Implementing AI scribe in practice

Are you a community-based provider considering the implementation of AI scribe in your practice? 

The Family Practice Services Committee and Doctors of BC will host a session to give providers and their teams the foundational knowledge and practical insights needed to assess the value of AI scribes in practice and use this health technology effectively and safely.

Attendees will hear directly from family physician Peer Mentors on how they have integrated AI scribe in practice to save time and reduce administrative burdens.

Wednesday, February 12, 2025
6 - 7:30 p.m.

Register for the event.

Urgent Call to Action; Stabilizing the Inpatient Program at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital

Dear Division Members,

After some challenging years, the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH) Department of Family Practice has announced that the Inpatient program will no longer operate in its present configuration.

For more than five decades, since the completion of NRGH in 1963, family physicians have admitted and managed patients, fulfilling their commitment to providing longitudinal care across various care settings. Through dedicated practice, community family physicians in Nanaimo have contributed significantly to the stability and practicality of evidence-based care at the hospital, bridging the gap between in-patient services and the community.

However, there has been a steady attrition in the number of GPs involved in in-patient care. By the beginning of this year, the number of providers has dropped below a sustainable threshold.

In response, the Division has initiated urgent discussions to stabilize and grow the in-patient GP service to a sustainable level. We welcome representatives from any clinics who think they might be able to contribute to this discussion.

Additionally, if you are interested in providing in-patient care to stabilize the service while we work towards a solution or in the future, please let us know. We recognise it is easier to create change in an existing service than to start anew. If you can support the existing team or would like to represent your clinic in ongoing discussions, please contact Beccy Robson at: brobson@nanaimodivision.ca

Evidence strongly supports that an inpatient service leads to shorter hospital stays and better patient outcomes at NRGH. Your collaboration and support will help contribute to the quality of care at our hospital.

Thank you for your attention and consideration of this critical issue.

Sincerely,
Dr Diane Wallis MD MBChB CCFP
Board Chair, Nanaimo Division of Family Practice

You're Invited - Dementia Behaviour Management in LTC on Feb 12

We are pleased to invite you to our virtual LTCI Learning Series on Dementia Behaviour Management in Long-term Care.

Date: Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Time: 5:00-6:30pm
Facilitator: Dr. Jane Saunders.

This presentation is open to physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals practicing in long-term care.

Please click here to REGISTER

Fee updates

Resubmit your annual portal code now to ensure ongoing access to important family medicine fees. Review the billing rules on the BC Family Doctors website to ensure you are eligible. Fee-for-Service: Reminder to submit 14070, 14071, 14072 - BC Family Doctors.

New fees
There are two new fees payable to CCFP-EM physicians providing care in emergency rooms. Learn more about the details and billing rules on the BC Family Doctors website. New Fees for CCFP-EM: Advice and Patient Follow-up - BC Family Doctors.

Shared Care’s CBT Skills Training Spread Initiative wins Health Quality BC runner-up award

The Shared Care Committee is pleased to announce the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Skills Training Spread Initiative has won the 2025 runner-up award for the Strengthening Health and Wellness category in this year’s Health Quality BC Awards.

With Shared Care support and funding, and in partnership with UBC CPD, the Mind Space (formerly known as the CBT Skills Society) team has continued to develop and evolve programs for physicians and primary care patients experiencing mild to moderate anxiety and depression. Please join us in congratulating them on this great achievement!

Learn more about the CBT Skills Training Spread Initiative, as well as Mind Space’s current offerings at mind-space.ca.

Upcoming First Nations experiential learning sessions

The Joint Collaborative Committees (JCCs), in partnership with Len Pierre Consulting and First Nation communities, will host community-based experiential learning sessions in 2025.

These interactive sessions encourage ongoing learning and relationship-building between participants and Indigenous communities. In these sessions, themes of colonial genocide, systematic separation from Indigenous identity, land and culture and the resulting mental and physical health disparities, will be discussed. These themes may result in personal stories to surface and participants are encouraged to prepare to hear this difficult journey.

Registration is limited to 50 participants, so please register early. Sessional time and mileage exceeding 50 km one-way will be covered by the JCCs.

Wednesday February 12, 2025
5 p.m.-9 p.m.
Surrey, BC.

Register for the event.

The JCCs, in collaboration with UBC CPD, will also host the webinar Providing Culturally Safe Care for Inuit patients on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, from 6 p.m.—7:30 p.m.

For further questions, please contact jcc@doctorsofbc.ca

Shared Care Committee selects 15 EOIs

Following a two-month Call for Proposals period, the Shared Care Committee—in collaboration with the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), the Ministry of Health, and BC Cancer—has selected 15 Expressions of Interest (EOIs) for funding. This work was guided by the newly established Cancer Care Advisory Committee, which is comprised of community- and hospital-based physicians, patient partners with lived experience, and representatives from the organizations listed above.

Spanning across multiple health regions, the selected projects fall into three areas of focus: transitions in care, improving diagnostic pathways, and supporting pain and symptom management.

The successful EOIs will receive $25,000 in funding and will be paired with PHSA project managers who will support the development of the EOIs into project proposals that will be presented to the Shared Care Committee for approval in the second half of 2025. If approved, projects can receive an additional $75,000 in funding.

Health Quality Awards winners announced

Health Quality BC (HQBC) has announced its 2025 BC Quality Award winners, which include Strengthening Health & Wellness as the winner of Excellence in Quality. HQBC, previously called the BC Patient Safety & Quality Council, established the BC Quality Awards in 2009 to celebrate people and projects that improve the quality of care in BC. The BC Quality Award winners are awarded a $2,500 sponsorship to help support and disseminate learning from their projects or to support ongoing learning and development. The winners of the five Excellence in Quality awards are also invited to present their project at the Quality Forum.

Full summaries of the achievements of both the winners and runners-up are now available. To learn more, visit Health Quality BC.

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