Dr. Clair Biglow steps down as Oceanside PCN Convenor

At the most recent Oceanside PCN Steering Committee meeting, Dr. Clair Biglow stepped down as the convenor of the PCN Steering Committee. We want to take a moment to sincerely thank Dr. Biglow for the time, effort, and leadership he has brought to this role. Balancing this commitment alongside a busy practice is no small feat, and we are truly grateful for his dedication.
Dr. Biglow’s ability to facilitate discussions, keep meetings focused, and ensure that all voices were heard has been invaluable. While stepping down as convenor, we look forward to his continued involvement and the insightful contributions he will undoubtedly bring to future meetings and events. Thank you once again, Dr. Biglow, for your commitment and thoughtful leadership.

A Great Time at the March 7th Meet & Greet

The Central Island Division of Family Practice would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Dr. Kelly Hadfield for organizing a wonderful meet and greet for our new members on March 7th. We had a fantastic turnout of 12 member providers and four division staff, and it was a great opportunity to connect.
A big thank you as well to everyone who shared their insights and advice on practicing medicine on the Island—your peer support is truly appreciated!

Strengthening Primary Care in Port Alberni

The Port Alberni Primary Care Network (PCN) continues to enhance healthcare access by expanding team-based care and supporting local healthcare providers. In April, a new PCN Nurse in Practice will be joining the team, allowing an existing RN to transition full-time to a clinic where she is already providing care. This shift strengthens the continuity of care for patients and reinforces the PCN’s commitment to improving access and support for both patients and healthcare providers. Ongoing recruitment efforts and collaboration with community partners ensure that the network evolves to meet local healthcare demands.

You’re Invited to the LTCI Learning Series – Advanced Care Planning in LTC (April 15)

We are pleased to invite you to our virtual LTCI Learning Series on Advanced Care Planning in Long-term Care on Tuesday April 15th from 5:00-6:30pm with Kathleen Zimmerman and Michele Martin.

Please click here to Register

PAS payment update for physicians who joined the PAS after March 31, 2024

Physicians enrolled in the LFP Payment Model are required to submit their panel list within three months of enrolling in the payment model.

Family physicians and clinics participating in the Provincial Attachment System (PAS) for the first time who have not previously claimed the one-time Panel Registry Payment or the Clinic and Provider Registry Payment:

• Eligible physicians will receive an invitation to claim the payments by early April 2025.
• To be eligible for the $6500 Panel Registry Payment, family physicians must have uploaded their panel and indicated their panel capacity by March 31, 2025.
• To be eligible for the $2000 Clinic and Provider Registry Payment, medical directors must have added or verified their clinic information by March 31, 2025.

The deadline to claim this payment is April 27, 2025. If you are unsure about your eligibility, please contact FP.Billing@doctorsofbc.ca

The PAS is meant to better support patients and family physicians by establishing a clear, consistent, and digitally enabled approach to attachment coordination across the province. It also can reduce practice burden by making the attachment process faster, easier, and more efficient - when you do have capacity for new patients. With broad participation, the system provides reliable data which can help to demonstrate attachment trends in our province. 

Learn more in a recent Doctors of BC newsletter. Additional information and FAQs are also available on the Family Practice Services Committee website.

Need PAS support?

To support physicians in identifying Empanelled Patients in the EMR and submitting their patient panel to the PAS Panel Registry using their EMR or Dr.Bill, the Practice Support Program (PSP) will be hosting two drop-in sessions. The purpose of these sessions will be to demo workflows and answer questions about submitting patient panels. Providers can also access helpful videos and guides here.

Register now:

March 25, 2025 - 12pm-1pm | Registration Link

Upcoming deadline: Re-enrol in LFP by March 31 to continue billing

All physicians and locum physicians enrolled in the LFP Payment Model need to re-enrol by March 31 each year to continue billing under this model. If you do not submit an enrolment code between January 1 and March 31, 2025, you will not receive any payments under the LFP Payment Model until it is submitted.

