A partnership of Doctors of BC and the Ministry of Health.

FOCUS

April 2023

New SSC Co-chair and Committee Members

The Specialist Services Committee (SSC) warmly welcomes Dr Jason Kur (Co-chair),  Dr Elizabeth Thompson, and Dr Priya Manjoo to the Committee starting April 14, 2023. These recent appointments were made by the Doctors of BC Board. The SSC includes representatives from Doctors of BC, the Government of BC, and BC Health Authorities. Watch for more information about our new members to come.

• Dr Jason Kur, a rheumatologist practicing in Vancouver, has been appointed to the role of SSC Co-chair representing Doctors of BC. Dr Kur will join Mr Ryan Murray, who continues to serve as SSC Co-chair representing the Ministry of Health. Dr Kur has served as acting Co-chair since January 2023, after Dr Ahmer Karimuddin stepped down to take on the role of Doctors of BC President Elect.  
• Dr Elizabeth Thompson, a general surgeon practicing in Comox, has been appointed to the Committee as a surgical specialist representative.  
• Dr Priya Manjoo, an endocrinologist practicing in Victoria, has been appointed to the Committee as a medical specialist representative.  

Welcome all! We additionally thank Dr Frank Ervin for his years of service on the SSC, and in particular, for his enthusiasm and involvement in the Physician Quality Improvement Initiative!

Spotlight on a specialist

Spotlight on a specialist: Dr Jason Wong

News and stories

Specialists Symposium 2023

This week, BC specialists are going to learn, share, and improve specialty care at the Specialists Symposium 2023. Attendees will participate with colleagues in a series of panel discussions, including: 

1.       Specialists’ Response to the Primary Care Challenges: What can I do for the patients in my care? What can I do for the patients that need my care?

2.       Staying Balanced Against the Odds: Exploring three dimensions of physician health through storytelling and conversation.

3.       Culture, Communities, and Relationships: Understanding the strengths and resources Indigenous communities bring to their members’ health care.

This event is UBC CPD accredited. The University of British Columbia Division of Continuing Professional Development (UBC CPD) is fully accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of Continuing Medical Education (CACME) to provide study credits for continuing medical education for physicians. This event is an Accredited Group Learning Activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and has been approved by UBC CPD for up to 5.75 MOC Section 1 Group Learning credits. Each physician should claim only those credits accrued through participation in the activity. 

This program was co-developed by a working group, comprised of members of the SSC and a representative from Consultant Specialists of BC, and was planned to achieve scientific integrity, objectivity and balance.

We’re looking forward to this full-day event taking place on Thursday, April 27, 2023, at The Westin Bayshore Hotel in Vancouver, BC. 

Community-Based Specialists Dinner 

To take SSC's work to support CBS physicians to the next level, a CBS engagement dinner is being hosted on April 26, 2023, at the Westin Bayshore, Vancouver - coinciding with the SSC Specialists Symposium. This event has been structured to ensure opportunity for informal networking, as well focused discussions about physicians' strategic priorities going forward. We’re looking forward to a robust discussion.

One-stop shop ‘baby hippy clinic’ improves outcomes for infants with developmental hip dysplasia 

SSC supports physicians to initiate and spread ideas with impact   

Facility Engagement project promotes gender equity in medicine and leadership

Specialist Team Care Collaborative launches with positive results

Specialists often have experiences working in teams in hospitals, but reciprocal types of teams have been lacking, for the most part, in community-based practices. But that is changing with the Specialist Team Care Collaborative. Launched in 2023, it brings together specialists to collaborate and innovate across and within specialties, and with health care colleagues, on team care models in their outpatient community practices. Across BC, eleven teams representing nine different specialities are participating in the first cohort of the Collaborative, and seeing positive results.

Institute for Health Improvement Conference: takeaways  

In December 2022, the Physician Leadership Scholarship Program (PLSP) supported 70 BC physicians to attend the annual Institute for Health Improvement (IHI) Conference in Orlando, both in person and virtually. Attendees described the experience as “inspirational” and “transformational" with key takeaway themes that include: 

• Broadening the understanding of data variation by using simple tools such as dashboards to visualize quality improvement efforts. 
• Leaning into team-based care, where co-located multi-disciplinary teams work together.
• Utilizing the quintuple aim as a guide for all improvement work – adding equity, and human experiences in and around care delivery as one way to restore meaning to health care and support burnout and moral distress.
• The importance of Planetary Health.
   

Supporting Community-Based Specialists: progress and plans

The SSC's CBS Initiative is working to better support community-based specialists (CBS), specifically those without hospital privileges, who have been an underrepresented physician group. The work aims to support CBS physicians' priority concerns including the burdens of business operations, timely access to patient information, increased advocacy and voice, and more collegial interactions. Supports arranged to date include no-cost access to:

• UpToDate, an online clinical decision support resource
• 24/7 spoken language interpretation services 
• Business Pathways supports
• CareConnect patient information
• Personal Protection Equipment
• Zoom licenses for virtual care 
   

Share your thoughts on EMR governance

Doctors of BC members are encouraged to participate in the EMR Governance Survey – sent to physicians on April 13 – that seeks your input on potential approaches to shifting to fewer EMRs in BC. Your feedback will help us better understand your thoughts on possible paths forward, and the essential elements that would encourage you to move toward EMR consolidation. Hearing from a broad range of physician voices—from all specialties, geographic locations, and practice types—is crucial to steering this work as it will help deepen our understanding of perspectives across the profession and further guide how we advocate for you as work in this area progresses.  

The deadline for input is Thursday, April 27, 2023. The survey will take 5-10 minutes to complete and is being conducted by TWI Surveys. As always, your answers are anonymous and confidential – Doctors of BC will not know your individual responses. Upon completion, you can choose to enter a draw to win one of ten $100 Visa gift cards.

