August 2024

The monthly E-News shares provincial program information and updates about the Facility Engagement program. This information will be of interest to Medical Staff Association (MSA) support teams, but please feel free to forward the newsletter to your MSA executives as well. 

NEW: PQI Training Opportunities for MSAs

In collaboration with BC health authorities, Physician Quality Improvement (PQI), a flagship initiative of the Specialist Services Committee, works to enhance physician capacity in quality improvement by providing training and hands-on experience through action learning projects, ultimately promoting a culture of learning, openness, and dedication to improving the health care system. See here for more information about PQI.

As an outcome of the FE QI Data Consultant Report, FE and PQI are working together to improve the availability/awareness of QI expertise and training for MSAs and increase the understanding of QI work more generally. For more information about Facility Engagement participant opportunities and supports for Quality Improvement, see here.

Physician QI Coaching Program: Peer coaches are available to support and offer guidance on FE QI projects. Potential coachees are encouraged to visit the Provincial Physician QI Coaching Program website to learn more, and sign up for a QI coach by filling out this intake form. Unsure if coaching is right for you? Contact Dr Jane Lea, Provincial Lead for Coaching.

FE Funded PQI Training: If your MSA executive is interested in organizing an FE-funded, site-specific PQI training, please contact quality@doctorsofbc.ca. 

JCC Funded PQI Training: If individual physicians at your site are interested in participating in existing JCC-funded PQI training, please contact quality@doctorsofbc.ca or your local PQI team for more information: 

• Fraser Health region: physicianqi@fraserhealth.ca | Website
• Interior Health region: pqi@interiorhealth.ca
• Island Health region: pqi@islandhealth.ca | Website  
• Northern Health region: physicianqi@northernhealth.ca | Website
• Provincial Health Services: pqi@phsa.ca
• Vancouver Coastal/Providence Health region: medicalquality@vch.ca | VCH Website | PHC Website

Available training

In order to provide flexibility to participating physicians in BC, PQI training is divided into three levels. Physicians are eligible for funding to participate in each level of training. If you are interested in PQI training but are not a physician, contact quality@doctorsofbc.ca for more information and opportunities.

•  Level 1: Comprised of three self-paced online courses provided on IHI Open School. Estimated time to complete training is 4-5 hours, with JCC sessional payment upon completion. 
• Level 2: Provides participants with in-person and/or virtual opportunities to develop fundamental quality improvement skills, held over 1-2 days; duration may vary slightly between regions. Physicians are eligible for sessional payment upon completion.
• Level 3: Provides participants with interactive QI learning opportunities that include in-person and/or virtual lectures, group activities, and workshops, and includes conducting a QI action learning project with at-the-elbow support and resources provided by local PQI teams. Training is held over the course of 10-12 months. Physicians are eligible for sessional payment throughout the duration of their engagement in Level 3.

If you have any questions, please contact engagement@doctorsofbc.ca.

FYI: Knowledge Sharing Alert

Knowledge Sharing Alert

New on the portal this month:

• BC Cancer Planetary Health unit has eliminated the routine use of exam table paper in outpatient clinic rooms at four regional outpatient clinics with support from Facility Engagement and BC Cancer senior leadership team.
• Chilliwack physicians gathered stories of both good and bad patient experiences in the Emergency Department and sought advice from partners to improve cultural safety and humility within the unit. 
• Burnaby MSA ‘s “Stop the Group & Screen” Quality Improvement project is optimizing efficiency, safety, and costs in elective, low-risk total knee and hip replacements

• A reminder that the FE Provincial Summit MSA Poster Galley, where you can learn from other sites strategies, governance structures, and activities, are available here.

If you have any questions, please contact engagement@doctorsofbc.ca.

FYI: Lunch and Learn Summer Hiatus

The monthly MSA Lunch and Learns are now on hiatus for July and August and will return in September.  New calendar invitations for the remainder of 2024 should start showing up in late August.

If you have any questions, please contact engagement@doctorsofbc.ca.

TIP: FEMS Tip of the Month

On August 1st, the FEMS administration team announced a few new updates to the system that have been implemented, or will be very soon.

1. For physician societies ONLY, we have provided a financial workflow update for governance deduction payments made to the CRA and how they can be entered into FEMS.
2. For all MSAs, we have implemented a once a week email for executives to remind them of any pending claims and suppliers that need approval.  This should lessen the administrative burden for MSA administrators who will no longer need to remind their executives of pending updates they need to complete.  The emails will go out each Friday and will only be sent if there are items for approval.
3. As of September 1st, if a physician is claiming a meal as part of their sessional payment in FEMS, receipts will no longer be required. The system will be updated to a per diem option, and physicians will be requested to choose which of the meals they are claiming (please see table below for the breakdown of amounts.). The change is effective based on meeting date (i.e. if a meeting was held August 1st, and the claim is entered September 18th, that will still require receipts.) 

If you have any questions, please contact femssupport@doctorsofbc.ca.

TIP: PM Helpdesk Lunch and Learn Library

The FE provincial office, in conjunction with the PM Helpdesk Consultant, Erica Kjekstad, have created a library document of all of the past Lunch and Learn sessions from 2022 and 2023.

The 2024 library document is now live and will continue to be updated each month with current information.  

If you have any questions, please contact engagement@doctorsofbc.ca.