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July 31, 2020
In this issue:
- Joint Collaborative Committees
- Doctors of BC updates
- Health care partners
Physician Survey
We are encouraging as many physicians as possible to share their experiences with racism and discrimination in the health care system by completing the survey just released by Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, recently appointed by the provincial government to the independent position of Commissioner of Addressing Racism. The survey is seeking information about the impact of discriminatory behaviours on patients and their family members, and whether and in what ways health care workers are affected personally in the workplace.
Doctors of BC is committed to working with all partners to support this process to address systemic racism and to create a respectful, inclusive, and culturally safe health care system.
The survey is open until Thursday, August 27, and can be accessed here. For questions, please contact Mr Jeff Rud by phone at 250-216-4725, or by email at Jeff.Rud@gov.bc.ca.
JOINT COLLABORATIVE COMMITTEES
Health Data Coalition and Practice Support Program partner to support physicians
GPSC leaders are strongly encouraging family physicians who are participating in PSP services such as coaching or Panel Management to enrol with the HDC.
Across BC, family doctors are contributing to a provincial picture of what’s happening on the front lines of patient care by enrolling with the physician-led Health Data Coalition’s (HDC) data-sharing application, HDC Discover. Family physicians can compare electronic medical record (EMR) data from their clinic to provincial averages in order to note trends and track changes over time, discuss tips with their colleagues, and enhance learning.
Click here to read more.
DOCTORS OF BC UPDATES
Fee change for substance use care – fee code 00039
To support COVID-19 risk mitigation, temporary changes have been made to fee item 00039 (Management of Maintenance Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT) for Opioid Use Disorder). These changes will allow physicians to bill an appropriate visit fee in addition to fee item 00039 when visits are done for substance use risk mitigation during the pandemic.
The changes are effective July 23, 2020, with the end date to be determined by the Provincial Health Officer.
Click here for more information.
Changes coming to the Contributory Professional Retirement Savings Plan (CPRSP)
Doctors of BC members enrolled in CPRSP benefit program will see some significant and welcome changes this fall.
Key changes include:
- The ability to deposit the CPRSP benefit in both an RRSP and a Tax Free Savings Account (new).
- The ability to withdraw CPRSP funds from your RRSP for the Home Buyers’ Plan and/or Lifelong Learning Plan.
- No longer a requirement to match their CPRSP benefit.
- No more paper applications, these will now be done online simply and faster
- Director deposit of benefits into the physician’s bank account
More information will be coming in the fall. If physicians have any questions, contact the Doctors of BC Members’ Benefits Department by email at benefits@doctorsofbc.ca or by phone at 604-638-2926
HEALTH CARE PARTNERS
RoadSaftey to gradually resume DMER disbursement to drivers
RoadSafetyBC has resumed its disbursement of Drivers’ Medical Examination Reports (DMERs), originally halted March 27 because of the pandemic. To ensure public safety and prevent further backlogs the process will be gradual:
- Week of July 26 – RoadSafetyBC has begun to write to drivers, who had previously been issued a DMER but had had their requirement suspended, to inform them their DMER is no longer on hold and it now needs to be completed. These drivers must complete their DMER within 60 days.
- August 8 until December, 2020 – RoadSafetyBC will resume regular DMER issuance as well as begin to send batches of DMERs to drivers who were put on hold, doubling normal weekly volumes. This will be conducted in a staged manner to not overwhelm the medical community. Completion timeframes for these DMERS will be extended from 60 to 120 days.
There will be ongoing consultations between RoadSafetyBC and Doctors of BC to ensure physicians are not overwhelmed by DMER volumes.
Please click here for further information and updates on Enhanced Road Assessments and Priority Doctor Reports.
Invitation to participate in BC Guidelines External Review
MRI Prioritization and CT Prioritization guidelines: These guidelines summarize suggested wait times for common indications where MRI or CT are the recommended first imaging tests. Please visit the BC Guidelines External Review Page to download the draft MRI Prioritization and CT Prioritization Guidelines and submit feedback via the online questionnaire.
External review open until Friday, August 14, 2020.
Cardiovascular Disease - Primary Prevention guideline: This guideline provides recommendations on the primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adults aged ≥ 19 years without clinical CVD. Please visit the BC Guidelines External Review Page to download the draft CVD guideline and submit feedback via the online questionnaire.
External review open until Friday, August 14, 2020.
Falls: Prevention, Risk Assessment and Management for Community-Dwelling Older Adults guideline: This new guideline addresses the identification and care management as needed of older adults aged ≥ 65 years living in the community with risk factors for falls. Please visit the BC Guidelines External Review Page to download the draft Falls Prevention guideline and submit feedback via the online questionnaire.
External review open until Wednesday, September 16, 2020.
TECHNOLOGY
Checkbox: Security issue pop up
Please be advised we are aware of users experiencing issues with Checkbox surveys, the site is still secure and you can proceed to checkbox by selecting ‘advance’. We’re looking to resolve the issue and will communicate further when a fix is to be rolled out during a scheduled downtime.
THE UPDATE: NEWS FROM THE GPSC
Keeping family physicians updated on the GPSC's programs and initiatives, The Update newsletter is published online and automatically emailed to family doctors in BC.
Click here to read the past editions of the newsletter.
DIVISIONS IN THE NEWS
Click here to read the latest news about Divisions of Family Practice in the media.
The provincial communications team produces a twice-monthly newsletter designed to keep divisions up-to-date with the Divisions initiative. It is sent to local division executive directors, administration, physician leads, and board members. In order to minimize emails being sent these groups, we try to include as much in these newsletters as possible. We encourage you to share it with your division members at large.
If you have a story you would like to submit for consideration, please contact Caroline McGechaen at cmcgechaen@doctorsofbc.ca.
Media coverage is monitored by the Divisions of Family Practice provincial communications team and compiled on the Divisions in the News page.
This issue can also be found on the Divisions of Family Practice website.