The steps for re-enrolment are outlined on the BC Family Doctors website (member login required).

Announcing the 2025 BC Substance Use Care Update!

Keeping up with the latest evidence and clinical best practices in addiction treatment and care is always challenging. This virtual learning day organized by the BC Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU) is a venue for healthcare professionals in BC to learn about major changes and updates to substance use care over the past year.

When: May 22, 2025 | 8AM-5PM

Sessions will include emerging OAT practices, updates to provincial opioid use disorder clinical guidelines, managing substance use in acute care settings, managing benzodiazepine withdrawal, youth substance use care, and more.
The 2025 BC Substance Use Care Update is being organized for clinicians in place of the BCCSU's annual in-person conference this year and will serve to complement the other clinical training offered by the BCCSU.

Register today. Cost is $150.

Updated LFP Payment Schedule coming in early April

A new payment schedule will be released in the coming weeks.

The payment schedule will be updated to have simpler language and provide clarity about current billing rules. Work is ongoing to update the payment schedule to improve care delivery for patients and physicians.

Please watch the Doctors of BC and the BC Family Doctors LFP Payment Model webpages for the updated payment schedule when it is released. We recommend reviewing the updated LFP Payment Schedule in its entirety to ensure that you are billing accurately.

BC Family Doctors’ web resources, including the Simplified LFP Guide and Billing Question Library, will be updated to reflect all of the changes in the payment schedule once it is released.

Reminder that Respiratory Immunization code 98101 expires soon

98101 was established as a temporary code for respiratory immunizations provided by an allied care provider between October 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025. This code supports immunization efforts for influenza, COVID-19, and other respiratory viruses during winter respiratory illness season.

Detailed information is available on the BC Family Doctors website (member login required).

Second anniversary of the LFP Payment Model

February 2025 marked the second anniversary of the LFP Payment Model. In just two years, the payment model has created remarkable change for family doctors in BC.

More than 1000 new family physicians are providing longitudinal care in BC. Almost 250,000 patients have been connected to a family doctor since the payment model was launched. 100+ improvements have been made to the payment model in response to physician feedback and suggestions.

The LFP Payment Model was developed by Doctors of BC, BC Family Doctors, and the Ministry of Health to stabilize and strengthen longitudinal family medicine. While more work lies ahead, this compensation option is improving patient access to care and improving family doctors’ ability to provide comprehensive, relationship-based care.

Read a new BC Family Doctors report about the impact of the payment model and a Doctors of BC news story about the second anniversary of the LFP Payment Model.

New surgical assistance fee for service created by BCFD and Section of Surgical Assistants

An experienced and skillful surgical assistant reduces complications, reduces surgical time, and improves patient safety. BC Family Doctors and the Section of Surgical Assistants have created a new fee for providing surgical assistance (login required) at surgeries that have an operative fee of more than $869. If you’ve never been a member of BC Family Doctors, you can receive a complimentary two-week trial membership. Email hello@bcfamilydocs.ca for more information.

Island Health Divisions Communication -- Upcoming Learning Opportunities

Culture Conference: Psychological Safety in the Workplace

The Island Health Medical Staff Education & Development team is pleased to share an upcoming learning opportunity for all medical staff for the Culture Conference: Psychological Safety in the Workplace on Monday, April 28th in Nanaimo BC.  View the Culture Conference bundle or register here.

Challenge and Change: A Public Health Response to Our Perplexing Relationship with Psychoactive Substances."

On April 30th, Island Health will be hosting the second Primary Care Grand Rounds of 2025. We are honored to have Dr. Reka Gustafson, Chief Medical Health Officer, present on the topic: "Challenge and Change: A Public Health Response to Our Perplexing Relationship with Psychoactive Substances." This session be virtual during the lunch hour. We ask that you share the attached calendar invite with your teams and strongly recommend participation in this insightful event.

