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New documents on the PCN Toolkit
The PCN Toolkit is the place to go for new materials and resources such as:
• PCN Implementation Guide
• First Nations Engagement and Cultural Safety guidebook
• NP Overhead Document
• NP Overhead Principles
As work moves forward and more information is gathered, the toolkit will be continuously updated with new materials; we advise that you check the site regularly.
For any questions or to provide feedback, please email GPSC@doctorsofbc.ca.
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New GPSC payment to support longitudinal care
The GPSC is introducing a new, annual payment for community-based family physicians who work under fee-for-service and who care for a panel of patients.
Recognizing the long-term, relationship-based care family physicians provide to their patients, the Community Longitudinal Family Physician (CLFP) Payment also recognizes the additional, non-clinical responsibilities required to provide ongoing, coordinated care for which fee-for-service physicians are not compensated.
The GPSC has allocated $19.5 million annually for these payments. Eligible family physicians will receive a CLFP Payment ranging from $3,000 to $12,000; the majority will receive between $4,000 and $8,000.
The first payment will be made by MSP Teleplan in January 2020 (for 2019) to those physicians who meet the eligibility requirements.
For more information including about eligibility, how the payment works, and detailed FAQs, click here.
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Reminder to submit GPSC Portal Codes (G14070, G14071)
Eligible family physicians (FPs) are reminded to submit the GPSC Portal (G14070) or GPSC Locum Portal Code (G14071) at the start of the new year.
The submission of G14070 signifies that a FP is:
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Providing full-service family practice services to patients, and will continue to do so for the duration of that calendar year.
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Confirming doctor-patient relationship with existing patients through a standardized conversation or “compact”.
The submission of G14071 signifies that a FP is:
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Providing full-service family practice services to the patients of host physicians who have submitted G14070, and will continue to do so for the locum coverage.
Submitting G14070/G14071 enables FPs to be eligible to bill the following fee codes:
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G14075 GP Frailty Complex Care Planning and Management Fee
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G14076 GP Patient Telephone Management Fee
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G14077 GP Allied Care Provider Conferencing Fee
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G14078 GP Email/Text/Telephone Medical Advice Relay Fee
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G14029 GP Allied Care Provider Practice Code
Additionally, submitting G14070 on an annual basis is a requirement of the new GPSC Community Longitudinal Family Physician Payment.
To avoid billing refusals, FPs will need to bill G14070/71 as follows:
PHN#: 9753035697
Patient Surname: Portal
First Name: GPSC
Date of Birth: January 1, 2013
ICD9 Code: 780
Click here for more details about G14070/G14071 in the GPSC Billing Guide –Portal.
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Upcoming webinar about team-based care billing
The GPSC is offering a billing education webinar focused on team-based care billing on January 21, 2020 at 6pm (Register).
Family physicians working in teams, including physicians who are part of primary care networks, are encouraged to participate to learn more about both MSP fees and GPSC incentives that support team-based care.
The 90-minute, physician-led webinar will review GPSC incentives and select MSP fees that support billing in team-based care environments, delegation and communication.
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GPSC billing education webinar series: Winter 2020
After a successful first year, the GPSC will continue to offer its billing education webinars about GPSC incentive fees and select MSP fees for all family physicians.
The upcoming series starts in January. Click here for the details, including dates and registration links.
Based on feedback from participants, the 2020 webinars will:
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Be offered as a series of six sessions; each series will be delivered three times throughout the year: winter, spring, and fall.
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Include two new sessions that will focus on case-based exercises and billing in a team-based care environment.
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Cover the basics of billing in family practice in the earlier sessions and contain more complex content in the later sessions. Within each series, the sessions will be cumulative; family physicians may choose to attend the content areas most relevant to their practice needs.
Physicians are encouraged to join the live, scheduled webinars to receive information that is up-to-date information, advice that is relevant, and opportunities for real-time engagement. Webinars are not recorded.
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Update: GPSC increases maternity and in-hospital fees
Rate increases for many BC family doctors providing maternity care and in-patient care in hospitals are in effect as of December 2019. The increases apply for the first hospital visit of the day (P13338) and the first 25 deliveries of the calendar year (G14004/5/8/9). The rate increases are effective retroactively to April 1, 2019, with retroactive payment to be provided in early 2020.
The decision to increase rates was made by the GPSC to recognize the role of family doctors in providing maternity care and in-patient care in hospitals. The Committee recognizes it is a small first step to address the challenges facing maternity care and in-patient care, but felt it was important to direct funding to signal support at this time while work continues toward longer term solutions.
Click here for more detailed information about the rate increases.
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Readers’ Choice: GPSC 2019 highlights top ten stories from last year
Readers’ Choice: GPSC 2019 is a collection of the top ten stories that were most read and shared by family physicians and divisions throughout 2019. These stories, first published on the Divisions of Family Practice Website, the GPSC website, and the BC Medical Journal, highlight the work of physicians and partners in primary care transformation.
The booklet features several stories about building an integrated system of primary and community care in BC, with varied examples of how team-based care is improving access to care, and ensuring family physicians feel supported in doing the work that brought them to the medical profession; the work they love to do.
Many Divisions of Family Practice around the province are now at various stages of building primary care networks (PCNs), with patient medical homes (PMH) at their foundation. In the midst of this, local divisions also continue to create grassroots programs and initiatives that support family physicians and improve patient care in new and exciting ways.
The digital copy of the collection is now available online and a print copy will be sent to all family physicians in their copy of the January/February edition of the BC Medical Journal.
