Welcome to the July 2023 edition of the PCN Newsletter.  Read on to learn how new practitioners are using the HCR, how to best utilize the PCN regional Respiratory Therapist and more!

PCN Dashboard Update

The PCN Dashboard is a regularly updated internal website with easy access to information & resources about our PCN. 

Recent updates to the Dashboard include:

• A new page with information about the PCN Optimization process, including a recording of the June 29th summary presentation and the full report.

• A new PCN Regional Hub page with detailed information about services offered by each of the regional positions. 

• Updates to the PCN Members page including EMRs for each clinic and email addresses of all IH staff.  

Be sure to visit the Dashboard on a regular basis for more update

Reminder: Mandatory zero fee attachment code

The Ministry of Health has recently reiterated that all primary care providers in the PCN are required to use the zero fee attachment code (97610) for all new patients that you attach, even if you are taking on the patients of another provider from your clinic (e.g retirements or leaving practice).  This code is compatible with the new Longitudinal Family Physician (LFP) Payment model.

As attachment is still the primary outcome measure for PCNs, the zero fee attachment code is how our PCN and your clinic gets credit for new attachments with the Ministry, which helps show the success of our PCN.

If you've been using the attachment code, thank you and please continue to do so. If you haven't been using the code, please begin using it for any new attachments now or in the previous 90 days, and refer to this document for additional instructions. Contact Jen Ellis with any questions or for an orientation if you are new to using the code. 

Building a Patient Panel using the Health Connect Registry   

New practitioners across Kootenay Boundary are using the KB Health Connect Registry (HCR) to build their panels.  On average, new practitioners are adding a total of 50 patients from the HCR to their panels each week resulting in over 1300 patients being attached since fall 2021.  There are over 6400 unattached patients on the HCR, so whenever you are in position to attach patients, please use the HCR by contacting Alison at kbhcr@kbdivision.ca .

Regional Positions Spotlight: Respiratory Therapist

Kelly MacGillivray is the PCN regional Respiratory Therapist (RT).  As a certified respiratory educator, she specializes in helping patients manage airway diseases such as asthma, COPD, and bronchiectasis. 

As the PCN regional RT, Kelly says that the biggest impact she is able to have is when she is referred to early on in a patient's diagnosis - the earlier it is caught the less likely it is to become chronic, especially in cases such as pediatric asthma.

Kelly notes that a key difference between the services offered by the PCN regional RT and respiratory therapy services provided by IH is that she is able to provide ongoing support beyond the initial diagnostics, from monitoring changes to helping patients navigate resources.

Accessing home oxygen and sleep apnea resources can be confusing for providers due the mix of public and private health services offered. Kelly is able to help staff and providers navigate these systems and figure out where patients need to go and the best way for the patient to access these services.

The PCN RT is available to all clinics and Kelly currently has capacity to serve more patients.  Contact Kelly at Kelly.MacGillivray@interiorhealth.ca or 250-608-4869 or use the PCN Referral Form.

PCN Expansion: Multiple NPs Hired

Over the past nine months, four PCN-funded nurse practitioners (NPs) have been hired for the communities of Fruitvale, Rossland and Nelson, and for the KB Health Online regional virtual clinic. Another NP is set to be hired for Nelson in the near future. These new positions are helping to increase primary care capacity and attachment within the KB PCN.

Cultural Safety

New Resource: Indigenous Health Case Study Compendium
The College of Family Physicians of Canada has just released a case study compendium with seven narrative cases to support a deepened understanding of Indigenous peoples' experience in seeking and receiving care.  View the resource here.

Rise Above Racism
The ‘Rise Above Racism’ campaign was inspired by the tragic death of Joyce Echaquan and brings to the forefront the issue of anti-Indigenous racism within the Canadian Healthcare system. View resources and learn more at riseaboveracism.ca 

New COINS Website
COINS has a new website that includes updated resources and programs pages. Visit www.coinations.net.

Learning Lab update

The first PCN Staff Learning Lab was held in September 2020 and since then we’ve held 47 labs on topics ranging from assessing and treating patient anxiety to  interdisciplinary case conferencing. We are now looking to the future and what the next iteration of the Learning Labs will look like. We recently evaluated the PCN Staff Learning Lab with core participants to gain a better understanding of what was working with the labs and what could be improved. We will use this feedback to refresh the Learning Lab for the fall. Stay tuned for more information about the new format. In the meantime, any questions or feedback can be sent to Alicia Pace.

PCN Governance Refresh

According to the recent provincial Divisions Dispatch, an update with more detail on next steps for the PCN Governance is anticipated near the end of July.