Contact us if you did not receive your email invite or have any questions.

News from our partners

Indigenous Cultural Safety 

The Joint Collaborative Committees (JCCs), including SSC, are committed to walking with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples on our collective journey to ensure Indigenous patients have access to culturally safe health care. There have been a number of opportunities for physicians to participate including the compassionate leadership training program, webinar learnings and the experiential learning sessions. More to come.

Webinar series: Elements of Indigenous Health and Healing

A series of five webinars held between November 2022 and March 2023 were designed around the concept of the Medicine Wheel. About 100 physicians attended each session, with some noting they were inspired to change their practice style as a result.

First Nations Community-Based Experiential Learning Sessions

The JCCs have partnered with Len Pierre Consulting and local First Nation communities to host a number of experiential learning sessions across BC. Physicians will learn about residential school trauma and the impacts that colonization has had on Indigenous Peoples and are provided with a unique relationship building opportunity with local First Nation communities.

Watch video: Kwantlen First Nation longhouse session - October 2022 

News article

Next opportunities: 

• Tuesday, May 9^th, 2023, 5:00pm to 9:00pm at Kwantlen First Nation (Langley). Registration is limited to 40 participants. Register here.
• Tuesday, May 30^th, 2023, 5:00pm to 9:00pm at Saulteau First Nation Health Centre (Moberly Lake). Registration is limited to 40 participants. Register here.

More information on locations and registration will be shared in the upcoming months.
 

Doctors of BC’s Awards Month recognizes outstanding doctors

May 2023 is the first annual Doctors of BC Awards Month to showcase and recognize outstanding doctors who make extraordinary contributions to their profession and community, inspiring those around them while improving the welfare of British Columbians. 

If you know someone who has made a difference – it could be a colleague, mentor, medical student, resident, or an individual or organization dedicated to improvement in BC – please consider nominating them for one of the following awards:

•  Dr David M Bachop Gold Medal for Distinguished Medical Service
•  Dr Don Rix Award for Physician Leadership
•  Doctors of BC Silver Medal of Service Award
•  Changemaker Awards for Medical Residents and Students
•  Excellence in Health Promotion Awards

 Nominations are open and the deadline is Wednesday, May 31.

2021 Mini Practice Profiles are now available

Your 2021 Mini Practice Profile, a statistical analysis of your billings, is now available to view exclusively online. The profile provides you with statistics based on the Medical Services Plan (MSP) fee-for-service payments made to you for services provided in the 2021 calendar year, including any settlements or retroactive payments issued as of March 31, 2022.  

Why view your profile? The individualized profile allows you to view your MSP billing patterns, identify any flags, and make proactive changes, if needed, which may reduce your risk of an MSP audit. 

Learn more, view this helpful video, or contact Tara Hamilton, should you have any questions or need any support.

JCC Pre-Forum coming June 6^th

Registration now open for JCC Pre-Forum: Collaborative Compassion: The Power of Connectedness

The Joint Collaborative Committees (JCCs) invite physicians and health care providers to the 2023 JCC Pre-Forum on Tuesday, June 6^th, 2023, in Vancouver. Join us to:

• Highlight the diverse and varied work of the physicians involved in the collaborative committees.
• Recognize the work of partners and others in health care. 
• Hear from renowned keynote speakers, Drs Susan Biali-Haas and James Makokis.
• Attend a variety of QI presentations in various formats such as rapid fire presentations, workshops, and storyboard displays.

Registration Details: In conjunction with the BC Patient Safety & Quality Council (BCPSQC) Quality Forum (June 6 – June 8, 2023) funding is available to cover physicians' registration and expenses to attend both the Pre-Forum and Quality Forum. Enter the discount code QF23-JCC to waive all associated registration fees, and your MSP number to verify eligibility.

Event news and FAQs: JCC Pre-Forum event webpage

Questions: jccpreforum@doctorsofbc.ca

Doctors of BC partners among the 2023 BC Quality Award Winners 

Congratulations to Rural Coordination Centre of BC (RCCbc) and the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) for their 2023 BC Quality Award in Strengthening Health & Wellness for the Doctors of BC supported and Joint Standing Committee on Rural Issues funded Real-Time Virtual Support (RTVS). 

Also, among the winners and runners up were several partners and physicians who have been involved with the Joint Collaborative Committees (JCCs), a partnership of Doctors of BC and the Ministry of Health:

1. Michel White, Leadership in Advancing Patient Voices Winner for her role as a patient partner in the SSC Sponsored Physician Quality Improvement (PQI) initiative in Fraser Health.
2. Dr Shyr Chui, Quality Culture Trailblazer Runner Up for his role in leading a Joy in Work initiative in his radiology department. Dr Chui was involved with the SSC Sponsored PQI initiative in Northern Health; and 
3. Dr Kelly Mayson, Leadership in Quality Runner Up for her leadership on such initiatives as the SSC sponsored Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) and Surgical Patient Optimization Collaborative (SPOC).
    

SSC The Wrap

Read the latest SSC committee meeting highlights: 

• Meeting summary for February 16, 2023. 

Have something to share?

Physician engagement is the cornerstone of SSC’s work and sharing your knowledge is important. If you have stories to tell and information to share, please let us know. 

We'd also love to hear your suggestions and ideas on ways we can improve SSC communications and information sharing.

About Us

SSC is one of four joint collaborative committees that represent a partnership of Doctors of BC and the Ministry of Health. It was formed in 2006 under the Physician Master Agreement to help Doctors of BC, BC government, and health authorities collaborate on the delivery of specialist services and support improvement of the specialist care system in BC.

Watch ⇢ How the Specialist Services Committee serves doctors and patients in BC (3 min)

Explore ⇢ The Exchange database to find information on SSC's quality improvement projects