If you have any questions, please contact: PCGrandRounds@islandhealth.ca

24th Annual BC Endocrine Day- Early Bird Registration

Please join us for the 24th Annual BC Endocrine Day's Conference on May 9, 2025 at the Holiday Inn Vancouver-Centre (Broadway).

We will have incredible speakers who will cover a variety of topics in the field of endocrinology and provide interactive case-based reviews of common issues encountered in clinical practice.

For more nformation and to REGISTER click here

March is Pharmacy Appreciation Month

In celebration of Pharmacy Appreciation Month, family physicians, nurse practitioners, and allied healthcare professionals are invited to connect with their primary care pharmacist!

Read more about what your primary care pharmacist can do for you and your patients.

EMR Skill Building: EMR Security Basics

The Doctors Technology Office (DTO)’s next EMR Skill Building for Intrahealth Profile, focused on EMR Security Basics, is scheduled for April 2, 2025.

These sessions will focus on various topics and are designed to help physicians and practice team members expand their expertise in using their Electronic Medical Records (EMR).

The upcoming session on EMR Security Basics will cover best practices for auditing, roles and permissions, obtaining and storing consent, and password management.

To receive your EMR-specific invite, which includes the registration link, or be alerted to future EMR Skill Building sessions, please complete the online form to be added to the mailing list.

Seeking Family Physicians interested in Mental Health Innovation

RAPIDS is a new mental health diagnosis and personalized treatment recommendation system supporting Primary Care Providers.  RAPIDS is a digital tool that is agnostic of the clinic EMR.  It is in use with Nurse Practitioners in BC's PCNs.   We are currently seeking Family Physicians in medium to large clinics to participate in a short (90 day) pilot initiative to evaluate the impact of RAPIDS on the effective and efficient delivery of psychiatric care.

I would love to have the opportunity to provide a full briefing regarding RAPIDS and discuss a potential pilot.  I can be reached at kathryn.seeley@telus.com or at 604 803 9189.

Further background:
Developed under the leadership of Dr. Diane McIntosh, psychiatrist and co-founder of RAPIDS Health, RAPIDS is a decision support system that validates psychiatric diagnoses and provides treatment guidance, based on patient medical information.

“As a psychiatrist and the co-founder of SwitchRx and PsychedUp CME, Diane is aware of the critical need to support clinicians to rapidly and confidently guide their patients to remission and functional recovery.” RAPIDS is built on a powerful decision support engine that delivers evidence-based, biopsychosocial treatment guidance, personalized to your patient’s unique needs within 3 business days of a completed referral.

RAPIDS was co-designed with input from leading key opinion leaders  who are experts in the mental health space, including general practitioners, nurse practitioners, psychiatrists and pharmacology experts.

Please visit the website or contact Kathryn Seely at 604-803-9189.

Doctors of BC’s 125th Anniversary: Celebrating Dr Ethlyn Trapp and women in medicine

As part of Doctors of BC’s year-long 125th Anniversary celebration, we are proud to highlight the incredible work of physicians, past and present, whose actions have influenced positive change in the BC health care system and beyond.

Marking International Women’s Day (March 8) and Canadian Women Physicians’ Day (March 11), we look back at the storied career and life of Dr Ethlyn Trapp, Doctors of BC’s first female president in 1946, and hear from past female Doctors of BC presidents who share their thoughts about their lives, careers, and contributions to health care in BC.

Read more.

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
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 Dispatch

The latest news from the provincial team and complementary organizations.

Please click here for updates including:

• LFP Payment Model updates
• Updated BC Cancer screening report titles
• Divisions invited to meet with BC Cancer Cervix Screening Program to prepare for transition from cytology to HPV primary screening
• East Kootenay family doctor develops guide to reducing environmental impact of health care
• July 19 webinar | Antidepressants and substance use
• July 20 webinar | Updates on risks and harms of alcohol use
• Opioid use disorder training for doctors and their clinical teams: LOUD in PC Collaborative
   

Divisions in the News

Divisions in the News
See what is going on in other divisions around BC:

https://divisionsbc.ca/provincial/news-and-events