B.C. doctors urge province to expand new 'precedent' that could improve family medicine crisis
An unexpected move to pay British Columbia’s family doctors for the extra time required to assess high-risk COVID-19 patients has a physicians’ group urging the province to recognize many others deserve more time with their primary doctor as well.
Starting July 1, family doctors are able to bill the health-care system for up to an hour to assess whether a patient meets the criteria for Paxlovid, an anti-viral drug prescribed to prevent serious illness or death, in seniors and those with certain health conditions.
“This work is challenging and time-intensive,” reads an announcement by BC Family Doctors to their members. “In order to support physicians who are doing or wish to do this work, we are happy to announce a new fee code to support the time and complexity of the care and care coordination.”
The move comes two months after CTV News was first to report tens of thousand of doses of the drug are sitting unused in British Columbia at a time few people can get an appointment within the five-day window to start the treatment.
Family doctors are already questioning why the provincial government won’t approve payment codes for other complex diagnoses or medications, which advocates have been calling for for months.
“I think it's really encouraging that they're acknowledging that family doctors' time is valuable,” said Dr. Jennifer Lush, a member of Family Doctors for Better Patient Care in B.C. “A precedent has been set for paying family doctors for their time and it's important that we treat our patients who have COVID-19 – but so is cancer, and mental health and diabetes. and any patient that needs the care of a family doctor deserves to have the time spent with them that their clinical condition requires.”
HEALTH MINISTER NONCOMMITAL
B.C. doctors are paid under a fee-for-service system, in which they are paid per patient visit, no matter how long it takes to assess, treat or prescribe to that patient, and many say that’s the reason they’re leaving family practice. Complex patient issues and the review of test results or consultations with specialists, for example, are not recognized.
CTV News asked the health minister why he isn’t allowing “time modifiers” to allow them to bill for other medications and conditions that require more time with patients in light of the Paxlovid policy.
“We make adjustments all the time,” replied Adrian Dix. “In the case of Paxlovid, there are specific reasons and circumstances that people would be diagnosed and that's why those time modifiers are being changed.”
The minister, who’s angered family doctors several times in recent months, did not commit to any other method of recognizing some patients require more time with doctors, who should be compensated for the additional care.
THE KEY ISSUE IN FAMILY MEDICINE CRISIS
The issue has been the subject of intense advocacy by B.C.’s physicians, who’ve been trying to explain the closure or scaling back of family practice due to the increasing complexity of their jobs, without a commensurate change in compensation or recognition of the demands on them and time required outside of the actual patient visit.
In Alberta, family doctors are paid on a fee-for-service basis, but time modifies are part of their system and hundreds of doctors are accepting patients of all stripes at a time an estimated one million British Columbians cannot find one.
While it’s difficult to gauge the average salary of a family doctor since the province only tracks the amount they bill to the system, which is the gross amount paid to them and does not include rent, supplies, staff and other business expenses that must be paid from the payout, sources within the medical field say it’s typical for a doctor to make $150,000 per year in family medicine, and upwards of $250,000 per year working as hospitalists or contract physicians in telehealth companies.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Biscuits with possible plastic pieces, metal found in ground pork: Here are the recalls for this week
Here are the latest recalls Canadians should watch out for, according to Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.