B.C. launches new payment model for family doctors

An updated payment model for family physicians in B.C. is now underway.

On Wednesday, Health Minister Adrian Dix called the new model the “most significant reform to primary care in my lifetime.”

“The new model supports the province’s Primary Care strategy, meets the need of doctors, and ensures that patients have access to the care they need. It was the result of close collaboration between the Ministry of Health, doctors, and B.C. family doctors,” Dix said.

He says over 1,000 family doctors have already signed up, and he expects an influx of others to follow suit in the coming days.

“It addresses inequities in compensation, helping to attract and retain family physicians, and therefore increasing the number of physicians able to provide care to people in B.C. It will provide us the opportunity to better understand the number of patients a physician sees in a day,” Dix said. 

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“It also means family doctors will be able to spend more time with patients as it reduces the administrative burden.” 

Dr. Joshua Greggain, president of Doctors of BC, says the new model will allow doctors greater freedom to accomplish things they may have not been able to do before.

“Today is a new day for a family of physicians to have the choice to provide the care that they have always wanted to do and haven’t been able to,” Greggain said. 

“Patients will benefit from family physicians having greater flexibility in their practices, both in-person and virtually, compared to the previous payment model. Patients will also have the option of discussing multiple issues with their physicians, who will now have more time for patient care as administrative pressures are relieved by the new model,” the province says.

The province says family physicians will also be paid for spending extra time with patients. 

The new model, in part, is also set to help family doctors in British Columbia see an increase in pay.

A full-time family doctor will be paid on average $385,000 annually, up from the current $250,000.

Concerns over B.C. doctor shortage

The B.C. doctor shortage has been an ongoing issue that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic with many on the frontline repeatedly raising concerns about the state of the health system, saying it has been dire for a long time.

The new payment model was first announced last year, with doctors already given a raise as a part of a plan to address the province’s healthcare system crisis.

Dix says one of the changes will factor in time spent with patients, not simply how many patients a doctor sees in a day.

“Importantly, it will help maintain their business autonomy, giving them more flexibility to create the kind of practice that works for them and, most importantly, for their patients,” he said in October.

“This brand new model takes into account five factors, including the time a doctor spends with a patient, the number of patients a doctor sees in a day, the number of patients a doctor supports through their office, the complexity of the issues a patient is facing, and administrative costs currently paid directly by family doctors.”

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The province also announced in August $118 million worth of payments for family physicians in B.C. that were meant to hold them over until the new funding model could be put in place.

Last year, Dix said the money was set to help nearly 3,500 doctors who own their own practices and over 1,000 others who work in walk-in clinics.

Now that the new model has been introduced, the B.C. government hopes it will also help attract new doctors to come to the province and encourage those already working here to stay. Further, the government announced in November it is working on speeding up the process to allow internationally trained doctors to begin practicing in B.C.

Dix says that although it is a historical moment, it won’t fix everything immediately.

“It is not going to improve everything overnight, but it shows our joint determination to make things better and to ensure people have the care in the community the primary care they need to stay healthy,” Dix said Wednesday.

“It’s a building block for the renewal of the primary care system that has eroded over time,” Greggain said.

“On a practical basis, this starts to address some of the crises in family medicine and again tries to then remove the strain in other areas.” 

-With files from Martin MacMahon