November 9, 2023

Update on LFP Payment Model expansion plans and steps to support continuity of care in facilities

Doctors of BC, BC Family Doctors, and the Ministry of Health continue to work together toward expanding the LFP Payment Model. Currently, we are focusing on facility-based care for inpatient, maternity, palliative, and long-term care. The expansion has been, and continues to be, a major priority.

Due to the complexity of this work, our original timelines have shifted slightly. We had hoped to be able to share information on how the LFP Payment Model would support facility-based care by November. Our goal now is to share this information by the end of the year. Billing under the expanded payment model will follow as soon as possible in the new year.

We know that many of you have been waiting to hear the details of the expansion before deciding on plans for 2024. That said, we are pleased to let you know that we are taking some steps to continue supporting you to provide facility-based maternity care, inpatient care, and long-term care in the interim. Watch for detailed information to be shared in the coming weeks.

Extension of bridge funding for inpatient care. Funding to Divisions of Family Practice for physicians providing inpatient hospital care was scheduled to end March 31, 2024. The Family Practice Services Committee (FPSC) has agreed to extend the funding until September 30, 2024. This will provide certainty for physicians, giving you time to transition to the expanded LFP Payment Model when it becomes available.

Extended funding for physicians providing maternity care in hospital and long-term care. Physicians providing maternity care in hospitals, and those providing long-term care, received a one-time grant of $10,000 in June 2023 if they committed to maintaining services until December 31, 2023. The FPSC has agreed to extend this funding into the next year, at a rate of $5,000 quarterly per physician pending the expansion of the LFP Payment Model for services in these areas.

In addition to the above, we are also taking some further immediate steps to support physicians providing maternity care. We recognize the significant challenges in providing maternity care in BC. We are announcing two additional actions to support physicians and to improve patients’ access to maternity care.

Starting December 1, 2023, physicians enrolled in the payment model who provide care at maternity clinics separate from your LFP clinic will be able to bill under the LFP Payment Model, using the same time and interaction codes that you use to bill for care in your clinic. This builds on the current LFP Payment Schedule, which allows billing for in-person and virtual maternity care provided via the LFP Clinic.
Starting December 1, 2023, family physicians on all payment models who provide labour and birth care in hospital will be eligible for an Availability Payment (on call coverage payment) for care provided in-hospital. This will be done within the existing Medical On-Call Availability Program (MOCAP). More details to follow soon.

These actions are not the whole solution for these important areas of family practice. There is still much more to be done. Once we conclude our work to expand inpatient, maternity, palliative, and long-term care under the payment model, we will shift to addressing other areas including emergency medicine care provided by longitudinal family physicians, supporting team-based care, and adapting the model to meet the needs of rural communities and physicians.

What to do if you have not yet submitted your list of empanelled patients

The deadline for physicians enrolled in the LFP Payment Model to submit lists of empanelled patients was October 31, or within three months of enrolling, whichever is later. Any physician who has missed the deadline is asked to submit panel lists as soon as possible. Please reach out to fp.billing@doctorsofbc.ca for support.

Physicians being compensated under Fee-for-Service, population-based funding, and other payment models have a December 31 deadline for the submission of your panel lists.

For details on what is required to claim payment, click here.

Supports and resources for cleaning up and submitting panel lists and completing the Panel Registry, including a schedule of available online sessions, can be found on the Doctors of BC website.

Webinar – Provincial Attachment System

Family physicians and clinic staff are invited to a webinar on November 16, 2023 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. that will provide practical information and a demonstration of the Provincial Attachment System. The webinar will be hosted by the Provincial Health Services Authority, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Doctors of BC.

Topics will include:

Creating your BC Provider ID on OneHealthID
Setting up multi-factor authentication
Tasks required for the Provincial Attachment System, and
Submitting your patient panel through your EMR or Dr.Bill.

There will also be a Question and Answer segment.

Register here for the webinar.

Need more information?

Write us

Email: FP.Billing@doctorsofbc.ca

View our information online (member login required)

Doctors of BC: doctorsofbc.ca/new-payment-model
BC Family Doctors: https://bcfamilydocs.ca/lfp-payment-model/
BC Government website: gov.bc.ca/MSP/LFP (login not required)