pearls | Dr. Ali Zentner
• Rapid Fire: Pediatric Derm Photo Quiz | Dr. James Bergman
• My Kid Has a Fever: Update on Best Management and What Not to Miss | Dr. Simi Khangura
• Alcohol Use Disorder—Pharmacotherapy Options and Evidence (New Guidelines) | Dr. Keith Ahamad
Lunch presentations:
• Psychedelics in PTSD—A New Horizon | Dr. Mark Haden
• Climate Change & Medicine | Dr. Melissa Lem
• Optional workshop: Troubleshooting IUD Insertions and Endometrial Biopsies

CME on the Run! 2019-2020 | VGH & Various Videoconference Sites

The CME on the Run sessions are held at the Paetzold Lecture Theatre, Vancouver General Hospital and there are opportunities to participate via videoconference from various hospital sites. Each program runs on Friday afternoons from 1 – 5 pm and includes great speakers and learning materials.

CME on the Run! 2019 – 2020
Oct 2019 – Jun 2020 (Fridays 1300-1700) | Vancouver General Hospital + 13 videoconference sites
Target audience: family physicians, nurse practitioners, residents & students
Up to 21.0 Mainpro+ credits (3.5 credits per session)

Jan 31, 2020 – Psychiatry
Apr 3, 2020 – Infectious Disease & Travel
May 1, 2020 – Prenatal, Pediatric & Adolescent
Jun 5, 2020 - Internal Medicine
*Session topics are subject to change*

To Register please click here.
To view brochure please click here.

Island Health flu update

As the flu season approaches, Island Health has resources to assist you and your patients in efforts to stay well.

Island Health’s influenza page is at www.islandhealth.ca/flu. Here you can find information and forms for Community Vaccine Providers, details on flu clinics for everyone from infants to seniors, and more.

Please feel free to:

Use this image as part of your flu communications.

Share the following messages with your care team and patients:
In addition to getting the flu shot, take these steps to protect yourself and others:

• Clean your hands regularly (with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rubs)
• Sneeze and cough into your sleeve
• Stay home when you are sick
• Reschedule visits to loved ones in hospitals and other health-care facilities when you are sick

Upcoming Self-Management Workshops and Leader Training Sessions - Vancouver Island

PDFs for specific regions can be accessed by clicking on the following:

Vancouver Island – Mid/North
Vancouver Island – South

In addition to our 6-week Self-Management Community Workshops, we offer the following:

1 to 1 Telephone Program:
The Self-Management Health Coach Program is a telephone support program for individuals needing the extra support to achieve health goals. Each individual is paired with a coach and receives a weekly, 30-minute phone call for 3 to 6 months. Coaches are volunteers who may be living with chronic health conditions, and are passionate to help others to achieve wellness. For more information, please visit our website by clicking here.

Invitation to HIV/AIDS Webinar Learning Series - December 4, 2019

The BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS Clinical Education and Training Program organizes a series of quarterly clinical educational webinars targeted to primary care providers and community. Webinars cover various topics related to HIV including medication adherence, best-practices, and related comorbidities.

Our next webinar titled, Curing Hepatitis C in People Living with HIV is on Wednesday, December 4th, 2019 from 8:00 - 9:00 AM (PST).

Title: Curing Hepatitis C in People Living with HIV
Date: Wednesday, December 4th, 2019
Time: 8:00 - 9:00 AM (PST)
Speakers:

• Mark Hull, MD, MHSc, FRCPC, BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
• Hesham Ali, Peer Navigator, Positive Living Society of BC

Credit: 1.0 Mainpro+ credit (College of Family Physicians of Canada, B.C. Chapter)

Please click here to Register

Flu vaccine billing information

For flu vaccine billing advice or any other billing advice, it is recommended that physicians and divisions staff contact the Doctors of BC Fee Guide Advisors:
Lea Harth - lharth@doctorsofbc.ca or 604-638-2827
Catriona Innes - cinnes@doctorsofbc.ca or 604-638-2866.

Guidelines for flu vaccines are as follows:

• For adults over 19 years of age who qualify for a free shot, bill under fee item 00010.  A visit fee should not be billed if the flu shot was the sole reason for the visit. OR
• Bill the age appropriate office visit alone if both a medically necessary visit is provided as well as the immunization being administered.
• For children under the age of 19 years of age, bill under fee item 10015 plus the applicable office visit.
• For those who do not qualify for a free shot, bill privately for the injection and the serum: 00010 with a recommended fee of $24.50 + cost of serum

For additional information please refer to the Canadian Immunization Guide Chapter on Influenza and Statement on Seasonal Influenza Vaccine for 2019–2020

Island Health Authority Document Display Name Changes in EMRs

The following has been sent on behalf of Dr. Mary Lyn Fyfe, Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO).
Date: October 7, 2019
Re:Improving Island Health Clinical Document Display Names in Electronic Medical Records (EMRs)

As you know, providers have been receiving Island Health documents in private office EMRs with generic display names, making it difficult to quickly ascertain the document’s focus requiring documents to be opened, often renamed, and filed. An additional challenge is that many EMRs cannot display names beyond a set number of characters.

Working with providers, provincial colleagues, vendors and the Ministry of Health, we are hoping to improve this workflow through standardizing the display names of documents received in provincial EMRs.

Island Health documents will now display with more detailed names, indicating the focus of the document. However, given that many EMRs are limited to a set number of characters, you will notice that these specialty specific names are shortened in your EMR (e.g. Emerg Consult, Endocrin Note).

You may notice some differences between the nomenclature used in PowerChart and that used in your EMR. (e.g. Island Health authored Respirology documents will be received as Pulmonary documents and Island Health’s Operative Report will be received as Surgical Operation Note.

At this time, document names will not be changing in Island Health’s PowerChart.

This change will occur in a phased approach starting Tuesday, October 8th, with an anticipated completion date of October 30th, 2019.

Please contact your EMR vendor, if you notice a display issue.

For 24/7 PowerChart assistance, please call the Clinical Solutions Desk at local 18777 or toll-free at:1.877.563.3152, Option 3.

Oceanside Hospice Society

The Oceanside Hospice Society serves individuals and families experiencing end-of-life, care-giving and bereavement in the area stretching from Deep Bay to Nanoose, and west to Errington and Whiskey Creek

OHS currently delivers the following services to the community:

• Medical Equipment Loan Program
• One to One Client Support Services
• One to One Grief Support
• Grief Support Groups
• Grief Walking Groups
• Self Care Fridays
• Caregiver Respite and Companioning
• Palliative Vigil Team
• Lending Library
• Community Networking , Education and Training
• Advance Care Planning Guidance

We strive to provide links in the continuum of care by supporting care giving at home, in hospital or the palliative care unit at Trillium and at community care facilities.
Please contact us at 250.752.6227 or visit www.oceansidehospice.com for further information.

Divisions in the News

See what is going on in other divisions around BC:
https://www.divisionsbc.ca/provincial/news-and-events/in-the-news