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South Okanagan Similkameen Division opens team-based care clinic as part of primary care network
The South Okanagan Similkameen Division has released a video to promote the launch of the Ponderosa Primary Care Centre in Penticton. In November 2019, the clinic became the region’s first team-based care practice. It houses six family physicians, two nurse practitioners, and two specialists who work collaboratively to provide optimal primary care services.
With the goal of having other health professionals working alongside physicians and nurse practitioners in a primary care setting, the clinic is strengthening team-based care in the community. It is also designed to help with recruiting new physicians who prefer to work in multi-provider clinics, to help transition physicians considering retirement, and to serve as a model for other team-based care clinics opening in the region.
Click here to watch the informational video about the Ponderosa Primary Care Clinic.
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New DocTalks Video: Reducing Risks of Medications for Seniors
“Addressing Polypharmacy – New Habits for Effective Deprescribing,” features Dr Mark Lawrie, a family physician in Penticton with extensive experience in polypharmacy. In the 20-minute video, Lawrie shares habits and strategies he’s adopted over the years to help prevent the well-known risks of polypharmacy, such as falls, confusion, and delirium, which have serious implications for the safety and quality of life for the elderly and frail. Laurie discusses triggers for medication reviews, a ranking system to identify potential negative drug interactions, and creating a deprescribing plan.
An ‘enhanced learning’ document has been created to facilitate Group Sessions or ongoing individual development to accompany the video.
Click here to watch the video and access the supporting document on the Shared Care website.
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GPSC November Meeting Summary
Click here to read the summary from the latest GPSC meeting on November 15.
Topics include:
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2019 GPSC Virtual Summit
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Residential Care Initiative Name Change
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Minor Tenant Improvements
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GPSC Incentives
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Primary Care Update
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GPSC Information Sharing Task Group
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HDC Update
The next GPSC meeting will take place on February 14, 2020.
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Update from the GPSC Provincial Recruitment and Retention Steering Committee
Collaborative Regional Recruitment and Retention Support
Divisions from Vancouver Island and the Interior have been coming together to collaborate on regional recruitment and retention initiatives, an approach which has minimized turnover by matching incoming doctors with best-fit communities. To support these efforts, Health Match BC has provided a representative to work with divisions on these collaborative efforts.
Any divisions interested in learning more about collaborative recruitment efforts, and in arranging for Health Match support for this in their region, is invited to contact RandRCommittee@doctorsofbc.ca.
Click here to read highlights from the latest GPSC Provincial Recruitment and Retention Steering Committee meeting.
Physician Health Program
To support doctors’ mental health, the Physician Health Program of BC has introduced a new initiative that provides access to a psychiatrist. Interested doctors can contact the Physician Wellness Program at 1-800-663-6729.
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Enrolling children in MSP when parents or guardians are not eligible
The Ministry of Health advises that where a child is eligible for MSP but parents or guardians are not, the child must be enrolled in their own MSP account.
To do this, submit an MSP Application for Enrolment (HLTH 102 paper form) on the child’s behalf using only the child’s personal information as applicant. The form must include:
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Signature of the parent or guardian
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A copy of the child’s birth certificate
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Parent or guardian contact information on a separate piece of paper
Click here for information about BC residency and MSP eligibility, and click “Are you eligible?” or contact HIBC at 604 683-7151 (Lower Mainland) or 1 800-663-7100 (Rest of BC).
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Invitation to complete a survey about routine growth monitoring practices
Family physicians are invited to complete a survey to better understand current practices and barriers in conducting routine growth monitoring among children and youth 0-17 years. Survey responses will be used to identify supports for primary care providers.
The survey will take approximately five minutes to complete and will close on January 24 at midnight.
Click here to take the survey and be entered to win a $25 Amazon gift card. For any questions please contact Zahra Hussein at zahra.hussein@cw.bc.ca or Linda Wu at linda.wu@cw.bc.ca.
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Participants needed for two BC Guidelines External Reviews
The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Trauma-Informed Practice guideline is available for External Review until January 31, 2020. This guideline provides recommendations to primary care practitioners on caring for patients of all ages who have been impacted by ACEs.
This guideline offers three strategies to address ACEs in primary care: trauma-informed practice, directed history-taking, and use of the ACEs Questionnaire as a history-taking tool. The guideline also offers strategies to provide support and help patients build resilience.
Please visit the BC Guidelines External Review page to download the draft guideline and submit feedback via our online questionnaire.
The Hypertension – Diagnosis and Management guideline is available for External Review until February 7, 2020. The updated guideline emphasizes accurate measurement of blood pressure for hypertension detection, updated thresholds for elevated blood pressure and includes an improved algorithm for diagnosis and treatment. It also provides quality indicators to monitor hypertension diagnosis, control and treatment successes, and support optimal team-based intervention for hypertension. Links to resources for management are provided.
Please visit the BC Guidelines External Review page to download the draft guideline and submit feedback via our online questionnaire.
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CMA Ambassadors Program
Apply to be a CMA Ambassador - by February 7
Medical students, residents, and early-career physicians will have received an email inviting them to join the CMA Ambassador Program. It’s an opportunity to learn about health policy and advocacy while attending one of the following conferences as a CMA ambassador – all expenses covered.
Fifteen ambassadors will be selected, and the deadline to apply is February 7, 2020.
Seeking judges to review applications
CMA is seeking physicians to review and rank the CMA Ambassador Program applications. The time commitment is approximately 2 hours of independent review between February 14–28.
Please contact nadia.potvin-piche@cma.ca to sign up, or for questions or any additional information.
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